When Avi Cohen, director of Global Dental at Stratasys, Ltd.,  and his team started working on the initial concept for 

, they knew they had a huge innovation on their hands.

Their goal was to serve a wide variety of industries while offering 3D printing and direct digital manufacturing solutions for prototyping manufacturing parts with high details resolution and fine surface finish. Today they consider themselves well positioned to address customer needs across the entire dental spectrum and they continue to work closely with laboratory customers to ensure their business growth.

Q: What were you hearing from labs that made you want to develop VeroDentPlus?

 The new material, VeroDentPlus, is the second-generation formulation of the popular VeroDent, an acrylic-based polymer. It was developed in response to customer feedback requesting a darker, more gypsum-like material. Consequently, it’s more opaque than VeroDent and offers higher resolution details. Like VeroDent, the VeroDentPlus has a low price point compared to other materials.

Q: What was the development process for this product?

 It was a long process, and actually it had started about a year after we had released the original VeroDent material. With continuous care for our dental customers, we have tried to learn from them what they would like to see in the next generation material and what properties it should carry. We have done various formulations and presented them to select dental customers until we got the final “Wow!”

See Stratasys' 3D printing solution in action:

Q: How is VeroDentPlus different from other 3D printing materials?

 The new material, VeroDentPlus, is compatible with all open intraoral, impression and plaster scanners and prints models for crowns, bridges, orthodontic appliances, and implant models. The printed dental models with this material are an excellent solution for direct, high quality, precision model production from major intraoral scanners.

Q: What feature of VeroDentPlus are you most proud of?

 The VeroDentPlus delivers extreme accuracy, economic benefits and offers the appearance of dental stone. On a personal level, although the material is intended for increasing production with extreme accurate, economical material to offer the appearance of dental stone-I am most proud of the look and feel of the VeroDentPlus.

Q: How do you feel VeroDentPlus will help the average lab with their workflow?

 There are a few factors that are critical for the average lab, among those you can find the accuracy, productivity and cost per case. The VeroDentPlus delivers all those benefits to all existing and new customers.

Q: How can labs make the leap into 3D printing?

 Digital dentistry is rapidly becoming the standard production tool for dental laboratories. Offering the ability to cut production times, increase efficiency and accuracy and enable new business growth, the benefits of digital production are clear. For dental lab owners and managers, choosing the right technologies to deliver the best return is not always so straightforward. As providers of state-of-the-art 3D printing systems for digital dentistry, Stratasys is committed to enabling dental labs to reap the maximum benefits from the digital dentistry era. By combining oral scanning, CAD/CAM design and 3D printing, dental labs can accurately and rapidly produce a range of dental and orthodontic appliances. 

For more information about VeroDentPlus, visit 

Articles

When Avi Cohen, director of Global Dental at Stratasys, Ltd.,  and his team started working on the initial concept for VeroDentPlus, they knew they had a huge innovation on their hands.

I Made That: Stratasys' VeroDentPlus 3D printing material

It's easy to overlook the importance of removables to your lab. Here are reasons to return to these vital solutions.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the 65+ population is expected to double by 2050. This is great news for denture-doing dentists and removable dental labs-as people get older, their need for removables also increases, meaning there could soon be an all-new revenue stream.

2. Increase in quality means increase in choices and demand

The improvements and innovations over the past few decades offer so many choices in comfortable, esthetic removable appliances. A removable appliance does not have to be bulky and uncomfortable nor show metal.

“With the increasing demand of implant overdentures and highly cosmetic full and partial dentures, the removable arena is wide open for dental laboratories and dentists to increase their business,” says Dennis Urban, CDT. “The quality and esthetics of denture teeth and denture base materials are unsurpassed compared to materials used in the past. The major problem that the dental laboratory industry is facing is a lack of experienced removable technicians.”

“Establish a system of efficient removable case management, which is centered on quality two-way communication between the client’s office and the laboratory throughout the fabrication process, from design to delivery,” says Jim Collis for Shofu.

That sort of strategy means you’re able to create removables that will make the dental practice and the patient happy the first time, saving time and money.

4. The economic reality will drive demand

The recession that we recently experienced impacted the demand for high-cost restorative dentistry, causing people of all ages to re-think removable appliances as a viable option.

5. Advances in implants means more need for removables

For patients that choose implants, removable dentures and/or partials are necessary during the healing period.

New materials including: teeth, acrylic and composites are improving the quality, function and esthetics of removables. Lab professionals also can learn how CAD/CAM is already being used for partial denture frameworks and implant bars for hybrid cases.

7. The variety of removable options can help attract clients

Make your clients aware of unique removable services available through your laboratory such as: combination fixed and removable cases, overdenture attachment cases, or quick turnaround repairs and relines. Provide this information through your company website, emails, or as an attachment to your monthly billing statement.

7 reasons you should revisit removables

Why hiring the right vendors to help with marketing leads to better business overall.

When it comes to implementing new business solutions, lab owners have two options-hire an expert, or take the time to figure it out on their own. For anything in the lab that requires professional expertise, whether it is tax preparation, bookkeeping, or even collections, lab owners have the option to either do it themselves or choose to outsource it. In fact, a common debate and internal dialogue for any business owner is over how much to outsource versus what can be managed in-house.

However, when it comes to marketing, outsourcing should be a no-brainer. There are so many quality vendors who have proven success within the dental industry, and as a result there is simply no need to go it alone or be anyone’s guinea pig; these companies are experts in what they do with strong track records. Whether it is search engine optimization or website design, there are plenty of vendors who will work directly with you to create custom marketing strategies.

Website design is another area lab owners are well-served by outsourcing. Certainly, there are many do-it-yourself, template design formats available. However, a website should be designed with the belief that it is a powerful tool for the lab, and that there’s quantitative research and best practices that have been established to determine what works when it comes to attracting and retaining customers online. The reality is that cookie cutter design will not provide the return on investment you need, and that customization, including the latest and greatest website features, is key in dental lab website design. The site should accurately reflect the lab’s experience and the personality-telling the dentists why the lab is better than the competition.

Custom features such as videos, a blog, SEO tactics and social media links are necessary in connecting with the online community and driving new clients to the lab.

Sure, lab owners can take the time to teach themselves some tricks or even become experts in Search Engine Optimization. They can read books and articles and stay updated on the latest trends, strategies and algorithms. But the reality is that as in many technology-based arenas, SEO is a constantly changing beast, and it’s a full-time job to keep up.  For lab owners who don’t have time to add another responsibility to their job description, hiring a website design and SEO company is an easy solution.

Red Adair, the late American businessman, once said, “If you think it’s expensive hiring a professional, wait till you hire an amateur.” There are countless, self-proclaimed “experts” ready to assist lab owners with their SEO and website design, all with varying degrees of costs and experience. So what should you look for in a vendor when you make the choice to outsource?

First, be sure the company has a history of proven success in business-to-business SEO marketing tactics. Be specific-you want not just an SEO expert, but an SEO expert who knows how to target search terms that dentists would actually search for when seeking a lab.

Second, the right vendor should offer different levels of service and pricing. And be wary of companies that require payment in full up front before any work has been completed.

Next, look for vendors who offer a range of expertise. Whether you’re looking for e-communication solutions, social media marketing, SEO or website design, you will be best served by hiring one company capable of doing it all. This leads to a long-term business relationship as the vendor’s successes enhance the lab’s growth.

Hiring one vendor to manage a variety of the online marketing tactics, for example, ensures the lab has a single point of contact rather than multiple partners to manage. Plus, in this scenario, all online marketing efforts are coordinated and work cohesively, while increasing the vendor’s accountability and investment in the lab’s success-all of which ends up saving you time and money in the long run

Dental Lab Products-2013-06-01

I Made That: Stratasys' VeroDentPlus 3D printing material

7 reasons you should revisit removables

How to outsource your lab's marketing to better results and greater ROI