The Touro College of Dental Medicine (TCDM) says it will open a state-of-the-art digital dentistry lab this fall.
In addition to the school’s 3-D printers and intraoral scanners, the lab will be home to CAD/CAM technology including the CIMsystem MillBox, which simplifies nesting and toolpath creation, and DGShape dental mills designed to cut crowns, bridges, and more at high speeds so TCDM clinicians can design and manufacture restorations on site to perform same-day dentistry, the school said.
Thanks to its partnerships with leading companies in digital dentistry, including 3Shape and Roland DGA Corporation, the school said, it received significant investments in digital technology last year, including four new milling machines.
“Digital dentistry is the future of the profession, and having the ability to work together with these leading innovators to design our unique digital dentistry program allows TCDM to be at the very forefront of dental education,” said vice dean Edward F. Farkas, DDS, MA.
“We are incredibly grateful for their support and are excited to continue innovating and modernizing the dental school experience in collaboration,” Farkas said.
Since the acquisition of the new CAD/CAM technology, TCDM said, its digital team has been working to overhaul its digital dentistry curriculum to integrate learning principles like same-day dentistry from the very beginning of a student’s education.
Unlike the closed software systems at many other dental schools, TCDM said, the team opted to host an open architecture platform that provides a workable solution for students and faculty to make adjustments to production, ultimately resulting in more flexibility for complex cases, a better surface finish, and outcomes for patients.
In the preclinic, students will have the opportunity to work on a real-life case from start to finish, using all the different elements of digital dentistry. Once in clinic, they will also have the opportunity to book time with a member of the digital team to work on complex restorative cases together as they arise.
“We want every student to have access to the technology from the beginning of their training,” said Alan Jurim, DDS, director of digital dentistry. “The more we can connect the dots within the workflow, the more students will have the understanding and capability to apply the techniques within their own offices.”
Until the digital lab is finalized, the new CAD/CAM technology will be installed in a temporary location and is planned to be up and running within the next few weeks, as the digital team will be conducting its first full-arch implant case later this month.
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