Dental Sleep Medicine Insider September 2017 | Page 28

ALEX BUDDEMEYER Seamless Appliance Delivery With DIGITAL Technology “THE DIGITAL BLOCKOUT PROCESS” “The appliance doesn’t fit!” We’ve all heard it before . . . “my patient’s appliance is too loose or too tight”. This can sometimes be caused by dis- torted impressions or working models. That being said, usually the culprit in this scenario is the method used to block out the undercuts on the working mod- els. Most manufacturers still rely on a manual process, using a lab technician to “eye ball” the exact amount of block out materi- al required for proper path of insertion and smooth delivery of the appliance at chair side. This older manufacturing method can sometimes result in poor fitting appliances, requiring time-con- suming acrylic adjustments or the necessity to return the sleep appliance back to the manufac- turer. This can be frustrating for both the patient and dentist (and admittedly, for the lab). DynaFlex, a United States regis- tered manufacturing facility has recently introduced advance- ments in digital technology that eliminates the old “eye balling” manual process of blocking out for undercuts during the fabrica- tion process. This year, DynaFlex started pro- viding our clients with digital blockout for appliance fabrica- tion. This means the manual guesswork of undercut relief by the lab technician has been removed from the manufactur- ing process. The precision of the digital blockout technology pro- vides you with a more consistent appliance fit every time. Based on the different materials, Dyna- Flex sets the software to a spe- cific tolerance level that works best for retention and delivery of each appliance. Depending on preferences, the dentist can now customize this tolerance level to the exact retention amount (more or less) that they prefer with the type of appliance and the type of material (acryl- ic, comfort fit or Accu-fit). The new digital block out process provides a consistent delivery schedule, saving both chair-time and improving the patient work- flow in your practice. The new digital blockout tech- nology is only one of the digital advancements that DynaFlex has implemented into the custom manufacturing of your sleep devices. DynaFlex can also help you make the most of your digi- tal technology. We accept all .stl files making the entire process easy and accurate from your intraoral scan to final appliance delivery. In addition, your pa- tient’s working models and bite registration are digitally stored forever and a day. Digital stor- age makes it easy to replace a lost or pet-destroyed appliance. Digital storage makes appli- ance replacement as simple as a phone call or email to DynaFlex. ALEX BUDDEMEYER, CDT If you have additional ques- tions about digital technol- ogy and dental sleep appli- ances please contact me at [email protected].