Transforming workflows in the digital dental lab

Dental Laboratories Association (DLA) Immediate Past President, Steve Campbell, dental technician and managing director at Nexus Dental Laboratory discusses the key challenges faced by technicians in the dental lab, and the ways in which new dental technology can impact and improve on workflows.

The main challenge we come up against with regards to scanning in the dental lab is achieving accurate image acquisition. This is because, whilst effective in some cases, intraoral scanners are prone to mis-stitches and, in order to achieve a more accurate outcome, a lab scanner is needed. This presents its own challenges – being a clunky and time-consuming process. A clinical dental technician (CDT) might need to carry out a scan of a denture or impression whilst a patient is waiting, and this is not a quick process. This puts us at risk of a bottle neck in the lab, whilst we wait for scans to finish.

Championing digital lab work

At Nexus Dental Lab, we are huge digital advocates, and have been fully digital for 10 years. Through digital breakthroughs, we are able to implement processes that aren’t available elsewhere and use more durable materials. As such, we are able to change everyone’s experience for the better, especially the patient’s. By utilising digital processes, once we have produced a denture, we are able to re-produce a spare at the click of a button. This transforms the lives of people in care homes, who may lose or break their dentures, which ordinarily results in a delay of two weeks and impacts both their nutrition and quality of life. However, digital processes mean that we can create a spare which is kept safe with a carer who can easily reorder a replacement from the lab.

The Cubit360 digital scanner from Mimetrik will change everything for us – it’s the missing piece of the puzzle. The scanner is unique in that it is portable and accurate. Traditional lab scanners are impractical, bulky, expensive, and difficult to use, whereas intraoral scanners are handy but result in mis-stitch, ultimately leading to poor fit. The Cubit360 produces a complete digital reproduction of the object in your hand. It is globally accurate without mis-stitches, for a simple process and an accurate fit. This completely transforms the end result for patients, eliminating discomfort and improving retention. It also changes the entire scanning experience for the professional team.

Integrated AI workflow

Artificial intelligence (AI) already plays a role in our workflows at Nexus. We have our own development team, and use AI at the front end. We use generative AI in design to produce a video of the patient, demonstrating their expected treatment outcome.

We carry out a lot of complex full arch work, meaning that we are aware of challenges with accuracy. Since going fully digital, we have seen things progress. Intraoral scanners have been a huge development but they have a small field of vision. It’s like doing a jigsaw but only being able to see one piece at a time. The Cubit360 can see the big picture, making it globally accurate whilst still achieving micron level precision. This changes everything for us, maximising time in the lab for the benefit of everyone. Our turnaround times are shortened, clinicians can see more patients, and patients receive faster treatment. This is the unit that we have been looking for.

Transforming workflows in dentistry

The user experience with the Cubit360 will be completely different to anything else on the market. At current, every product comes with a set workflow, and can feel quite complex and intimidating to those who are not familiar with digital solutions. In contrast, the Cubit360 system is completely open, and has a low barrier to entry, enabling the user to simply present the object and begin scanning instantly. This means that there is virtually no learning curve. When I first encountered the Cubit360, I was able to use it instinctively – this tells me that, for those who haven’t worked with any digital tech before, the system is very easy to learn.

Another advantage is its speed. The Cubit360 is scanning models and dentures in a fraction of the time we would normally need – something that was taking us 10 minutes previously, now takes 2 minutes. This is particularly important for dental technicians, as time is a valuable resource and we have a diminishing workforce. Anyone using this will feel the benefit instantly.

For the lab, this is such a transformative product – able to complement the images we receive from those who already use intraoral scanners, whilst ensuring a global scan is achieved for complete accuracy.

The future of digital dental technology

I genuinely think that this opens up unique new pathways, facilitating the predictable creation of highly accurate full arch scans. Ultimately, the Cubit360 creates an entirely new workflow. In the surgery, clinicians could use it to scan impressions and send them directly to the dental lab, and it can act as a stepping stone for those currently not using digital solutions, as it is an incredibly accessible option. I think a CDT armed with this unit could transform the lives of those in care homes, creating back-up files for dentures. This is a new solution that can enable us to help members of society access the support they need.

For more information about Mimetrik, please visit https://mimetrik.tech/