Improving Efficiencies
Advanced technologies streamline processes that will always involve human factors
Every July, Inside Dental Technology's annual Tech Issue identifies four technology topics in the profession and four experts to share their insights on these topics. This year's topics focus heavily on improving efficiencies in the laboratory with computers and robotics: CAD/CAM software, artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and 3D printing materials. As we go in-depth to discuss the latest (and future) innovations in these areas and their impact, we are privileged to present the expert insights of Minh Tran; Christopher Balaban, DMD, MSc; Jesse Flor, MBA, CDT; and Michael Idacavage, PhD.
Tran is the Founder and Creative Director of DentalTechTips, a website for unbiased dental product reviews, tips, tricks, tutorials, and the latest news in the dental technology field. Next month, he will celebrate his 15th anniversary working at Essex Dental Laboratory in Tecumseh, Ontario, Canada. His article addresses the emergence of advanced artificial intelligence in CAD/CAM software and the various implications involved.
Read AI Isn't Science Fiction: It's Digital Design's Reality by Minh Tran
Balaban is the owner of Bespoke Dental Boston, a boutique dental clinic in Boston, Massachusetts, that provides high-quality preventive, general, and cosmetic dentistry. He is also a Clinical Instructor of General Dentistry at Boston University's Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, and Clinical Director of Overjet, an AI company that uses cutting-edge computer vision, data science, and dental research to enable patient-focused and evidence-based care delivery. His article addresses the ways that specific artificial intelligence modules can help dental laboratories refine their workflows for maximal efficiency.
Read Shaping the Future of the Clinical/Technical Relationship by Christopher Balaban, DMD, MSc
Flor is a second-generation dental technician, business consultant, and owner of Great Smiles Dental Services in San Bernardino, California. He also owns a DSO that services accounts nationally via onsite education, training, and consultation. His Q&A discusses the various tasks in the dental laboratory that have been or potentially could be automated to increase efficiencies.
Read Providing Freedom of Time with Jesse Flor, MBA, CDT
Idacavage is the founder of Radical Curing LLC, providing consulting/advisory services in all areas of photopolymerizations for development of monomers, formulations, specialty polymers and materials, and applications. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at SUNY-ESF and serves on the Board of Directors for RadTech International NA, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of ultraviolet and electron beam technologies. His Q&A focuses on upcoming developments in 3D printing.
Read The Next Additive Steps with Michael Idacavage, PhD
In presenting these leaders' expertise, we hope to keep you up to date on the latest innovations on the market, prepare you for what might be on the horizon, and help you understand the potential impact of it all on your laboratory.
