Sometimes faster, sometimes safer, sometimes both - the digital practice at IDS 2019

The digital world is opening up numerous opportunities for dental practices - or countless opportunities? Yes, it is not always that easy to retain the overview in this section. The International Dental Show (IDS) from 12 to 16 March 2019 in Cologne presents the state-of-the-art technology and helps to find the relevant solutions for one's own practice and focus of work following the motto: "It depends on which innovation brings me and my practice forwards here and now."

The impetus for digital processes is often triggered off by the patients today. A typical situation: The patient needs a crown exchanging, however he doesn't have much time so he definitely has to be treated the same day. One solution can be chairside systems or also a particularly fast digital workflow, which includes the practice and the laboratory. Considerations regarding the ideal restoration materials also play a role. IDS presents the entire palette of options to the visitor and thus also lays the basis for well-founded investment decisions.

Whereas in the above-mentioned case the priority was above all on speed, digital technologies assist with both complex and difficult treatments - for example in the field of implantology: A patient requires a fixed denture for his toothless lower jaw. Based on X-rays and model scan data the team of dentists/dental technicians plans the treatment together in the scope of backward planning from the final prosthetics to the positions of the individual implants. The digital availability of the data facilitates this process and if necessary also enables a further colleague to be involved even at short notice.

There are various ways of putting the planned work into practice - including also many that involve digital support. For example for a safe surgical treatment drilling templates can be ordered from the dental laboratory or from an industrial service providing partner. External support is also available for the virtual design and production, so that the individual work steps can be more flexibly divided up among the players (surgeons, prosthodontists, dental technicians) today than ever before. In this way, the practice aims to achieve quality assurance or indeed an improvement in the quality, while at the same time possibly saving time and money. For example according to the evaluation of experts, things should have progressed so far by IDS 2019 or at IDS 2021 by the latest, that more digital implant treatments will take place than analogue treatment using standard products.

There is also progress in the orthodontic section: Even beyond diagnostic issues, virtual set-ups can also be created using virtual models and orthodontic appliances can even be planned (i.e. fixed appliances). We can eagerly look forward to seeing which answers IDS 2019 will provide for the production and assembly of detachable devices (i.e. stretching plates, activators).

Even in endodontics, a specialised discipline that is considered to be extremely analogue, motors can be controlled by tablet computers today, torques for the entire root canal treatment registered or the complete process simulated in advance. This increases the predictability of the result of the therapy and thus ultimately also the success rate.

"The current trends for the digital technologies for the practice as well as extensive workflows for surgeons, prosthodontists and dental technicians will be presented in a unique form at the International Dental Show (IDS) from 12 to 16 March 2019 in Cologne," said Mark Stephen Pace, Chairman of the Association of the German Dental Manufacturers e.V. (VDDI). "The opportunities of digital dentistry have now arrived in all disciplines - from implantology and prosthetics, through to endodontics and orthodontics. As such, it is certianly worthwhile for representatives from all specialised areas to experience the current innovations at IDS in a diversity that can be found in no other place."

IDS takes place in Cologne every two years and is organised by the GFDI Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Dental-Industrie mbH, the commercial enterprise of the Association of German Dental Manufacturers (VDDI). It is staged by the Koelnmesse GmbH, Cologne.