Almost by definition, technology is always improving, upgrading, changing. Like a shark in the ocean, it needs to be moving forward constantly or it faces death; or worse, obsolescence. Trying to get a grasp on something that is in a constant state of flux can be frustrating, but for a business owner striving to remain competitive or to grow, staying up to date with technology is essential.

Until recently, dentistry remained fairly unaffected by technological innovations. Now it seems that the entire industry is experiencing a surge of development and advancements. Digital technologies are coming down the pike at a furious pace and are poised to revolutionize the way clinicians and technicians work to provide optimal patient care. The dental technician of the future will rely less on hands-on artistry and transform into the new digital technologist who creates restorations in a virtual world using high-tech hardware and software. Digital innovations also will change many of the ways labs operate, offering new avenues for expanding business practices.

There was a time some 25 years ago when most business owners and consumers saw little use in the newest digital technology of the day: the personal computer.

Today, computers are ubiquitous in homes, classrooms, and offices around the world and have transformed today’s business environment. The tiny, yet powerful microchip can be found in just about every electronic device produced, from cell phones and PDAs to robotic toys that teach children to read.

This universality presents a clear business advantage to the individual who makes the effort to understand their uses and capabilities, and then looks to incorporate computer-based innovations into work processes to increase efficiency, productivity, and overall capabilities. The business owner who prefers the status quo usually ends up standing on the sidelines while progress quickly moves forward.

Confronting this new digital era, dental laboratory owners, who want to put together a business plan that will sustain them beyond the next few years, will need to examine how, which, and where digital technologies can be integrated into the business. From general-purpose personal computers and digital cameras to CAD/CAM systems and digital impression scanners and software, technology promises to transform the modern dental laboratory considerably, but not without consequence.

“It used to be that it was easy to start a dental laboratory,” said William Stroh, President of Williams Dental Laboratory Inc. in Erie, Pa. “You could start with a pot of boiling water and a package of wax. Today’s startup investment is much greater than it’s ever been before.”

It could be overwhelming trying to figure out an entry point. Progressive laboratory owners, like Jerry Ragle, CDT, realize the importance of the transition and began with the basics by involving computerization in day-to-day processes. His 17-technician laboratory in Central Illinois has “about a dozen computers” including three centrally located units equipped with touchscreens and Inventrix Labtrac software for case tracking; a pair of computers dedicated to Sirona inLab CAD/CAM scan, design, and milling functions; and one system solely for receiving and processing data from a client using the Cadent iTero digital impression system.

“Technicians don’t have a flatscreen at their bench...yet,” he predicted, adding that he saw a laboratory bench at the International Dental Show in Germany that featured a flatscreen that extended out of and retracted into the bench with the push of a button.

His ultimate goal is to have a computer link at every bench to provide his technologists with all necessary digital case information—including patient photos, digital shade data, and clinician notes—readily available to help in restoration fabrication.

“The dental laboratory of the near future will be a very different place than it is today,” predicted Shane Girard-Sebestyen, MBA, President of Quantum Technologies. Eschewing the very words “Dental” and “Laboratory” in its name, the progressive laboratory in southwestern Ontario has incorporated a wide variety of high-tech digital equipment as part of the company’s operations plan. “As labs move into a digital design world, technicians will find traditional methods very cumbersome,” he said.

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