Author: Terry

Artificial Intelligence

Many vendors were showing off Artificial Intelligence based products. Large language models (LLMs) and other Generative AI tools are being introduced to software that implement customer service and operational workflows. Machine Learning (ML) tools for diagnostic and clinical evaluation are also multiplying.

One interesting dynamic is the use of AI to negotiate insurance-realted processes. Newcomer Toothy.ai promoted efficient insurance workflows for verfication, claims, and appeals. Sometimes the longest lead-time on software projects is for additions to the integration layer. The company promoted compatibility with Dentrix, Opendental, and eaglesoft.

Intraoral Photogrammetry

Shining 3D’s Aoralscan Elite combines the capabilities of a 2D and 3D scanner, allowing for a single device to capture photogrammetric devices and dentition.

Photogrammetry requires a single image of the entire dental arch to detect scan bodies. There is some evidence that photogrammetric techniques result in “passive fit” full arch restorations.

Dental dentition is captured using much smaller images that a “stitched” together in 3D.

Aoralscan Elite can capture either image type to support digital design of multi-implant restorations. Existing photogrammetry systems are standalone and require an additional intraoral scanner or conventional impression to capture dentition.

This observer saw more Shining 3D Intraoral Scanners on display than any other manufacturer throughout the exhibit floor.

Smart Mouthguard

Glidewell showed the ORB Sport™ Smart Mouthguard. A wearable! This device currently tracks twelve (12) metrics with the use of a subscription app.

A monitor in this form factor could make wearing during gameplay safer than a wristband.

The brochure and materials at the Glidewell’s booth was marketed towards clinicians, but they offer a direct-to-consumer option as well.

Chairside Restorations

There are two types of clinicians: those who prefer a dental lab to manufacture all products and those that want to do that work in-house or even “chairside”. Patients want same-day results!

The Midas Digital Restoration Press from SprintRay is a small-form factor 3D printer that employs a single-use cartridge for printing restorations. The cartridge enables ceramics and highly viscous resins with inorganic fillers to be used. These materials can provide improved durability and functional performance in the finished product. SprintRay claims 3 crowns, 6 inlays/onlays, or 9 veneers in 10 minutes.

Did you attend Yankee Dental 2025? Leave a comment!

Aligners

Orthosnap claims greatest accuracy and clearest material in the aligner tray space. They show shortened treatment times from their own trials. Treatment planning software included too.

Invisalign is a proper noun. It’s hard to imagine the brand will be dislodged from popular culture for some time. For example, my children’s orthodontist seems to be doing very well using Invisalign (and brackets as a backup). That being said, the Align Technology stock price has come back down to pre-pandemic levels.

It’s really hard to have success twice. Align Technology has expanded it’s capabilities with acquisition of iTero & exocad. Can they add another lane outside of orthodontics?

Regenerative

Waste not want not. Tooth Transformer is an Italian company that enables extracted teeth to be reused as a regenerative material. The transformer is a desktop machine.

Intraoral Scanners

Here are the systems that caught our attention, in order of price (ascending).

Runyes 3DS

Shining 3D

Medit i600

iTero (Cart)

Practice Management Software

There was a lot of it, at all price points. New companies keep appearing! This space will remain fragmented, but driven by trends in DSO acquisitions. DSOs could apply pressure on vendors for interoperability and electronic health records.

Artificial Intelligence

Here is the one area where the dental industry leads all others. While most consumers learned about AI with the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, the dental industry has been adopting AI tools for over a decade.

Caries detection is making inroads at dental practices, driven by DSOs (see above!) Restorative design is also having it’s AI moment, most noticeably 3Shape Automate service. Marketing tools like chatbots and patient retention systems are increasingly being driven by AI.

What else can AI handle in the digital dentistry workflow? Tell us about it in the comments!

The Congress and Exhibition returned in-person this year after going virtual for 2021. There were a few empty booths on Friday ahead of the nor’easter and the Congress was closed on Saturday because of the weather. The target customer for this exhibition is the clinician and other members of a dental practice.

New Products

These were new to Metatooth, if not the world.

First up is the Virtua Vivo intraoral scanner from Straumann. It gets the form factor right. Are the days of the dedicated cart over? Also on display were handsets from 3Shape and Medit.

Bioclear demonstrated it’s restorative method, which has been around since 2007. This observer is more familiar with prosthetic dentistry, but patient care is a spectrum. The clinician selects a form or matrix from a kit of stock components (sound familiar?) and then uses injection molding techniques to apply and set the restorative material. The procedure takes about one hour. If an optical scan was taken beforehand, a custom matrix could provide value to the clinician and patient.

Practice Management Software

A survey of software vendors that interface with practice management software consider the following as the market leaders.

• Dentrix
• EagleSoft
• OpenDental

Dental Laboratory Services

Ten or so dental labs had a presence at the exhibition. Many of the “traditional” labs had samples on display, for example, study models, crowns, splints. A smaller number focused their displays on technology — equipment and services. Newcomer Dandy was enticing practitioners with a free intraoral scanner. This business had up-to-date marketing and was drawing the largest interest from the floor.

In-house Production

This author has heard estimates that 10% of dental practices employ a lab technician. If so, then in-house or chair-side production is a small but important market segment. Formlabs seemed to be drawing more interest than it’s competitors in 3D printing equipment.

Artificial Intelligence

Articial Intelligence (AI) increases it’s presence in this industry. The most common application is radiographic analysis, offered by Pearl and Overjet. Claims analysis for insurance companies appears to be another use case.

Looking for products delivered using AI technology? Then 3D Predict has clear aligners for you.

Some other eye catchers…

Wesper presented an FDA-cleared device for at-home sleep testing. It feels like we are just starting to see what mobile computers and wearable devices can deliver in the dental space.

Software provider Referral Ease reminded this author of a time when the conventional wisdom was that web-based software was considered “too modern” for that era’s dentists.

At a recent cleaning, the author’s hygienist described the difficulty of periodontal charting with enhanced infection protocols. Florida Probe has the solution.

Thank you, Nancy

This banner for Rosen Summit Dental caught our attention. A good reminder that at the end of the day dental practices are businesses where the bottom-line remains priority one. This small business owner knows that revenue enables everything else to happen.

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What did you see at Yankee Dental this year? Tell us about it in the comments!