5 exciting innovations introduced at IDS 2019

The IDS (International Dental Show) was held in Cologne, Germany, for the 38th time, bringing together the best dental technologies and more than 150,000 dental professionals from around the world. This really is dentistry’s global event, and it takes place every other year.

As dentistry’s busiest mega-tradeshow, IDS is THE place see the future of dentistry, meet old friends, and get your fill of the local Kolsch beer and the casual food currywurst. Don’t worry if you couldn’t make it to Cologne; we’ve got you covered on what’s new in dental technology.

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Here are five things to look out for this year.

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PromiseVision 3D™ surgical microscope

Everyone knows the majority of dentists now use loupes, but did you know that only 4 percent currently use a microscope? Seiler Instrument & Manufacturing Co. hopes to grow that number with its innovative microscope that easily switches between 2D and 3D.

With a 4.5X–28X magnification range, the depth and detail are amazing. I found the PromiseVision easy to learn and use, and it helped me to keep perfect posture. As a test, they had me try and thread a needle while looking through the microscope in both 2D and 3D. When I tried it in 2D mode, it took me almost a minute to thread a needle. But once I flipped into 3D mode, my depth perception was better, and within five seconds I did the job. I’ll warn you that once you see detail in 3D, I’m not sure why you’d want to go back to 2D.

TRIOS 4

Once again, 3Shape wins the award for the biggest buzz at IDS. Their booth is always thumping with a crowd watching demos and asking questions about the latest open source scanning technology.

3Shape’s brand-new wireless TRIOS 4 adds a few new features on top of what you already know. First, it adds radiation-free fluorescent technology that can aid in the possible detection of interproximal caries. This is a nice feature because it potentially eliminates another device (and step) in your treatment. Time will tell on the accuracy of the caries detection, but either way, it’s nice to have.

The TRIOS 4 also uses 3Shape’s next generation of  “smart tips” with instant-heat technology, so you can be ‘scan ready’ in seconds, which allows for 30 percent additional battery life. All in all, a few nice enhancements to a device that’s already a killer product and category leader.

OccluShaper

Not all of the innovation at IDS is about digital dentistry, and sometimes it can come in small packages.

Komet’s new occlusal onlay kit is called OccluShaper, and you can probably guess from the name that it “shapes the occlusal.” This product is the perfect minimally invasive approach for prepping inlays and onlays (sometimes known as “table tops”). The difference is in the design and shape. OccluShaper helps the clinician save more of the natural tooth during prep and increases patient outcomes.

Primescan

Dentsply Sirona never disappoints at IDS with innovation in all product categories, but it’s the company’s new CEREC Primescan that “wowed” the crowd.

Primescan uses a new “dynamic depth scan” as opposed to triangulation, which is what tuts previous scanner, the Omnicam, uses. This dynamic depth scan allows for more than 100 million contrast values per second for perfect sharpness up to 20 mm depth. Translation? It’s faster and sharper than before and can do a full-arch scan in minutes. As the company that invented CAD/CAM dentistry, CEREC isn’t slowing down.

PreXion 3D Explorer

CBCT isn’t new, but this one looks and performs differently. First of all, it’s not bone white like everyone else’s. The color is metallic silver, which makes it look more high-tech at first glance. And after digging deeper, the PreXion 3D Explorer has a few cool new features.

These days, everyone is concerned about radiation exposure, and the Explorer offers a 0.3-mm focal spot and voxel size of 0.075 mm, a unique combination of the highest possible image quality with the lowest possible radiation exposure. The Explorer captures three FOVs: 50x50 mm, 150x80 mm and 150x160 mm for a full-head scan.

With more than 2,000 companies and tens of thousands of products on display at IDS, it was hard to pick just five new products. The sheer magnitude of the event and the technology on display can be overwhelming. But even if you never get to IDS, rest assured that the dental industry isn’t slowing down when it comes to product innovation and excitement. Start planning your trip to Europe for 2021 and make a stop in the friendly city of Cologne for some inspiration - we’ll see you there.