The difference a day makes

What a difference a day can make in your dental career. Here I was, like many of you-operating a very successful practice in a mid-size community-thinking I was keeping up with all of the advantages that modern dentistry could offer.
I’d keep track of all that was new by reviewing publications like Dental Products Report and others on a monthly basis. I’d attend the regional tradeshows and attend CE courses.

I’d watch for the once-a-year Restorative Update by the folks at CR (formerly CRA), all to make sure I was keeping my fingers on the pulse of the profession.

I have digital records, digital X-rays, both hard- and soft-tissue lasers; I prescribe only the best restorative materials and offer my patients the best professional care I can. What more could a dental professional do?

Inspired to try something new
It wasn’t until I took a day out of my schedule a little more than a year ago that I saw firsthand how chairside CAD/CAM systems have evolved and what this technology truly could offer me, my team, my practice and, most of all, my patients. I always had some prejudice or hesitancy around “doing it myself,” based mostly on what I would hear or read from colleagues who questioned the esthetics, fit, strength or longevity (and in some instances the morality) of taking business away from the laboratory.

I attended a one-day hands-on workshop where I was able to scan, design and mill my own restoration, and my hesitation was all swept away. If you haven’t looked at chairside CAD/CAM systems in the last year, you really have to consider it as if you haven’t looked at all. Get rid of all those preconceived notions and those horror stories of colleagues from the past. If you and your practice are ready for a new high in dentistry and a reinvigoration of your dental skills and creativity, chairside CAD/CAM dentistry is right for you- right now.

One year in
So, one year in, how am I doing with chairside CAD/CAM dentistry? Better than I ever could have imagined. From all aspects that were initial concerns-return on investment (ROI), quality of the restorations, team involvement, integration into a busy practice schedule, my ability to “change”-I now can say there is no way I would ever practice a day without my E4D Dentist System (Fig. 1) from D4D Technologies. There are other systems to consider, but I chose the E4D Dentist System because it matched perfectly with what I wanted:

I didn’t want to powder.
I wanted the best quality of finished restoration to minimize my own finishing.
I wanted to be able to design quadrant dentistry and smile designs all at once, not tooth-by-tooth.

The comprehensive education and on-going remote support that D4D includes with your purchase finalized my decision.

With all new technology there is a learning curve, and, with the rate that manufacturers bring out new features and the depth of the soft.