Doctors Frederick D. Thurston, Henry Acosta and Ela Torres-Moore say accuracy is their No. 1 goal.
That’s why their dental practice, Thurston and Acosta Dental Associates in Auburndale, recently purchased a digital oral scanner.
“We feel it makes us better dentists,” said Thurston, who opened the office in 1980.
The product, a Lava<0x2122> Chairside Oral Scanner COS from 3M ESPE, used for patients requiring a crown or bridge.
The new device allows doctors to record impressions digitally, rather than using the rubber impression material that makes molds. The whole process still takes three to four weeks, just like the more conventional way.
Currently, the Auburndale cosmetic, implant and general dentistry practice is the only dental office in Polk County and Central Florida and one of the first four in Florida to have the Lava digital oral scanner, according to a 3M spokesperson.
The cost was about $28,000, said Barbara Scott, office administrator.
Workers were required to attend 3M training for two days before using the equipment.
“The reason we got this equipment is because it’s the technology that improves the quality of crowns,” Acosta said.
Digital impressions are more accurate, he said.
Since May, about 60 people have used the scanner, and patients are not charged extra for the new technology.
“They really like it, especially because they can see what we’re doing,” Acosta said.
With digital impressions and 3D-in-Motion technology, patients can see more accurately how doctors can treat them.
The office also uses metal-free Zirconia Lava crowns instead of traditional crowns made of porcelain that are fused with metal.
“Using metal-free (crowns) is bio-friendly to the tissue,” said Wendi Sox, dental assistant.
The new crowns also fit better, preventing bacteria from contaminating the tooth, he said.
When a patient needs a crown or bridge, the office has a hand wand to take pictures of their teeth.
The stick has 20 tiny lenses, each of which takes 20 photos in just one second – that’s 400 photos.
The digital images are sent to a 3M lab in Boston where a digital model is created and sent back to Auburndale.
Central Dental Creations in Auburndale, the lab where the crowns and bridges are made, can mark the margins digitally, showing where a crown or bridge is needed.
The 3M lab makes a model out of a blue resin material, and then Central Dental Creations can start making the crown or bridge, said Scott, who is also the lab manager.
The lab is behind the dental office.
“The new technology is great. It’s more reliable and better for patients,” Scott said.
Because Thurston and Acosta Dental Associates work with Central Dental Creations, patients can be confident that the products are made by local technicians.
“They would like to know where (the product) came from and know what it’s made of,” he said.
“It doesn’t save time, but what we’re looking for is a better quality of work,” Acosta said.
[ Sarah Stegall can be reached at sarah.stegall@yahoo.com or 863-802-7547. ]
