Leveraging digital workflows has also transformed the daily laboratory routine of dental technician Zdeněk Drápela from Olomouc in the Czech Republic – and changed many things for the better. In this video, the experienced master dental technician provides a glimpse of how his laboratory work has changed in real terms and how his work as part of a “digital laboratory” impacts the satisfaction of his staff and patients.

One thing’s for sure: utilizing digital manufacturing technologies and innovative materials can completely revolutionize the daily routine of a dental technician. For Zdeněk Drápela, nothing was the same again after he decided to go digital with his laboratory. Today, he receives intraoral scans from dentists in digital form. He and his team devise the appropriate tooth shapes and restorations on a computer. Fabrication is almost entirely digital, with manual steps reduced to a minimum. For the laboratory, there were several advantages to this approach. The team have been able to focus more strongly on other things and cater more effectively to the individual needs of customers. The quality of the restorations has improved and has remained consistently high. This establishes trust and confidence for dentists and for patients too. The starting point initially for all of this was the optimum integration of digital workflows into the existing daily processes. Ivoclar played an active role in this regard. 

It can take time until a new routine becomes routine again. Routines need to be established, and processes relearned. The fact that it is possible is demonstrated perfectly by Zdeněk Drápela. He now calls his laboratory a Digital Dental Design Laboratory, and processes a variety of materials, both blocks and discs, using equipment such as the high-performance 5-axis milling machine PrograMill PM7. Thanks to the perfectly coordinated workflows and the comprehensive selection of materials, when it comes to dental restorations, he can meet any request from any dentist. And there is still plenty of room for creativity, with a variety of options for individual customization. The workflow itself ensures results that offer exceptional esthetics and reliably outstanding precision. Zdeněk Drápela says that the transformation of his laboratory was an important step towards perfection. 

In the following video, dental technician Zdeněk Drápela shares his experiences now that his laboratory has gone digital. How has his approach to work been transformed, his time management, and ultimately the level of satisfaction of all concerned?