Team Approach, Advanced Lab Technologies Set BonaDent Apart
Compendium features peer-reviewed articles and continuing education opportunities on restorative techniques, clinical insights, and dental innovations, offering essential knowledge for dental professionals.
December 1, 2012
Volume 33, Issue 12, Nov/Dec 2012
Page(s): pp 770
Since the company’s inception more than 60 years ago, BonaDent Dental Laboratories has followed the same basic principles: understand the needs of doctors and provide them with products that reflect the highest in craftsmanship and care—and deliver them with consistent, friendly customer service. This formula has helped BonaDent achieve proven success and continued growth. BonaDent’s laboratory combines the latest state-of-the-art technology with a personalized team approach to case management, allowing the company to produce consistent, esthetic restorations.
According to Joseph A. Nigro III, BonaDent’s Director of Digital Technology, advancements in CAD/CAM technology have enabled BonaDent to make significant improvements to the products it provides to its customers, and ultimately, to their patients. CAD/CAM allows BonaDent technicians to digitally design and mill all of the stages of the restorations with increased precision and durability. By incorporating this technology into the early steps of the fabrication process, says Nigro, BonaDent is able to eliminate many of the variables that can sometimes materialize during traditional fabrication methods, thus affording technicians more time to work on the esthetics of a case.
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“Automating the initial phases of production lets our technicians develop and enhance their artistic skills, ensuring that the finishing process translates into natural-looking restorations,” Nigro explains. He adds that automation has enhanced BonaDent’s substructure design capabilities, delivering greater uniformity throughout the restorations, which leads to less alloy use and more controlled costs for its customers.
While BonaDent offers clinicians innovative, state-of-the-art technology, the company also utilizes an effective team approach to creating restorations. “We are extremely proud of the high level of personalized attention, communication, and collaboration with which we engage our customers,” says Nigro. Digital photography, combined with the proficient use of e-mail, enables BonaDent’s customers to work closely with their lead technical contact on each case, which improves efficiencies and leads to greater esthethic results.
“For example,” he says, “we can take photographs of cases in process and e-mail that information to the customer. Then the lead technical contact can discuss the treatment plan and specific case details, ask questions, and resolve any concerns.” The dynamic communication inherent in BonaDent’s team approach allows the laboratory to tailor each case specifically to the needs of the customer.
BonaDent’s services include a wide range of scanning, design, milling, and printing options, which allows the laboratory team to select the system that will deliver the best results on a case-by-case basis. “Our technology allows us to help clinicians provide their patients with treatment planning through every stage of the process, ensuring exceptional, long-lasting, natural-looking results,” says Nigro.
One new product in particular that BonaDent has incorporated into its laboratory is 3M ESPE’s Lava™ Ultimate. Nigro points out that the milled resin nanoceramic is precured, “so there is optimal marginal accuracy and no shrinkage. It also has exceptional wear resistance and polishability and can easily be repaired intraorally.”
Looking to the future, Nigro says Bona-Dent is eager to incorporate even more new technology into its operations. “For example, the integration of digital impressions into the digital workflow will help us to continue to eliminate the variables often found in traditional impression methods,” he says. In addition, the enhanced transfer of information permitted by digital impressioning will continue to improve turnaround times and case acceptance. “I’m very excited about any technology that keeps the lines of communication open between our customers and their technical contacts,” says Nigro.
BonaDent Dental Laboratories
2495 BonaDent Dr
PO Box 499
Seneca Falls, NY 13148
800-732-6222
dentalaegis.com/go/cced269
