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Thomas Giacobbi, DDS: Video Games for Dentists By Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD, Editorial Director, Dentaltown Magazine

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Video Games for Dentists



Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD
Editorial Director,
Dentaltown Magazine

What challenges do you face in your office? Please send me an e-mail (tom@dentaltown.com) and I will address the issue in a future column. Your privacy will be respected. Send me your problems and I will help you find a solution. 		CAD/CAM dentistry has been considered a hot topic for high-tech dentists since the first CEREC machine came out 20 years ago. In 2007, CAD/CAM should be a timely topic for every restorative dentist. There are many lab-based restorations available to us today and additional in-office technology is in our collective sights.

One of the most interesting news stories from last October was the acquisition of Brontes Technologies, Inc., a Lexington, Massachussets-based developer of “real-time” 3-D intraoral imaging technology. 3M paid $95 million to acquire this company, which did not have a product on the market. When you see a big bet by a company like 3M, take notice, they don’t make decisions like this lightly. In other words, why would the largest manufacturer of impression materials buy technology that can replace traditional impression material? Answer: because there is tremendous potential.

Fast forward one year and I am at the 3M Innovation Center for a two-day media event. One of the highlights during my visit is a demonstration of the Lava™ Chairside Oral Scanner. This is the product that 3M developed with the Brontes technology it purchased last year. The computer paints a 3-D model of the patient’s teeth in real time, as the operator waves the handheld video scanner over the teeth. This is a departure from the point-and-click approach taken by similar technologies.

The pioneer of the CAD/CAM category is CEREC by Sirona. This technology has already celebrated 20 years in dentistry. It is no secret that many other companies are entering this arena with Cadent iTero now on the market and D4D Technologies’ E4D promising to arrive on the market soon. These initial products have identified the two groups evolving in the CAD/CAM space. There will be dentists who want to scan, mill and cement in one visit (CEREC and E4D) and others will continue with the traditional path of prep, temp and deliver at a second visit (Cadent iTero and Lava™ Chairside Oral Scanner by 3M). However, the impressions in the second group will be captured without impression material, e-mailed to their dental labs and returned in a much shorter time. The additional benefit of CAM (computer aided manufacturing) is the expectation of improved fit and shorter seat appointments.

This is an exciting time for Townie dentists. Many Townies have already cheerfully adopted an existing CAD/CAM technology such as CEREC, while others have indicated that they will purchase one of the other technologies available in the future. As active users of the Internet, Townies will quickly see the advantages offered by the emerging technology of electronic impressions. Traditional impressions might be your routine, but the promise of precision computer technology that can remove some of the pitfalls created by humans is worth a second thought.

What will you do? How long will you wait to get involved with CAD/CAM dentistry? Do you really think we will still mix dust and water to make stone models in 10 years? Send me an e-mail with your comments on this topic. If you love your impressions, and there is something else on your mind, I would like to know. Stop waiting for someone to write an article about the problems you are facing in your office. Send me a description and I will provide suggestions for a solution. My e-mail address is tom@dentaltown.com.
Dentaltown Magazine
September 2025
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