Kettenbach: Striving to Accommodate Dentists’ Clinical Preferences in Impressioning

Parrilli describes how the company’s patented impression materials are adapted for use even in the presence of blood, saliva, and crevicular fluid. “Because the formula, which includes some surfactants, reduces the surface tension of the silicone, when the material comes in contact with moisture, it displaces it rather than causes the moisture to bead.” This, he explains, is designed to avert a “disaster in impression-taking,” which can occur when moisture creates a bubble or void on the margin of a preparation.

Kettenbach, Parrilli insists, makes every effort to accommodate dentists’ clinical preferences. “A lot of companies have tried to develop technologies without understanding what businesses/practices are looking for,” he says. “We stay in touch with the average dental practice to understand what they are looking for to improve their professional life.”

For example, according to Parrilli, the vast majority of US dentists use a heavy-body/light-body combination, and because most impressions are quadrant or partial-arch impressions, which do not require much working time, dentists tend to prefer fast-set over regular set. Yet, he says, a minority—about one-fifth of dentists—prefer the heaviest tray material available—ie, a putty, whether it’s hand-mixed or machine-mixed, which provides the optimum in compression.

Because, Parrilli says, Kettenbach’s focus is on finding ways to meet the needs of dentists and their personal preferences, the company has introduced Identium^® Scan for practices that are transitioning into digital dentistry. Based on the newly developed material Vinylsiloxanether^®, Identium^® Scan offers the advantages of polyether materials as well as those of A-silicones. “Its handling properties are like those of polyether materials, with a longer working time and snap setting time. What’s different is that it includes a component to enable scanners to pick up the detail, unlike original Identium—which we still market. It enables devices to scan, then produce the restoration,” he says.

While Parrilli recognizes the inevitability of digital impressioning, he believes the transition will be gradual. “As users have become more comfortable in the digital world, there’s a growing understanding of how digital technology can improve the quality of one’s professional life,” he says. However, he notes that “the dental profession moves deliberately,” and expects that this, like most changes in dentistry—especially those that require a significant investment—will not occur overnight. “There are lots of factors that affect a clinician’s decision—cost, training, time, even initiative—you name it,” he says. “It’s certain that digital will be a major piece of tomorrow’s dental practice. It’s growing, but I don’t see it coming overnight.”

Identium Scan, Parrilli says, represents an interface between standard impression-taking and digital information processing in the CAD/CAM workflow. “Identium Scan provides the dental practice with an introduction to the digital world without the need for major change or investment. Users don’t need to learn anything new—they can use the techniques and approaches with which they are already familiar,” he confirms.

“Really, it all comes down to matters of preference,” he maintains. “Practices can choose to buy equipment to do scanning in their offices or send the impression to the lab to both scan and produce the restoration; but during this transition, a scannable impression material is a good bridge to full-fledged digital impressioning.”

Kettenbach - USA
16052 Beach Blvd, Suite 218
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
714-892-9820
dentalaegis.com/go/cced573