3Shape: Shaping the Future of Dentistry
Few technologies have revolutionized dentistry in the past 20 years as much as 3D CAD/CAM, and few companies have shaped 3D dentistry as much as 3Shape
Founded by a pair of entrepreneurial Danish graduate students 21 years ago, 3Shape began with the mission of improving hearing aid design by scanning ear molds. Within 5 years, its scope had expanded to the dental lab, and today, the company is dedicated to evolving digital dentistry.
Dubbed “the Google of the CAD/CAM industry,” 3Shape is more than 1,600 employees strong and supports dental professionals worldwide. Its “open ecosystem” philosophy means that it believes in expanding rather than limiting communication—between dentists, lab technicians, and patients as well as between technologies. This approach is behind its innovation of the only wireless intraoral scanner, which streamlines the workflow from chair to lab to restoration by giving dentists the freedom to work with a wide range of treatment providers.
Digital, according to cofounder Tais Clausen, means more options, and more options means better and faster care. No matter where a practice is located, with digital technology, the world is at its fingertips. As CEO Jakob Just-Bomholt puts it, “We’re on a mission to change dentistry together.” To that end, 3Shape has assembled an R&D team that’s driven to find better, more efficient ways to provide care and dialogue around dental treatment. “That passion amazes me,” says Just-Bomholt.
Attracting and retaining such talent takes a special kind of company culture, and 3Shape manages to balance its ambitious drive with respect for personal time. Recognizing that delivering better care shouldn’t have to mean working harder, 3Shape believes that employees need an environment that fosters growth as well as development of new ideas, and that customers need solutions that will keep them competitive while allowing them time to pursue life outside of the office.
Of course, getting started in digital dentistry—or even integrating a new piece of equipment into an existing system—takes some getting used to, and 3Shape is also dedicated to helping dental professionals get and stay up to speed. With its extensive online community of users and experts, 3Shape is ready to give practices all the tools they need to effect change…together.
Embrace Digital Dentistry with TRIOS Scanners
TRIOS 3 Basic
So you’re ready to take the plunge into digital dentistry. TRIOS is ready to help you get started with the TRIOS 3 Basic intraoral scanner. Cost-effective and simple to use, yet just as accurate and connected as its more advanced siblings, TRIOS 3 Basic provides patients with the comfort of contactless impressions and the wonder of seeing their real-color digital 3D model while you discuss treatment options. Then send your scans to one of TRIOS’ more than 20,000 lab partners for fast turnaround and have the confi dence of knowing that with the accuracy of TRIOS behind them, your digital impressions will be at least—and likely more—accurate than your conventional ones.
The TRIOS 3 Basic entry-level intraoral scanner is wired to a portable pod and compatible with selected laptops, making it ideal for use in clinics with limited space. Like the TRIOS 3 and TRIOS 4, it supports a range of indications for indirect restorations, implants, post and core, and orthodontics.
“After 5 years of scanning, TRIOS has proven to be a huge timesaver at delivery appointments.”
- Lawrence Brent, DMD
TRIOS 3
When you’re ready to move fully into the virtual world of digital dentistry, there’s the TRIOS 3. Wireless for maximum convenience, the TRIOS 3 offers a variety of patient engagement apps to boost case acceptance by allowing you to visually demonstrate the outcome of personalized treatment plans and fostering more informed conversations about individual oral health. As with the TRIOS 3 Basic scanner, scans can be sent to your preferred lab from TRIOS’ extensive list of partners, or the TRIOS 3 can become part of your office’s CAD/ CAM workflow, enabling more inhouse and chairside services.
Lawrence Brent, DMD, said the TRIOS 3 has made a world of difference in his practice. “Taking digital impressions with TRIOS has hugely improved the quality of my restorative work,” he said. “I can see so much more in the scans, my preps have gotten better, and digital bite registrations are much more accurate,” with most restorations requiring no adjustments. “After 5 years of scanning, TRIOS has proven to be a huge timesaver at delivery appointments,” Dr. Brent continued. The days of spending 15 to 20 minutes adjusting occlusion are history, and the patient ‘wow’ factor is almost worth the investment alone.”
TRIOS 4
The TRIOS 4 is 3Shape’s most advanced intraoral scanner, boasting smart, instant-heat tips for faster scanning; a 30% longer battery life; and the option to go from wired to wireless at the plug of a cable. With these upgrades, the TRIOS 4 can scan 2 to 3 times as many patients as other intraoral scanners before needing a recharged battery. Each fully charged battery can provide roughly 45 minutes of continuous scanning time. It also possesses improved Wi-Fi connectivity for enhanced productivity.
When Dr. Todd Sarubin adopted his TRIOS, he was excited that the scanner would not only improve the accuracy of his impressions, but it also would assist him with clear aligner cases, allow him to obtain preliminary models for new patients, enhance his implant dentistry, and aid in orthodontic and prosthetic cases. As a versatile solution for all aspects of dentistry, the TRIOS is now used in Dr. Sarubin’s practice “to scan every new patient for their records, for all crown and bridge cases, for implant procedures, and for fabricating removable prosthetics, orthodontic appliances, night guards, and sleep apnea appliances.
Calling the TRIOS “the best unit on the market,” Dr. Sarubin said, “As 3Shape continues to upgrade the software, it allows me to do even more procedures.” He believes that using TRIOS improves the accuracy of his scans, which has improved the quality of his dental work and allows his practice to operate more efficiently.
Do You See What I See?
As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. That’s especially true when the words are in your chart, where patients can’t see them. With TRIOS’ Patient Monitoring Software, you can augment your records and give patients a glimpse into what you see when you look at their teeth.
By scanning patients at every visit and using 3Shape’s Patient Monitoring Software to compare and track the results, you can identify changes that may lead to sooner treatment needs and show them to patients in real time. You also can demonstrate the effectiveness of ongoing treatment plans and better educate patients on the benefits of preventive care and oral hygiene.
“While we haven’t had the time to use the scanner for all patients, I wish we did,” shared Dr. Miriam Carmean, who said the 3Shape software “makes treatment discussions easier and illustrates treatment needs for patients.”
Some of the diagnostic applications of intraoral scanning that Patient Monitoring makes possible include:
• Identifying changes to the morphology of patients’ teeth
• Identifying changes to the position of patients’ teeth.
A Glimpse into the Future
Before patients commit to investing in improving their smile, they naturally want to be assured that the results will be worth it. 3Shape’s TRIOS Smile Design software can show them in minutes what their new smile can look like. Just take a photo of their current smile and use the powerful yet intuitive software to adjust tooth shape, alignment, and position for the most esthetic outcome.
With the Smile Design app, you can send the photorealistic image you create directly to the patient, and they can share it with their family and friends for feedback (and free advertising). Then, after discussion and acceptance by the patient, you can perform an intraoral scan and get started. Dr. Christopher Shyue said the TRIOS software allows for easier communication with patients and enhances the patient experience. “The patient gets to see the scan and be more engaged in the process.”
Building a Better Smile
“Good enough.” How many of your patients who could benefit from orthodontic treatment decline or don’t consider it because they figure their current dentition is adequate? It might just take a quick visual demonstration of future possibilities to change their mind.
Using a TRIOS intraoral scan, built-in Treatment Simulator software can automatically generate a simulated result of orthodontic treatment and display it side by side with the patient’s current situation. Individual adjustments are then possible. An animated mode showing progression enhances patient engagement, and when they’re ready, you can send the data seamlessly to an integrated orthodontic treatment provider.
Since adding the TRIOS 4 to her workflow, Dr. Carmean said her practice has tripled their orthodontic patient load. “We strongly encourage patients with orthodontic needs to explore those changes using the TRIOS software as our primary visual aid,” she shared. Explaining that the TRIOS 4 scans especially enhance her clear aligner cases, Dr. Carmean said, “These cases scan well, track well, and are easy to monitor, and it’s easy to show those changes to my patients.”
A Clear Business Model
The dental aligner business is booming, and with TRIOS, you can join the clear aligner movement. 3Shape’s Clear Aligner Studio software provides clinicians with an integrated, guided digital workflow to design and produce clear aligners right in the dental practice or with a 3Shape manufacturing partner.
Using TRIOS’ high-quality intraoral scanners, you can obtain initial scans that create accurate impressions the first time. Clear Aligner Studio’s guided workflow makes it easy to plan the setup and staging for each aligner and gives you full control over the process from scanning to submission.
Practices can save time and increase efficiency with the software’s automated features such as ID tagging and auto segmentation. These automated features run in the background to reduce waiting time.
A convenient case management portal is included within the Clear Aligner Studio program, allowing practices to improve communication and collaboration with the lab.
Planning from the Crown on Down
Whether replacing a single tooth or a full arch, every implant case is a journey in which each step must be carefully planned. Digital workflows and CAD/CAM technology have given dentists the option of keeping these patients in their own chair for treatment. 3Shape Implant Studio puts the power of predictable planning in your hands, from restoration design to inhouse production of surgical guides and crowns. Its open integrations mean that you can use the workflow and technology of your choice.
Implant Studio combines intraoral and CBCT scans for comprehensive clinical assessment, then leverages prosthetic-driven implant planning to help create the most efficient workflow for your practice and best outcome for your patient. Same-day implant surgery is supported with fast, efficient design capabilities and 3D printer integrations. A guided step-by-step workflow can help guide you through design intricacies and offers tips and tricks to enhance patient satisfaction with the final prosthesis.
“Most scanners offer some sort of connectivity to your lab partners, but it’s not nearly at the level that 3Shape provides.”
- Franklin Shull, DMD
SEEING IS BELIEVING
Just a few years after investing in the 3Shape TRIOS intraoral scanner, Naren Rajan, DMD, went from being frustrated with technology to an advocate for digital techniques. The TRIOS scanner and its suite of collaborative software solutions, including Smile Design, allow him to create powerful experiences for his patients while communicating his vision and treatment plan.
“Combining the scanner with additional software features, such as TRIOS Smile Design, allows me to seamlessly collaborate with my patients and create a dynamic and substantive conversation that was not possible before,” said Dr. Rajan. “Within the Smile Design software, we can use natural tooth libraries digitized from actual patients instead of lab technician-created shapes. During consults, we use a physical coffee-table-sized book to show our patients different options from this library. Once they choose a smile they like in the book, we choose the same file in the digital library and ‘try on’ that smile shape on the patient’s photograph.”
“Smile Design is one of my favorite consults to do because it allows me to really engage with the patient, learn about their needs, and design the exact smile that he or she is looking for,” added Dr. Rajan. “Ultimately, it reduces the number of remakes or redos needed, which we all know are stressful, time-consuming, and costly for both doctor and patient.” Calling the Smile Design software “a glue that bridges a case together from diagnosis to conception to execution,” Dr. Rajan believes that “every case can benefit from being planned this way—whether it is 2 centrals or an entire arch.”
TRIOS Design Studio
3Shape’s restorative design software, TRIOS Design Studio, allows clinicians to plan and design a case in-house in a guided intuitive workflow. The easy-to-follow, step-by-step workflow allows dentists to design inlay/ onlays, veneers, crowns, bridges, and screw-retained crowns.
Design Studio includes smart AI Crown technology, which quickly proposes a restorative design and shortens production time, making workflows more efficient and sameday dentistry possible. Once a design is completed, users choose to manufacture the restoration in their dental practice or have it created by a lab.
CASE IN POINT
Since Dr. Anthony Vocaturo adopted the 3Shape TRIOS intraoral scanner, it has been a win-win for his patients and his practice. Compared to traditional analog impressions, digital impressions have a plethora of benefits that include predictable results, improved patient comfort, accurate scans, quicker appointments, quicker lab turnaround time, and better fitting final restorations that usually require no adjustments.
As a result of these benefits, Dr. Vocaturo said his practice’s ROI has improved dramatically, making the TRIOS scanner one of the best investments he has ever made. Dr. Vocaturo shared this case where his TRIOS scanner played an integral part in a successful smile makeover.
A 27-year-old female patient was unhappy with the fi t and appearance of her existing zirconia crowns, and x-rays revealed 6 ill-fitting crowns on teeth Nos. 6–11 with open margins on Nos. 7–10. Together, Dr. Vocaturo and the patient decided to remove and replace all 6 crowns and place 2 new crowns on teeth Nos. 5 and 12 to widen her smile.
The patient’s upper, lower, and bite arches were scanned in full color with the TRIOS intraoral scanner. The cordless design, compact size, and smart tip of the scanner ensure that scans are taken quickly, efficiently, and accurately. TRIOS scans minimize the possibility of distortion during the impression-taking process and are comfortable for patients.
After removing the 6 old crowns, redefining the preps, and prepping for 2 additional crowns, Dr. Vocaturo digitally scanned the preparations with the TRIOS. The 3Shape software automatically captured the bite from the initial scans. Temporary provisionals were created and cemented in place, the patient was sent home,and the intraoral scans and photos were quickly transmitted to the lab using 3Shape’s software.
The patient returned within 2–3 weeks for removal of the temps, and 8 ceramiccrowns were successfully placed. Because of the accuracy of the TRIOS scans, few to no adjustments were needed, and the crowns fit perfectly. The final results revealed a beautiful smile, and the patient was delighted with her smile makeover.
JOIN THE 3SHAPE COMMUNITY
3Shape Community is an online platform exclusively developed for 3Shape users that provides an online space for users to learn,connect, and stay up to date. With over 11,000 members, more than 250 training videos, and over 100 how-to guides, the 3Shape Community is an interactive and social platform where users can get help using a 3Shape product, find answers to support questions, connect with dental specialists, find training material, and connect with colleagues and 3Shape experts. It’s an online dental community that offers peer-to-peer support, a digital dentistry discussion forum, training materials, and more—all in 1 place.
