Pursuit of Perfection Drives Miami Laboratory Owner
Inside Dental Technology delivers updates on digital workflows, materials, lab techniques, and innovation in dental technology through expert articles and videos.
May 1, 2017
Volume 8, Issue 5, May 2017
Page(s): p. 60
Some people can forget about their work the second they step out of the building to go home for the day. Alexander Wünsche, CDT, is not one of those people. The owner of Zahntechnique in Miami, Florida, attributes much of his success to the fact that he is never satisfied and constantly thinking of ways to be better.
“When I drive home every day, I always think about what I could have done differently with the cases I sent out that day,” says Wünsche, who adds that he even thinks daily about his own two veneers and the “million” things he would do differently next time. “I love my job and I love the cases we fabricate in our laboratory, but I am never 100% satisfied. That mindset leads to premium quality because we are always trying to reach the next level.”
The key to that relentless pursuit of improvement, Wünsche says, is to constantly judge quality based on what you would put in your own mouth.
“Dental technicians are very picky; we are naturally control freaks,” Wünsche says. “We would never put restorations in our own mouths that are not as close to perfect as possible. At our laboratory, that is the quality level we try to achieve with every case we fabricate: restorations I would put in my own mouth.”
That commitment to quality extends beyond the restorations that are fabricated at Zahntechnique. Wünsche works hard to be a knowledge resource for his dentist-clients, offering insight on material selection, equipment, processes, and techniques.
“Customers call us for guidance on prosthetic work,” he says. “We always want to be on top of the best technology out there. We might not invest in a $1 million SLM machine because it is not affordable for a laboratory our size, but we know exactly how it works, so we can offer advice to our clients about utilizing these technologies.”
The machines that he does decide to purchase in his laboratory are chosen carefully to optimize their effectiveness with the materials being used. Wünsche does not necessarily advocate closed systems, but he notes that certain materials and systems work better with each other.
“The best technical equipment does not help if you do not work with the best materials that are aligned with it, and vice versa,” Wünsche says.
The solution for Zahntechnique has been to use Amann Girrbach’s Ceramill line, which includes Ceramill Motion 2 and Mikro mills, Ceramill Zolid FX Multilayer zirconia, and the REAX (REliable All-on-X) bridge, among other products.
Ceramill Zolid FX Multilayer is a polychromatic, super-high-translucent zirconia with integrated shade and translucency gradient.
“The material is amazing,” Wünsche says. “It is heaven in your hands. When you finish it, it looks very natural, crisp, and brilliant in terms of the color appearance. It has a beautiful gradient from the cervical to the incisal, with no layers or lines visible. I have not found that in any other material.”
The grain structure of the zirconia makes it mill cleanly, without any chipping, which Wünsche says can be a problem with other multilayer or high-translucency zirconia materials.
The translucency of Ceramill Zolid FX multilayer is similar to that of lithium disilicate, so it allows the laboratory to achieve a high level of esthetics with the efficiency and strength of zirconia.
“I can mill zirconia much easier than I can press lithium disilicate,” he says. “Also, I refuse to use lithium disilicate for bridges because the strength is not sufficient in my opinion; it is only a matter of time before they break. With Ceramill Zolid FX Multilayer, however, I can fabricate up to 3-unit bridges also in the molar region.”
A strong complement to that range is the Ceramill Zolid White line, which Wünsche uses for so-called REAX implant bridges for full-arch restorations.
“The strength is exceptional and I can customize my infiltration color before sintering,” he says.
Implant bridges in particular demand extreme precision. The REAX bridge provides a systematic solution for the fabrication of implant-supported bridges with a gingival selection, utilizing Ceramill Zolid with the Ceramill M-Gin module and Ceramill milling machines.
“Implants are set, and there is no give,” Wünsche says. “I need to be completely certain that the restorations will be 100% accurate, so it is important to use an optimized system instead of multiple systems that work well together, because ‘well’ is not good enough for implant bridges.”
The Ceramill M-Gin module also saves time with its perfect interplay between software, material, and milling unit.
“I can design a full-arch restoration, including the tissue, and almost no finishing is required in terms of the green-state contouring,” Wünsche says.
Like Wünsche, Amann Girrbach is constantly developing new innovations and will launch the highly translucent zirconia Zolid HT+ as a perfect material especially for big structures such as REAX bridges. It combines the high mechanical parameters of Zolid with excellent light-optical properties—similar to the Zolid FX range.
“I was allowed to test the material in the course of its developement,” Wünsche says, “and I cannot wait to fabricate the first patient cases.”
For more information, contact:
Amann Girrbach
amanngirrbach.com
800-851-3719
