The upcoming IDS is being held on March 12th-16th 2019 in Cologne, Germany. The aim is to comprehensively present the cutting-edge technological advancement in the field of dentistry, with the thought of encouraging collaboration between dentists and the dental technicians.
In the past decade, digital technology mushroomed at a remarkable pace, proliferating all kinds of practices, including the ones that were thought of as staying conventional, or connected to their traditional roots. One of the areas that has been more than welcoming to the concept of advancing technology is dentistry. Among other medical fields, dentistry has the potential to relish the most benefits from digitalization, due to its diverse nature that is gravid with a tight-knitted combination of medicine, technology, and aesthetic. Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Dental-Industrie mbH (GFDI) organizes a biennial event: The International Dental Show. These events strive to promote advancement in dental practice, by demonstrating futuristic possibilities, cultivating constructive discussions, and, educating the participants with valuable advices and guidelines.
"Here digital systems, planning tools, different production options and their application within the team can be experienced close-up and in a diversity that cannot be found anywhere else,” said Dr. Markus Heibach, Executive Director VDDI.
An important goal of this year’s IDS is to spread the realization of, and respect for the fact that the considerations given to material and production departments should be twofold; addressing the medical as well as the technical aspects. In other words, the demands of a dentist and that of a dental technician are appreciated in a manner that the ultimate benefit goes to all the involved parties. However, often times the use of a certain technique is influenced by variables from the patient’s end. For instance, a patient short on time will opt for simpler chairside techniques, which the dentist has to provide. High speed digital systems with the capability to simplify and improve chairside procedures are possible solutions to such issues.
Various specialties are brilliant candidates for digitalized dentistry. In orthodontics and prosthodontics, model scanning, and virtual designing have a promising scope. Similarly, in implantology laboratory support in terms of obtaining drilling templates and virtual designs can further simplify the procedure and ameliorate the aesthetic results, as well as improve the lifespan of the fixed prosthetic. In endodontics remotely motorized instruments with precise values entered in the system can give a much more accurate result, with little chance of failure.
How a treatment pans out is, of course, the result of treatment planning and implementation, which includes the expertise of the dental and technical experts, and the ease of the patient. During these discussions variables like patient’s choice of material and treatment option, dentist’s opinion on the most promising material/treatment/technique, and the availability of technology with the dental technician and the feasibility of its usage must all be considered. Heibach stated that “…The International Dental Show (ID) from 12 to 16 March 2019, will comprehensively present the current development status of materials and processing methods as well as the new opportunities of how the dentist and dental technician can optimally pass the ball to each other." He encouraged individuals from the dental community to attend the event as a team, promising that there was ample to learn. He claimed that the way forward was through knowledge and acceptance of the progressing technology, and teamwork.
