Sirona Imaging: All-Inclusive Implant Solution
With implantology rapidly expanding, more and more clinicians are learning about the field and taking steps to incorporate implants into their practices. According to John Smithson, Director of Marketing of Imaging at Sirona Dental Systems, LLC, this recent growth has been largely due to implant companies going to great lengths to educate a broader base of general practitioners and dental specialists about implant options. In addition, companies have expanded their restorative and prosthetic offerings to allow for more flexibility when placing implants.
Smithson also believes that general practitioners, as well as specialists, are embracing implants in larger numbers because today’s systems are more streamlined and easier to use, and education opportunities are plentiful. In response to this enthusiasm, Sirona Imaging has developed an extensive system to assist clinicians with their implant needs and provide aid in every aspect of an implant procedure.
Sirona’s GALILEOS Implant software is a 3-dimensional (3-D) program that allows users to plan implant procedures in a very short period of time. GALILEOS offers a high degree of safety because it allows clinicians to visualize the patient’s nerve canal and bones in three dimensions, enabling precise planning and procedures. Smithson believes that the integration of CAD/CAM technology into implant planning has made Sirona’s system stand out in a crowded marketplace. “Integrating CAD/CAM into implant planning allows the clinician to do a full evaluation and a full treatment plan prior to even sitting down with the patient and doing the consultation, let alone prior to the treatment itself,” explains Smithson.
Sirona’s CEREC® CAD/CAM system also aids clinicians in their implant treatment planning. With CEREC, the clinician is able to execute the implant procedure in fewer visits to the dental office. Smithson elaborates, “Clinicians are able to make a surgical guide with Sirona’s CEREC CAD/CAM system, which means they can perform the implant placement in one visit to the dental office. The system can even mill a crown for the patient while he or she is in the office.” In addition to shortening the time required for implant surgery, implant surgical guides are highly accurate, and ensure that the implant is placed correctly, thus improving case acceptance.
In an effort to provide an all-inclusive implant solution for clinicians, Sirona has streamlined the entire implant process for its customers, making procedures faster and easier to perform. “Our clinicians have reduced their implant procedure time significantly,” says Smithson. “Procedures that used to take 60 minutes of chair time now take 30. This allows our clinicians to perform twice as many surgeries in the same amount of time,” he adds.
In addition to its all-inclusive implant system, Sirona offers a number of resources to clinicians using GALILEOS and CEREC software. “Our online resources cover cone beam and diagnostic procedures, as well as implant planning, integrating CAD/CAM, and surgical guides,” describes Smithson. Sirona also hosts of a number of live courses, as well as a 3-D Summit that gives clinicians a day-and-a-half of exposure to using cone beam and CAD/CAM to plan implants. The Summit culminates with a live patient case. Sirona will also connect its clinicians with digital laboratories that will work with them to plan implant cases.
Smithson is excited that Sirona’s future in the implantology field is wide open. “The implant market is going to grow exponentially,” says Smithson. He says that many of Sirona’s customers come to him with anecdotal stories about doubling the number of implants they are placing over the course of a year. He believes that as the implant process becomes more refined and workflows become more efficient, their applications will become even broader. “Sirona is interested in providing clinicians with excellent implantology options so that they can give their patients the best possible implant solutions,” says Smithson. “We are planning a lot more innovations that will continue to push the limits of dentistry.”
Sirona Dental Systems, LLC
4835 Sirona Dr, Suite 100
Charlotte, NC 28273
800-659-5977
dentalaegis.com/go/cced214
