daVinci Dental Studios is Focused on Service, Esthetics
The first dental laboratory to introduce cosmetic porcelain veneers to Hollywood, daVinci Dental Studios maintains its focus on esthetics and customer support while working with multiple implant companies to offer a wide range of restoration options to a demanding customer base.
Noting that daVinci is "well known for great esthetics, especially on anterior restorations," Jaime Siu, Director of Implants, points out that the company has evolved beyond creating the veneers that were once their most well-known offering, to providing "‘denture-less' alternatives, whether patients are missing one tooth, or all of them."
The company's DV-IS™ (daVinci Implant Solutions) combines all the elements of an implant case, including model work, soft tissue, CAD/CAM abutment, implant labor, and restoration, into one product. The CAD/CAM custom abutments are available in either titanium or zirconia. The customer can choose from Lava™, e.max®, titanium, porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM), gold crown, or PJC restorations.
In addition to DV-IS™, daVinci, a full-service dental laboratory, offers custom abutments, implants, and implant systems from a range of manufacturers. Siu says the company's ability to offer so many implant choices is due to "a great support team of technicians who can hold hands with dentists from the beginning of the treatment planning all the way to the fitting of the crown." Plus, excellent relationships with and support from the implant companies is key, as they supply much of the professional education that Siu says has been an important part of the growing popularity of implants.
"One of the biggest advances I see is in how doctors are being trained," observes Siu, who says his company relies heavily on the educational resources—including workshops, lectures, and live demonstrations, as well as literature and videos that are supplied by the implant companies to support their products. However, he says, it is largely daVinci that ensures those who need resources and training receive them, sometimes in its 40-person lecture hall.
In addition to professional education, Siu describes the services daVinci offers those dentists who supply a surgeon's report, providing parts and equipment via field technicians. "We're not just limited to working the lab. We offer custom service through technicians in the field traveling with the tools and the necessary instruments and materials to help out dentists in delivering a case."
daVinci encourages doctors and laboratories to contact them to "brainstorm on difficult cases," and says social media are among the tools used to accomplish this objective. "We try to take advantage of the blogs and social media like Facebook and Twitter to expose difficult cases."
Siu sees a bright future for implants as a result of patient acceptance and affordability. "Patients are more eager to get an implant done because it costs about the same as doing a bridge. For edentulous patients, I think it is becoming more affordable because they have choices. For patients who already wear dentures, if they want, they can still have something removable, without the need for adhesives. They may not be aware of the benefits of a removable horseshoe-type appliance with locators or hader bars that don't require adhesives or the hygiene advantages of a hybrid whose hot-water design enables patients to clean and floss without the need for nighttime removal."
Noting implant trends, Siu expects that stock abutments will be phased out during the next 5 to 10 years and that demand will increase for CAD/CAM abutments and milled abutments to find the right angulation. He also foresees a greater effort to serve "green" patients—especially those who don't want metal in their mouths. This, he believes, will prompt a movement away from titanium, possibly toward zirconium-based implants.
Whether providing implants, veneers, or any other dental service, daVinci will "work tirelessly to offer quality esthetics and value to doctors and patients," Siu affirms.
DaVinci Dental Studios
22135 Roscoe Blvd,
West Hills, CA 91304
800-874-7239
www.davincilab.com
