Teamwork in prosthodontics - analog and digital

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Stefen Koubi & Gérald Ubassy (FR)

Contemporary dentistry offers incredible opportunities for our patients who are always keen on restorations that look very natural and for dentists concerned with continuously improving the quality of the treatment they offer. This evolution, or perhaps even revolution, which we are witnessing is only possible due to the use of synergies in the following three areas:

• A change in the practice and treatment concept: minimally invasive dentistry becomes the standard; we are entering the era of biomimetics.
• Close collaboration through extensive communication between the dentist and the dental technician.
• Leveraging the opportunities offered by modern materials with bonding capability in order to meet increasing biological, esthetic and biomechanical requirements.

These three pillars of success need to be upheld in order to meet the high demands of our patients in our daily practice. For this purpose, the dentist/technician team must work in harmony and follow the same philosophy. These concepts will be presented by means of clinical cases involving cosmetic and functional rehabilitations, which illustrate the high importance of teamwork.

Dr. Thomas Sastre & Dominique Vinci

With the advent of new technologies, our daily lives are undergoing profound changes. It is therefore legitimate that we, as dentists and dental technicians, ask ourselves many questions about what the future brings and the relevance of digital tools. Having had the opportunity to test, develop and use intraoral cameras, milling units and 3D printers for 10 years now, we would like to share with you our journey, our learnings and our daily cooperation. Originally limited to the field of prosthesis fabrication, digital is now present at all stages of treatment starting with the esthetic and functional analyses, thereby closely linking clinicians and technicians in the evaluation of suitable treatment methods and final decision-making. The use of zirconia and glass-ceramics, milling units and 3D printers, facial and intraoral scanners, which allow us to optimize our daily work routines, requires cooperation and teamwork. What could be better than being able to claim predictability and reproducibility for a treatment procedure? Digital dentistry is now a reality, bringing the dental office closer to the dental laboratory and dentists closer to dental technicians, for the benefit of patients. The patient, dentist and laboratory, a dream team.... thanks to digital dentistry.