With the increasing popularity of dental implants, dentist offices and dental manufacturers around the country are trying to determine the best way to produce high-quality implants and posts while keeping production costs down. Miniature end mills and other milling devices can help your office create polished, flawless implants. But with the variety of types of end mills available, you may be wondering how to make the best investment in your infrastructure.
Read on to learn more about some recent advances in dental technology that can help make your choice easier:
What goes into the production of a dental implant?
There are two primary components to a dental implant -- the titanium post that is implanted within the patient's bone, and the porcelain or ceramic "tooth" that affixes to it. The titanium posts are fairly standard in dimensions and can be adapted to patients of nearly any size.
However, the false tooth must be highly customized, using an impression of the surrounding teeth and gums to determine the proper angle, size, and bite height so that this implant fits seamlessly in with the patient's other teeth.
In the past, most dentist's offices were forced to make this impression and send it to an outside machining shop for the production of the implant, a process that could take days or even weeks. However, with advances in computer-aided machining (CAM) technology comes the ability for most dentist's offices to create these implants themselves, using milling machinery on-site.
What end mills are best suited for the machining of dental implants?
Because the natural surface of a tooth is smooth but bumpy and ridged, and because the ability to have a solid, firm bite is so important in the healing of dental implants, selecting the correct type of milling device is crucial to the success of your office's implants.
Many dentist's offices have found the greatest success with both torus-style and solid carbide ball nose end mills. These two types of milling tools are able to flawlessly cut and style the types of materials most commonly used for implants -- wax, titanium, porcelain, and certain types of acrylic.
One of the biggest advantages to these tools is their versatility. Although they're able to polish the tooth's surface to a sheen, they can also be used to "rough up" the surface of the tooth to make it easier for the dentist to grind down or adjust once it has been implanted into the mouth.
These milling tools are compatible with the CAM software that is used to program the size, shape, and dimensions of the false tooth. With a bit of CAM training, you or other staffers should be able to mill a dental implant or crown while the patient is still feeling the effects of his or her novocaine shot.
Share18 March 2015
When it comes to ordering industrial equipment for a new business or big project, it can be tough trying to keep track of everything that needs attention. Not only do you have to make sure that your new equipment is in proper working order, but you need to learn about the warranties and insurance plans that come with them in case of an accident or breakdown. You also have to make sure that employees are properly trained about how to manage and maintain the new equipment. There is no need to invest in costly training programs for successful implementation of your new equipment – you can use the tips and tricks on this blog to get the job done.
