Metatooth“free design in minutes”
multi-veneer capability chairside. but how thin?
the tech is the tray
very nice titanium and chrome cobalt devices. USA made
boomer: yet another practice management software
gen z: market share available to smart businesses
This year’s meetup is on Thursday, Jan 29, 2026 from 4-7pm at Legal Sea Foods- Harborside.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/atlantis-plus-2026-tickets-1520582024769?aff=oddtdtcreator
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.
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.
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.
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!
This year’s meetup is on Thursday, Jan 30, 2025 from 4-7pm at Legal Sea Foods- Harborside.
The City of Boston is home to manufacturing. In fact, it leads the list of manufacturing jobs (13,843) per municipality for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Here’s a list of the state’s largest manufacturing businesses:
Source: industryselect.com
The Atlantis Plus meetup coincides with the Yankee Dental Congress. It was once said: “Dental is the poster child of 3D printing”. Check out the Exhibition and then meetup with other professionals from the dental, 3d printing, automation, and robotics industries.
A kaleidocycle rotates about itself.
Metatooth tuned into this year’s Formlabs User Summit last week. There was a fun keynote with CEO Max Lobovsky and YouTuber Matt Stanton. Stanton trained as an aerospace engineer, but now entertains 1.4M subscribers with his creative content.
Here are some topics that caught our attention. Don’t take our word for it! Watch the entire summit here.
The update was primarily a review of the new Form 4B. The Form 4 generation of machines are MSLA instead of SLA technology. The difference being Masked SLA uses an LED array to cure an entire layer at once, as opposed to SLA relying on a single laser that must be moved across the platform.
The result is faster print times, Formlabs claims 11 dental models in 9 minutes with 99% of print surface within +/-100 microns. Updated resins for fast model production are needed to achieve these speed & accuracy improvements.
Resins for temporary and permanent restorations continue to improve, in strength and aesthetics. In particular, a resin from BEGO was highlighted, indicated for permanent single and multi-unit crowns.
New PreForm features of particular use to dental products fabrication were reviewed. PreForm functionality continues to expand so that users can complete all steps of file preparation. It’s not just for slicing!
For dental models in particular, PreForm provides the ability to produce hollow or honeycombed models. Vent or drain holes can now be applied. Labeling, either embossed or engraved can be completed using the PreForm software.
In the “coming soon” department, native CAD file import is on its way. CATIA, Creo, SolidWorks, and STEP were listed. CAD file conversion used to be an industry in itself! PreForm still uses a mesh-based model internally, it will be interesting to learn customer response to PreForm’s approach to meshing from boundary representations.
The discussion of the Formlabs Web & Local API should spark the interest of those needing to integrate their fleet of printers with other software.
The Web API requires a connection to the Internet and enables communication of the data rendered by the Formlabs Dashboard to workflow management or so-called Manufacturing Execution System (MES) software. Many companies use Google Sheets as their MES! This sort of integration… from Web API to Google Sheets was demonstrated. Lean manufacturing requires visibility of each work unit and Google Sheets is far better than other desktop-bound systems.
The Local API works completely on-premises which is certainly of interest to users with HIPAA or ITAR constraints. It was suggested that developers could create their own dashboards using data retrieved from the Local API. This is another example of tech developed for cloud-native systems providing benefits in a “local only” setting.
The Local API is not just for reporting printer fleet state! While the PreForm application continues to expand it’s capabilities, certain manufacturers may need to adjust print settings dyanamicaly, or apply geometrical changes that PreForm does not support. Using the Local API, a “post-preform” layer can be developed so that users can make use of proprietary methods in their print preparation workflow.
Did you watch this year’s summit? Tell us about it in the comments!
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?
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.
Here are the systems that caught our attention, in order of price (ascending).
Runyes 3DS
Shining 3D
Medit i600
iTero (Cart)
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.
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!
This year’s 3rd annual meetup is on Thursday, Jan 25, 2024 from 4-7pm at Legal Sea Foods- Harborside. Does your work improve oral health? Please join us!
2. Boston is a dental technology star.
3. Seafood tower.
Greater Boston is a home to startup culture. Cascade Communications, Digital Equipment Corporation, DraftKings, HubSpot, Tripadvisor, and Wayfair all got their starts here. This event is named for dental startup Atlantis Components. After acquisition the Atlantis business has grown to serve markets in North America, Europe, and Japan.
Please reserve a ticket for the event here.
Sponsors welcome! Contact atlantisplus24@metatooth.com for rates.
Mill Town Agriculture is renovating and repurposing the Riverside Paper Co. building in Holyoke, MA for cannabis cultivation. An exciting project and Metatooth is grateful to be involved.
One fascinating aspect is the remnants left behind by previous tenants. Lots of old equipment, plenty of useful scrap, workplace posters and signs. This poster caught our attention immediately. A little heavy-handed but definitely not wrong.
Customer-centered or outward-looking reflection is a vital part of any business, regardless of industry. Identifying your customer and their needs are essential in understanding what to offer and how to sell. What is their need? It is not always what they say. Many customers can’t articulate their need as they don’t know how your product or service provides value. In regulated markets, a customer need document — also known as user need — is the beginning of the product development process. Contact us to learn about Metatooth’s consulting services.
Metatooth LLC is licensed to produce and process industrial hemp by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources. Contact info@lynngrown.com for license details or product certificates. Premium flower and solvent-less extracts will be for sale through the state’s Marijuana Retailers.
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