Keeping Euston Place patients happy
Based in Leamington Spa, the Euston Place Dental Practice is focused on providing a friendly and welcoming service to each patient – which is why the team was keen to invest in the most modern digital dentistry equipment to allow more work to be completed in-house.
The practice uses a desktop DWX-42W wet milling machine from Roland's DGSHAPE brand, in an integrated interface with a 3Shape TRIOS intraoral scanner and TRIOS Design Studio software. DGSHAPE milling systems are designed with open architecture compatibility to enable just such a CAD/CAM workflow, allowing each individual practice to connect their preferred complementary scanning devices seamlessly. The DWX-42W wet mill itself is a high-performance and highly efficient system, yet is easy to operate for the production of dental prosthetics in PMMA, composite resins, and hybrid and glass ceramics. Its six-station Automatic Tool Changer delivers uninterrupted milling, so the operator can spend less time with the machine and more time with the patient.
Dr Doug Watt is one of the dentists at Euston Place Dental Practice, having graduated from the University of Birmingham in 2003, winning the Centenary Cup, and being shortlisted for Best Young Dentist at the Dentistry Awards in 2013. As a self-confessed 'geek', he is continuing to enjoy experimenting with the DGSHAPE DWX-42W and the 3Shape TRIOS scanner, which has been in use at the practice for nearly a year.
He explains the process of producing a crown: "First we scan the patient, then we can design the prosthetic in our in-house lab. Using the DWX-42W we then mill the crown out of a block of the chosen material, stain and glaze it, and fit it in the patient's mouth in just two to two-and-a-half hours."
This speed of turnaround of course offers an incredible improvement to patients, who can receive their new, aesthetically pleasing prosthetic on the same day as their first appointment – or be guaranteed to receive it in three days, for example. In addition, in-house, same-day production means minimising the requirement for temporaries, which may not have a perfect fit or finish. With some patients experiencing anxiety around dental work, this offers valuable predictability.
Moreover, Euston Place's patients enjoy the overall experience, as Dr Watt explains. "Our patients are very impressed," he says. "They're really interested in the digital technology and what it can do. Aesthetically the prosthetics look good as there is no metal work, and there is a wider choice of materials – and of course the speed of production is a great advantage.
"It also shows that we're investing for the benefit of our patients, and bringing the entire process in-house so we're personally overseeing the work shows they are being looked after from start to finish."
Euston Place isn't the only dental practice to attract patients thanks to the novelty of digital technology; Dr Alan Jurim, a dentist based in New York, USA, invites his patients to see the machines at work.
"We enhance that patient experience by interacting the patients with the milling machines," he says. "They see the restorations being made, they see the process and really the patient takes that experience with them and knows that they are getting the best treatment possible in our environment."
Giving Dr Watt more control
The patients are happier, but what of the dental professionals? Aside from Dr Doug Watt's opportunity to 'geek out' over the possibilities offered by the digital DGSHAPE technology, the Euston Place practice is also benefitting from the investment.
"Cost-wise, bringing production in-house is better as there are no lab fees – it works out far cheaper for us," he says. "As there are no temporaries to make, that also brings cost efficiencies. And by overseeing the full production chain we have more control over the process and have a better outcome on the finished prosthetic, and a higher quality product for our patients."
Convenience and reliability
The DWX-42W wet milling machine measures just 482mm × 560mm × 600mm – a compact, desktop size that will sit comfortably in most dentists' offices, giving dental professionals the control to create crowns, veneers, bridges, inlays and onlays there and then. This convenience is backed by reliability; its design is the result of Roland's over 30 years' manufacturing experience, which is consistently enhanced by customer feedback.
Indeed, the DGSHAPE DWX-42W is the latest generation of wet milling machine, with improvements over previous models based on what dental clinics and labs demand. For example, it requires 50 per cent less air pressure and 65 per cent volume – without sacrificing performance – and is up to 50 per cent faster than its predecessor. It also features the vPanel, a user-friendly virtual control panel that displays information such as the progress of milling jobs, alerts and guidance on maintenance, tool life, cost considerations and more.
The mill has also been designed for heavy-duty production – its all-metal dental spindle was specially designed for it – while its open architecture compatibility and LAN connectivity fits into existing workflows.
As Dr Jurim comments: "One of the most important parts for us is the trusted connection between DGSHAPE and our other trusted digital dentistry providers so that we can use the technology on a day-to-day basis, and we can make sure that we can rely on it."
Dr Watt agrees: "Using the DGSHAPE DWX-42W in combination with the 3Shape TRIOS scanner and software gives us more predictability and more control over our prosthetics, which is great for the practice and for our patients."
Digital technology is making the production of dental prosthetics faster, cheaper, more accurate and – as Dr Doug Watt testifies – even fun.