Milling, drilling and billing. Would I, could I, should I? By Darren Kelsey

MILLING, DRILLING AND BILLING

WOULD I, COULD I, SHOULD I?

By Darren Kelsey I DK Dental Lab Father, Husband, Dental Technician

I’m in my 21st year working as a tech and 10th year as a business owner. I qualified in 2003 from Langside college Glasgow, graduated in 2013 from UCLAN in clinical dental technology, I’m a Weld

One immediate load ambassador, I’ve recently become a 3shape KOL, and I genuinely love dental technology.

I’ve met some great people along my way and it’s taken me to some places I thought I’d never be - companies, trade shows and labs all over the place, amazing experiences!

Cologne IDS 2017 was the first time I saw the soon to be released Ivoclar PM7. Ivoclar showcased all the new digital denture workflows in conjunction with 3shape designs, it looked great - 24 months later I finally had my own.

IVOCLAR PM7

IT LOOKS THE PART, WHO WOULDN’T WANT ONE? AT A GLANCE

OPERATING IIII SUPPORT III PERFORMANCE III DESIGN IIIII PRACTICALITY III COSTS IIII

PROS Looks great Multi disc changer Mills wet/dry ti/chrome

CONS Writing strategy’s - no support breakdowns/repairs drills/materials, stocking issues

MY JOURNEY 20 MONTHS IN WITH MY FIRST MILLING MACHINE What worked: BPS digital dentures Emax Zirconia

What didn’t: Full arch Abutments Breakdowns/repairs Stock

Right from the off on digital dentures my Ivobase became an ornament, no more casting models, articulating, wax ups, flasking and packing - what a relief, I hated all that!

What I do now is scan/design and mill, it’s that easy.

Aesthetics? Great, I spend the same amount of time finishing the denture off, in comparison to analog using pink composites.

It mills Emax and Zirconia with ease, it is literally a beast for speed and quality on these fronts.

FULL ARCHES I’m still recovering from learning. I didn’t anticipate having to learn how to read and write CNC milling strategy’s, which has resulted in plenty of 17 hour days, lots of broken drills, making all the mistakes. It’s a frustration, considering all the talent in Ivoclar, from the software companies they own to the resources they have at their disposal. Ivoclar sell the machine based on it milling metal, they sell Ivoclar branded ti/chrome discs/drills but provide zero support.

What about abutments? There is a 15 months delay releasing the holder, this coupled with Brexit, make these little pre mills hard to get a hold of!

Breakdowns/repairs - I have experienced far too many, at times I thought if this was a car I would have towed it and left it in the forecourt.

STOCK Many issues!

Nothing properly stocked by Henry Schein, which was difficult until recently, as they originally had exclusivity on all Ivoclar drills and discs.

90% of stock on a 2 week back order.

All in all would I do it again? 100% There was always going to be a sacrifice to get the services up and running on a product that’s in it’s infancy, in these instances it’s sometimes better the devil you know, I would buy another! Now that I’ve up-skilled my knowledge and the strategies it’s predictable and consistent.

Current state, the full arch service we provide to labs and dentists provides good quality, turnaround times and cost.

The time saving on dentures is a no brainer, the fits are fantastic and it’s a great relief being able to back up all the denture cases digitally.

WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY? Have release dates confirmed formally in writing.