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Corporate Profile: Global Dental Science by Benjamin Lund, Editor, Dentaltown Magazine

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by Benjamin Lund, Editor, Dentaltown Magazine

Think really hard: When was the last time “dentures” and “innovative” ever appeared in the same sentence? Probably when dentures were first introduced to the public, right? Well Global Dental Science (GDS) is changing that and has put innovation back into the manufacturing of dentures. This new company, headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, is revolutionizing dentures by automating the entire process and taking inconsistencies and human error out of the equation. The result? A true two-appointment, form-fitting denture. Dentaltown Magazine sat down with GDS President and CEO Tim Thompson to learn more about the company and it’s game-changing technology.

Tim, thank you for spending some time with us. First off, can you tell me a little about Global Dental Science and how it was formed?
Thompson: Our mission at Global Dental Science is to be the premier dental innovations company, dedicated to improving dental outcomes through process automation. Global Dental Science was formed in 2009 and we have spent the last few years creating AvaDent digital dentures based on a revolutionary, digital platform that is changing removable dentistry forever. The removable dentistry field has been largely unchanged in the last 50 years, but we are changing that. AvaDent incorporates 21st century measurement technology to capture a patient’s digital record, with advanced CAD/CAM processing to bring precision, aesthetics, speed and profitability to removable dentistry. Now it is possible for dentists to offer their patients a precise fitting, aesthetic AvaDent in just two appointments while giving their patients a level of convenience, security and ongoing care never before possible.

What exactly is AvaDent?
Thompson: We have been kicking around the idea for automating denture design for the last seven years or so. The time was finally right to get it done. AvaDent is a digital platform for removable dentistry, which allows us to fabricate AvaDent digital dentures in a fully automated fashion. Unlike other socalled digital processes, with AvaDent we never pour a stone model or use other traditional removable procedures such as wax rims or hand packing, all of which create opportunities for errors. With AvaDent’s procedure we can maintain digital CAD/CAM precision throughout the fabrication process. The missing piece of the puzzle up until now has been getting all the records in an initial appointment. We solved this with our patented Anatomical Measurement Device (AMD). The AMD is a clever piece of engineering developed by our team to capture all the necessary clinical measurements. Once the measurements are taken our process can create a final prosthesis to the doctor’s precise specifications.

Tell me about the AvaDent process from start to finish. How do you go from impressions to a finished denture?
Thompson: The key to AvaDent being a two-appointment denture is capturing all the required clinical information in the first visit. To do that we have created a clinical process that can be completed with two easy steps in just one appointment. The first step is to create a final impression. To do this we have refined a simple technique. Using AvaDent thermoplastic trays, border molding material and impression material, the doctor can now create a precise final impression at the first appointment. So, the final impression is actually the only impression the doctor needs to take!

Step two is to capture all of the measurements necessary to create an AvaDent using our AMD. After stabilizing the AMD with AvaDent bite registration material, the dentist is able to determine the correct vertical height, centric relation, lip support, bite plane, midline, smile line and central incisal line. The clinician then specifies the tooth mold and shade, and sends the impressions, the AMD and the prescription. Using the shipping label provided, ships the impressions and AMD to our Scottsdale, Arizona, facility. There they are scanned into our proprietary AvaDent software and an AvaDent is digitally created. Within the AvaDent software, traditional setup principles are used, through complex algorithmic calculations, to provide optimal tooth selection, design and occlusion for each case. Based on the specific instructions provided on the prescription, AvaDent digital dental technicians are able to incorporate characteristics the dentist feels are necessary for clinical success.

Everything the doctor would need and want in a finished denture can be achieved through the AvaDent software. We have total control down to individual tooth position and arrangement and customized acrylic contouring. Following the design, a dentist might request a digital preview via e-mail or even on difficult case setups, he or she can actually arrange to participate in the design with one of our technicians via computer. Once the digital design phase is complete, the permanent AvaDent digital design files are then uploaded into a milling machine and bases are precision milled from a base material of the doctor’s choice of popular acrylics.

AvaDent’s patented process for creating milling pucks from well-known acrylic manufacturers eliminates the possibility of any post-processing shrinkage or distortion. Additionally, this puck manufacturing process virtually eliminates the growth of fungus on the denture.

Through this precise milling process, the base will have perfect fit, tissue retention and accuracy. It re-creates precisely what is captured in the impression including the patient’s natural rugae. The next step is to bond the selected teeth into the precisely milled pockets of the bases. The completed AvaDent is then rescanned and quality control checked for overall accuracy to the original digital design files. It is then polished and sent back to the dentist for insertion on the second appointment. All of this is completed in 10 days (this includes a total of four days shipping to/from our headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona).

The complete digital process eliminates the room for error and inconsistency. AvaDent is the platform from which removable dentistry will evolve and make treating denture patients enjoyable and rewarding again. The process is simple and complete.

Compare an AvaDent denture to other dentures – where does it stand out?
Thompson: AvaDent digital dentures offer a number of benefits to both the patient and the dental office. For the patient, AvaDent offers reduced chairtime, a superior fit, a permanent record (security, dentures for life) and a more bio-hygienic denture (no denture breath).

For the doctor, AvaDent offers a process that is easier, faster and more profitable. It is easier since there are no stone models or bite rims to deal with, and no more back and forth appointments with confusing high-tech procedures to learn. It’s faster since it’s delivered in two appointments and it’s more profitable since there is no capital investment.

One of AvaDent’s greatest benefits is a digital record is created and stored in a database. What this means is that in the event an AvaDent is lost or accidentally broken, we can quickly and easily produce another to its original clinical specification. The digital record also allows you to retain these patients and stores the information you need for treatment plans of future services, such as implant-supported AvaDent.
We stand out on several points:
  2. We never make a stone model and therefore all the inaccuracies and error build-up of stone are eliminated.
  3. We have a process of making our acrylic pucks that results in a zero porosity disk (fungus has been virtually eliminated in these dentures).
  4. There is no material shrinkage since we mill a preshrunk disk, leading to better fit and increased comfort for the patient.
  5. The denture is delivered in just two appointments.
  6. We are using industry-accepted materials and teeth from leading manufacturers.
  7. Our product is made exclusively in the USA at our Scottsdale, Arizona, facility.
  8. We take no clinical shortcuts; all of our protocols have been developed by key prosthodontists.
  9. Precision CAD/CAM results in exquisite quality and repeatability.
  10. Using materials that are industry-proven and wellaccepted, we have developed a tooth bonding process that exceeds all ADA standards.
  11. All of our work is done without any of the traditional laboratory processes previously associated with making a denture.

Is there any training involved for customers when they decide to work with you?
Thompson: Yes, we require the dentist to be trained on the process, but the new process is very simple and uses conventional principles that all dentists know. In addition, we are encouraging the dentist’s staff to attend the training since a significant percentage of the work can be easily delegated. We have several ways the dentist can learn the AvaDent system: hands-on seminar training, Webinars and in-office hands-on training. We currently offer a Webinar specifically for prosthodontists and are in the process of creating additional Web-based educational programs for all dentists.

What sort of support can an AvaDent customer expect during the process?
Thompson: We are committed to clinical excellence and have a very strong group of clinical support people on staff including Certified Dental Technicians (CDTs) and customer service representatives. In addition, we have a number of communication tools that we can use to give the doctor an up-close view of any issues we might have with the case, and allow the dentist to decide on the best outcome for the patient.

What are you most proud of at GDS?
Thompson: We have a world-class set of people, very skilled in all aspects of this market. This has allowed us to quickly build our 27,000-square-foot facility in Arizona into a world-class dental laboratory. We have recently added an operatory for training and process validation, and have a CBCT on site to further our R&D of implant-supported and implant-retained dentures. This is not your father’s lab; we have the systems in place to create a high-quality AvaDent every time.

What do you do to make your customers feel at ease?
Thompson: Being a young company in the marketplace we communicate with our customers often to try and ease any apprehension about who we are. We are also very pleased to have a strong team of key opinion leaders from the removable field working with us. We also have an incredible customer support group at the company and an elite outside sales organization focused on client satisfaction.

What do you find most appealing about working with dentists?
Thompson: I have worked directly with dentists for more than 15 years and I absolutely love it. They are a highly educated and talented group who generally embrace new ideas and are continuously focused on better outcomes for their patients. I have always considered the dental field the last of the true entrepreneurial small type of businesses that can make their business decisions quickly, which makes our job of helping to implement new technology and process improvements a lot easier.

The economy is on the mind of many clinicians. How does AvaDent alleviate any financial pressure for dentists?
Thompson: The timing couldn’t be better for the introduction of our products. With one of the benefits of AvaDent being that we save the doctor a tremendous amount of time doing a case, dentists immediately see the benefit of switching to our product to improve their bottom line. We have had a lot of folks that had given up doing dentures return to the fold just because the business case is so compelling. Additionally, AvaDent offers the patient a superior product in less than half the chairtime of traditional dentures. This means less expense in terms of transportation and less time off from their work.

Tell me about your own global view of dentistry. How does AvaDent fit into that?
Thompson: The AvaDent platform is a very scalable system. We have big plans for extending our reach into other markets. Our laboratory is a 24/7 facility with fully automated operations. We will be launching outside the U.S. shortly.

Why should a dentist start offering AvaDent?
Thompson: This product is extremely easy to use, follows 100 percent of clinical-correctness, reduces chairtime and requires no capital equipment to begin using it. I think this is why we have had so many doctors join this revolution in dentistry.

What is the best way for a dentist to incorporate AvaDent into his or her practice?
Thompson: We are launching several ways that the dentist can begin using the AvaDent. First we have a seminar training program that is in 55 cities in 2012. Next we have a Web-based training system for prosthodontists that we have recently launched. Additionally, our sales team is well trained to provide hands on training in a dentist’s office. We also have a “Can’t Wait” training program that we run two weekends a month out of our new Scottsdale facility that has been wildly popular. Furthermore, once the dentist is trained, we have created an exclusive marketing campaign that AvaDent practices can use to increase patient awareness of its new offering.

What can we expect to see from AvaDent in the future?
Thompson: AvaDent is a platform for removable dentistry, and as such allows the dentist to further treat the patient through the digital record of the patient. This record is the cornerstone to all future procedures and allows the dentist (with very little effort) to create a timeline to recall the patient and provide the next level of care to the patient. We are really elevating removable dentistry. The dentist has the anatomical record in perfect occlusion and from there the next step is just a short one. We’re excited that we introduced Single Arch AvaDent and AvaDent-Over-Implants at the Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting and that’s just the beginning of what is on the horizon. The future is here, it’s true CAD/CAM dentures, and it’s called AvaDent.

To learn more about Global Dental Science and AvaDent, visit www.avadent.com, call 855-282-3368 or e-mail info@globaldentalscience.com.
Dentaltown Magazine
September 2025
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