Coming soon the article to click and hear:
until then here's what was said !
Marketing Pirates of Dentistry Webinar & Guest Speaking
Weds 21st @13:00
Topics.
1. Information overload
2. Impression taking
3. Diagnostics
4. Try-in
5. Feedback
6. Work protocol
1. ‘Information overload'
You can never give the technician enough information about the patient, don't forget you have met and know the patient, we usually haven't !
Images: consider sending pre-op and provisionalised images, full face smiling, close ups with cheeks retracted, profiles etc.
Fill in the lab card fully, i.e. age and sex of patient is very important to style of finished work.
Patients' expectations, dreams, what they really want to achieve.
Meeting the patient if possible is also invaluable for the outcome, it also gives the patient a feeling of importance and they tend to talk more openly to the ‘man in the back room' !
we can also ‘sell' them other procedures like teeth bleaching, implants and additional veneers...etc.
2. Take good impressions: Obvious you might think, but do you:
1, Use non-perforated, metal or rigid plastic trays or custom made special trays (perforated trays are for alginate only)
2, Make sure trays are the correct arch size
3, Always use tray adhesive (prevents distortion)
4, Use a stable silicone impression material (no shrinkage), NOT alginate unless cast straight away (within 10 mins)
5, If mixing putty by hand wear polythene, NOT latex gloves (latex can affect setting)
6, Use a stopwatch or timer to allow the material to set properly (see instruction manual for exact times)
7, Use same impression material for both impressions. There's no point providing a fantastic impression for the working model and then to produce something of inferior accuracy for the opposing model.
8, Make sure they are cleaned and disinfected (by HSE law)
9, Make sure it's packaged properly ready for transportation (loosely packed in a gripseal lab bag inside a box) damp tissue if alginate.
10, Make sure you send it to... Ambridge Ceramics
3. Diagnostics,
Creating bridges especially anteriors can be virtually impossible to ‘get right' when we don't know where the teeth should be. Consider starting those ‘missing teeth' cases with a diagnostic wax-up, from that with a simple stent or alginate you can make good looking provisionals which in turn can be assessed by the patient and you, when happy with the shape and position a simple alginate impression can be taken and sent with the work to give the technician a Patient Approved Provisional (PAP) model which they can matrix and copy for correct tooth position.
This technique is widely used in implantology where often the bone and soft tissue loss means the final teeth would be ‘floating' in space without the addition of extra bone in surgery or ‘pink' gum on the restoration.
4. Try-in
Again when doing a medium to large anterior case or difficult occlusion case or even that difficult to match central consider a ‘Bisque' try-in, (bisque is the pre glazed state of ceramic) so being rough this will enable you to adjust the ceramic easily or mark it where it needs adding or reducing.
5. Feedback
Just as important but often forgotten about, the lab technician will often put his or her all into designing and making a case look, what they consider to be correct. As we discussed before they may never have met, seen or ever will meet or see the patient, you will make their day by letting them know on a regular basis the end result of a case however complex and whatever the result, good bad or mediocre ! the good will help to keep up morale the bad will help to teach and improve the way the technician works and eventually there won't be so many mediocre and bad results, they will all be great !
6. Lab work protocol
Check your work returns schedule daily, have a returns diary.
It's no good phoning the lab 1 hr before the appointment asking where the lab work is only to find the lab card return date doesn't match the appointment.
Have a specific place for in and out work and have two people responsible for logging it in and out.