On December 13th and 14th, 2019, approximately 200 dentists and 1,300 assistants, hygienists and dental students volunteered to bring free dental treatment to patients in need during the annual AZ MOM program. This year, about 2,000 patients received dental treatments ranging from cleanings, fillings and extractions to endodontics and restorations. Many patients waited through the night to ensure they were among the first to receive treatment.
Dentsply Sirona supported this year’s program in partnership with Patterson Dental by setting up five treatment stations for CEREC single-visit dentistry. The five CEREC stations allowed 16 volunteer doctors, assisted by local registered dental assistants and 3rd- and 4th-year dental students, to efficiently process 125 crowns in two days.
Dentsply Sirona for Arizona Mission of Mercy
Jay Connors, General Manager of Patterson Dental, has been involved with the AZ MOM program for seven years and is a member of the advisory board of the Central Arizona Dental Society Foundation (CADS Foundation). “We partner with Dentsply Sirona each year to bring in two to three panoramic x-ray units that my service team sets up and uses for imaging. In addition, Patterson Dental is a CEREC training center and, in 2015, we added CEREC crowns to the AZ MOM event by installing four full CEREC stations. We added a fifth full unit this year, which allowed our volunteer CEREC dentists to complete more than a hundred CEREC restorations in two days! An amazing feat, thanks to Dentsply Sirona’s support and to all incredible volunteers,” said Connors.
To Connors and his team, the program means more than only providing free treatments: “The dental care our volunteers provide not only solves patients’ dental issues, but more importantly, helps them to regain their confidence and empowers them to smile again. When you are not in pain or embarrassed to smile, life is better. We are grateful to support this wonderful event where people’s lives are literally changed for the better.”
CEREC allows for single-visit restorations for 30 years
CEREC is Dentsply Sirona’s CAD/CAM innovative solution covering three different treatment areas: restorations, orthodontics and implantology. For 30 years, CEREC has allowed dentists to perform chairside ceramic restorations in only a single patient visit. To achieve this, intraoral scanners such as the Omnicam or the Primescan are used to create precise digital impressions, even of the patient’s complete arch. The CEREC software analyzes the scan and uses it to calculate restoration suggestions that can then be modified by the dentist if needed. The CEREC software interacts with a CEREC production unit and the CEREC Speed fire to produce, strengthen, and glaze the new crown in no time.
