today IDS Cologne Show Preview

n Digital technologies have been in the focus of researchers and devel- opers in the industry alike for many years. Now they are beginning to increasingly shape the daily routines in dental practices and laboratories including aesthetic dentistry pro- cedures. Once being a subspecialty, the field of aesthetic dentistry has made significant progress due to the introduction of new technologies such as electronic colourimetric sys- tems and digital methods for pro- ducing highly accurate intraoral moulds. In particular, the diverse meth- odsofCAD/CAM-supporteddesignin dental restorations—especially with the use of zirconium high-strength ceramics—and layered or pressed ce- ramic veneers are now providing excellent solutions for patients that not only ask for highly functional but alsoaestheticdentalprosthetics.This appliesespeciallytothepreciseform- ingofceramicormetallicfoundations for crowns and bridges, as well as to implant prostheses and associated ceramic or plastic veneers. “Aesthetics in dentistry have con- tinued to gain importance in recent years, as more patients ask their den- tist how their teeth can be restored to both functional and aesthetic perfec- tion,” explains Dr. Martin Rickert, Managing Board Chairman of the Association of German Dental Manu- facturers (VDDI). He adds that in or- der to meet this strong demand for high-techdentalcaremoreefficiently, userscannowrelynotonlyonconven- tional but also digital methods that make CAD/CAM-supported ceramic veneer techniques possible. Among the latest versions of digi- tal workflow are all-ceramics mono- block processes using CAD/CAM me- thods to make anatomically complete restorationsfromadvancedmaterials like lithium disilicate or zirconium dioxide ceramics. Modern CAD/CAM veneering systems that allow to cre- ate a restoration with all anatomical details inside a virtual space and sub- dividesitintotwopartialdatarecords are currently provided by the dental industry.Oneofthesedatasetsisused for the fabrication of the foundation from zirconium dioxide while the other is used to mill the pre-sintered veneer ceramic. This veneer can then be attached on top of the foundation, coloured and sintered. Similar methods can also be ap- plied to lithium disilicate ceramics, a material primarily used for the pro- ductionofsingleandmulti-unitdental restorations. In addition to a comprehensive presentation of high-tech in dentistry, the International Dental Show will also provide a comprehensive over- view of conventional technologies that continue to be useful in dental prosthetics. These include treatment methods using ceramics, precious metals or NEM alloys in their ve- neers—either processed in layer or in laminated forms. Simultaneously, plastics technology has also made progress in the development of aes- thetically pleasing veneers. Innova- tive composite materials provide un- precedented abrasion resistance as well as the required colour fidelity for thecreationofhigh-qualitystructural designs. “Professional visitors from den- tist’s practices and dental laborato- ries can look forward to the Interna- tionalDentalShow,theworld’slargest tradefairfordentalmedicineandden- tal technology in Cologne from 22 to 26March,2011,asanexcellentoppor- tunity for gathering information from the exhibiting companies’ specialists, other experts and experienced users aboutthewholespectrumofaesthetic dentistry and especially the latest CAD/CAM methods for making per- fect ceramic veneers and substruc- tures,”concludesDrMarkusHeibach, CEO of the VDDI. 7 (Source: Koelnmesse/Edited by Daniel Zimmermann, today international) trends06 Show Preview IDS Cologne 2011 All-ceramic restorations drive aesthetics in dentistry Digitalised workflows will create new business opportunities for dental laboratories worldwide AD