In the December 2012 issue of Dentaltown, my column "In Pursuit of CAD/CAM Harmony" outlined my wish to see a single-file format, STL, as the standard output from every intraoral scanner. Nearly five years later, that wish became a reality for Cerec owners who were using software version 4.5. Other platforms had been providing STL files for a much longer time, but when the platform that sells the most units makes a change, it's big news.
The explosion of milling units and 3-D printers on display at this year's International Dental Show in Cologne, Germany, is another opportunity for me to drive home my point: To facilitate efficient digital workflows, these multiple platforms need to recognize a common set of 3-D data.
Another development in the evolution of digital dentistry is the addition of Henry Schein as a distributor of Cerec technology in the United States. For years, Patterson Dental had exclusive distribution rights and was instrumental in getting Cerec into thousands of offices throughout the country. The recent change isn't a surprise, but it does underscore the growing competition in this category and the need for Cerec to be available alongside Henry Schein's other offerings.
This undoubtedly will affect Patterson Dental financially in the near term as some new Cerec equipment and blocks for milling units are sold through Henry Schein. (This also makes the rumor of Amazon's partnership with Patterson come to life for some, but there hasn't been any movement on this topic since it was first reported almost a year ago. If you'd like to keep that thought alive, consider that Amazon is purchasing Whole Foods to make a rapid move into the grocery business. But I digress.)
The most recent development in the evolution of this competitive category is reflected in a letter that Ivoclar Vivadent sent to its Cerec customers over the summer. The opening: "On June 16, Dentsply Sirona notified us that after 11 years we were no longer welcome to participate in Dentsply Sirona World 2017 because of the introduction of our PrograMill One chairside milling machine." A Dentsply Sirona press release from September?2016 had listed Ivoclar as a Diamond Level sponsor for the upcoming meeting, but the chairside milling unit was released at IDS this March. The irony of this: The release of the Ivoclar unit was likely influenced by the marriage of Dentsply and Sirona.
It certainly makes sense that Dentsply Sirona wouldn't want to host a competing product at its own event, designed to celebrate the Cerec universe of equipment, materials and partner companies. (Major trade shows, meanwhile, will always be places where all competitors can share space in the same exhibit hall.)
I think dentists understand and applaud the need for competition in the marketplace, which drives innovation and helps control costs. We also place a high value on compatibility because we are challenged to incorporate more technology into our practices, so it needs to interact seamlessly or we'll suffer from too many disparate elements (and be cursed as the "human bridge" for these technologies).
As always, you're welcome to send your thoughts and feedback to me: via email at tom@dentaltown.com, by commenting on this article online, or by finding me on Twitter: @ddsTom.
What other trends emerged at IDS?
Dr. Thomas Giacobbi hit the exhibit hall at the International Dental Show
in Cologne six months ago to see what lies ahead for the dental industry.
To check out his video report, visit dentaltown.com/ids-news.