Teaming Up to Drive Efficiency in Patient Care

With the majority of dental practices now using intraoral scanners in their practices, it’s safe to say that digital dentistry is here to stay. For thousands of dental teams, digital impressions streamline the workflow, providing accurate, detailed, and immediate data that enables dentists to offer a wider range of high-quality services.

Now, two of dentistry’s leading manufacturers have joined forces to drive procedural efficiencies and facilitate more treatment options for patients through intraoral scanning. Dentsply Sirona, the largest manu­facturer of professional dental products and tech­nologies, and A-dec, a leading manufacturer of dental operatory equipment, are collaborating through the integration of the Primescan Connect intraoral scan­ner with A-dec 500 and A-dec 300 delivery systems.

Primescan Connect—which enables a highly ac­curate, full-arch scan in under a minute—is a laptop-based version of the Primescan intraoral scanner. Designed for flexibility, it's powered by Dentsply Sirona’s cloud-based software platform, DS Core.

A True Technology Hub

This offering builds upon the companies’ previ­ous successful collaboration integrating Dentsply Sirona’s Cavitron ultrasonic scaling system into A-dec delivery systems.

“This expanded collaboration brings us into the digital age together,” said Jon Parenteau, North American Business Unit Leader for Dentsply Sirona’s Connected Technology Solutions & Essential Dental Solutions platforms. "We have 2 leading manufactur­ers partnering together to build on the digital ecosystem within the practice."

“We’ve always prided ourselves on our delivery system being the integration and technology hub of the practice, housing everything that makes the office produc­tive and efficient,” said Tim Long, A-dec’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “So, with the efficiencies of chairside scanning and the benefits that can be derived from scanning every patient, this was a natural progression for us. Dentsply Sirona is the perfect partner that we had hoped to do this with.”

Through select dealers, the Primescan Connect can be incorporated into mod­ern delivery systems including the sleek, ergonomic A-dec 500 Pro and A-dec 300 Pro. The A-dec Pro series features the first-ever digitally connected delivery units, bringing a new level of connectivity and flexibility for practice growth. The intra­oral scanner can also be integrated with existing A-dec 500 and A-dec 300 units via retrofit. “Virtually the last 20 years’ worth of A-dec equipment that is being used in dental practices is compatible with the Primescan Connect,” Long said. 

The Pros of Simplicity in Scanning

The collaboration increases dental team access to the intraoral scanner at a time when a growing number of dentists are seeing the value of scanning every patient.

“Putting an intraoral scanner into every operatory allows the staff to use the scan­ner more,” said Parenteau. “When the scanner is on a cart, it tends to stay with the doctor more and is used for a lot of restorative dentistry. But with this integra­tion, the team can scan every patient, including during hygiene appointments. It becomes a baseline for oral health as part of their digital record and helps to accurately track changes in teeth, identify dental conditions sooner, and visualize treatment options together.”

A Seamless Transition

Dr. Timothy Passarello, a general dentist in Eldersburg, MD, takes digital impressions for crowns, bridges, implant restorations, veneers, partial dentures, nightguards, and clear aligners. While he currently brings his Primescan from room to room, as necessary, he was pleased to hear of the collaboration and said he welcomes any offerings that make the scanning process easier.

“If the intraoral scanner was integrated into the delivery unit, I would consider scanning all patients more routinely,” he said. “Having models on record would make comparisons much easier.”

Currently, his team takes intraoral photographs of all patients, but intraoral scans could supplement that process. “Team members would be doing the scanning,” he said. “All of my clinical assistants are proficient at scanning. My hygienists would need to be trained, but the process is very simple, so I would expect no difficulties.”

The Core of the Practice

All such images and scans can be stored in DS Core, which serves as an online me­dia library for storing, viewing, and sharing scans, x-rays, and other records, as well as a communication canvas for patient en­gagement. Case files, orders, and messag­es are always available via a web browser regardless of location, and teams can work with preferred labs and expert providers for the services they need.

"Digitizing patient records is the future, enabling practice efficiencies and opportu­nities to improve patient communication," Parenteau said.

Considering the many benefits of intra­oral scanning, from procedural efficiencies and expanded services to patient satisfac­tion and engagement, the rate of adop­tion for digital impressions is expected to increase. The collaboration between Dentsply Sirona and A-dec is designed to make it easier for dentists to use intraoral scanners in providing the best-possible care for their patients.