The decision to make a purchase of new dental equipment can be a difficult one. There are many factors to consider and when the investment is set to be a large one it means it is all the more important to get it right. Tony Knight of Knight Dental Design was considering the benefits offered by a milling machine. He did his research into the options available and went to a trade exhibition with the intention of making a purchase; after talking to a representative of Panadent he decided to wait for the launch of the Sirona inLab MC X5.
One attraction of the machine was that it has been designed from the ground up specifically to meet dental laboratories technological requirements. Secondly, Tony found the ergonomics to be impressive; whilst many other machines mill wet or dry, the inLab MC X5 can do either, or even both in the same program.
The inLab MC X5 actually allows laboratories to work with dentists who have Cerec equipment; to connect and send work straight from surgery to lab. Tony believes that whilst dentists may be using their single unit Cerec machines to do the smaller, simpler cases, when they need to do something complex such as multiple unit cases, bridges or implant work they will send those scans to the labs to do - because of this access to Cerec Connect opens up a new market for lab owners.
An important factor in the decision to purchase the inLab MC X5 was the freedom it offers in terms of compatibility.
The production unit is able to process design data from external CAD/CAM systems and this open system gives Tony the freedom to use any manufacturer’s products he wishes.
It has been validated by many of the major materials manufacturers such as Vita, Ivoclar and GC, all of which have new materials either on the market or shortly to join it. The inLab MC X5 is already pre-programmed for a lot of these new materials, ensuring that Knight Dental Design is able to use them as soon as they become available.
Installation
As the first lab in the country to place an order, Knight Dental Design received its inLab MC X5 within two weeks of ordering and Tony described the installation process as having gone very smoothly. The machine simply needs a power socket and an air-line; there is no plumbing required so it is simple enough to just ‘plug and play’. Included in the purchase price the team received two full days of training and at the time of this interview had an advanced training day planned covering the more advanced aspects.
In practice
After having had the machine for one month Tony agreed that it has been a success so far for him. He is able to mill a wide range of different materials that he couldn’t before. Previously he had been sub-contracting certain work, for instance translucent zirconia, to another lab; now he is able to do that in-house and enjoy the financial savings that produces.
Even in the short space of time since the unit was installed Knight Dental Design has seen an increase in the amount of work the laboratory is doing digitally with dentists. Client dentists have been impressed by the efficiency
available and the fact that a technician can be virtually chairside with a dentist anywhere in the world, and can communicate instantaneously with them. This saves both dental practices and labs time, money and hassle.
The future
The practical benefits made available by technological improvements will inevitably raise the bar in terms of efficiency; the expectations of what a laboratory can offer a practice will change. For Tony the purchase of the Sirona inLab MC X5 has meant he is in a great position to be able to offer his client dentists something special – and this is something which will become increasingly important if the upsurge in popularity of digital dentistry continues as expected.