Although innovations in dentistry have taken tremendous strides since the turn of the millennium, the foundations of it have actually been in motion for over 50 years. After starting his business in his kitchen in January 1970, Jim Glidewell opened Glidewell Laboratories for business, forever changing the course of dental manufacturing, and paving the way for digital dentistry as we know it today.

Since its inception, Glidewell has been on a mission to support dental professionals and increase patient access to premium dental services through improved quality, convenience and cost-effectiveness. Beginning his career as a laboratory technician, Jim Glidewell knew what it would take to provide practices with these affordable and high-quality services, so they, in turn, could provide their patients with affordable and high-quality care.

Glidewell has made substantial developments in dental manufacturing throughout its half-century of existence. By the year 2000, Glidewell had already developed dozens of materials and laboratory services while expanding its Research & Development team to spearhead innovation in the ever-changing field of dentistry.

Subsequent major investments in CAD/CAM technology and the overnight success of BruxZir^® Zirconia propelled the company even further to the forefront. Today, over 24 million BruxZir restorations have been delivered to dentists around the globe, confirming Glidewell’s place as the leader in dental laboratory technology.

A milestone such as this was only achieved due to Glidewell’s refusal to remain stagnant and the determination to push the boundaries of technology to advance the capabilities of dental manufacturing. But it did not end there: The company also invested in building out a 3D printing and CAD/CAM milling infrastructure while establishing its own proprietary digital workflow, predicting how critical digital dentistry would become. Indeed, the number of digital submissions to Glidewell increased by nearly 5,000% between 2012 and 2021.

The foresight and experience to invest in digital technology early on was not an accident. Since its founding over half a century ago, Glidewell has always pushed dentistry forward — making Jim Glidewell’s seemingly small decision to start a dental lab one of the turning points in modern dentistry.

Today, Glidewell has a multitude of digital services, both in their own manufacturing processes and for individual practices

Due to heavy investment in CAD/CAM technology and its pursuit of more efficient operations, Glidewell has been able to optimize its digital enterprise with little to no interruption to the clinician’s current workflow. This unique workflow is known as Glidewell Intelligent Manufacturing, or Glidewell IM, and is the innovative convergence of “Industry 4.0” and dentistry. With this system, the lab converts all restorative cases into a digital workflow, without changing any of their day-to-day methods. This includes the immediate conversion of an elastomeric impression to a digital file using proprietary CT scanning technology — making even traditional, physical impressions a participant in the digital workflow.

How does this benefit dentists? There are several advantages that may be easy to overlook. First, Glidewell will save a submitted impression and keep it on file. Should a duplicate of the same restoration be required, the technician can restart the production without requesting an additional impression.

Second, millions of the physical and digital impressions sent to Glidewell are digitized and stored in an expansive artificial intelligence database which then compiles the data and applies it to future cases. This means that every single restoration is informed by millions of previous cases, optimizing the fit and shape for a more accurate restoration.

Lastly, this digital workflow saves clinicians time and money! For instance, digitally designed dentures can be delivered in just three clinical appointments, reducing chair time and allowing more time with other patients. Additionally, Glidewell discounts $20 per unit on model-free all-ceramic cases and $40 per unit on custom abutments and screw-retained implant crowns.

The benefits of digital dentistry don’t stop at the lab, as Glidewell offers in-office products, collectively known as the glidewell.io^™ In-Office Solution, that can help practices grow and allow dentists more control over their time. Products such as fastdesign.io^™ Software and Design Station and the fastmill.io^™ In-Office Mill, utilize the same CrownAI^™ and MarginAI^™ algorithms as the larger Glidewell lab to generate applicable design proposals and fabricate same-day restorations right in the office. Additionally, the new fastscan.io^™ Intraoral Scanner, powered by Medit technology, provides users with seamless connectivity to both glidewell.io for chairside milling, as well as the Glidewell lab for other restorative needs. Clinicians can take advantage of these leaps forward in dentistry and experience the profitability of a digital workflow.

Glidewell understands that every decision made by clinicians is important, from clinical technique to the materials they choose, whether they use conventional or digital impressions, to same-visit dentistry. That’s why our goal remains the same: to support clinicians in making affordable, premium dental care a reality for everyone. Jim Glidewell summed it up best when he said: “With imagination — and the ability to see what’s possible — we have always pushed the boundaries to create meaningful innovation, streamline the restorative process, and bring the future of digital dentistry to the dental practice and their patients.” Most importantly, as a dentist, no matter where you are in your digital journey, Glidewell is here to support you along the way.