Adding a CAD/CAM milling machine to your office can transform your workflow and make a considerable difference in the success of your practice. In addition to driving down your costs on the most common restorative procedures, same-visit dentistry is incredibly attractive to patients, who are quick to tell their friends that they were able to receive a crown in just one appointment. However, considering the technological leap and financial investment required to transition to in-office milling, many dentists wonder if they’ll get the training and support they need to be successful.

This is an understandable concern as most chairside CAD/CAM systems are sold through distributors, which can make it difficult to get the technical support and expertise you need. This situation is exacerbated in the case of open systems that include equipment sourced from multiple, independent manufacturers, who often tend to refer you to the other party. However, with the glidewell.io^™ In-Office Solution, not only do you get direct support from the manufacturer, but you also have a connection with dental lab experts who can help you with your case at any time.

glidewell.io is a perfect example of the value created through vertical integration. Both fastmill.io^™ and fastdesign.io^™, the chairside mill and design software included with the system, were initially developed and used in the lab prior to being adapted for use in a dental practice. Not only are the mill and CAD software lab-tested, but they have also been designed to work together as a system. And with glidewell.io, you get technical assistance from the lab experts who have helped test and refine the very CAD/CAM technology you’ll be using in your practice. This customer support team — available via text, chat, email or phone — can help you with your restoration design and even access your system remotely to make adjustments.

The fastdesign.io software included with glidewell.io features proprietary MarginAI^™ and CrownAI^™ technology that marks your margins and generates an intuitive crown proposal with a single click. In a large majority of cases, you need only confirm the margins, approve the design and send it to the mill, meaning that you don’t have to learn anything you don’t already know.

That being said, any time assistance is needed, you have access to dental CAD/CAM specialists who are dedicated to ensuring that your system is operating at peak condition. The Customer Technical Support team is available to help diagnose and resolve your issue in one call. If a field service visit is required, your appointment will be confirmed in 24 hours, and cases that cannot be milled in office can be forwarded to Glidewell for fabrication at no charge until the issue is resolved.

Dr. Scott Barton, who previously had experience using a CEREC^® chairside CAD/CAM system in his San Antonio-based practice, immediately noticed the benefits of having support from a dedicated team of restorative experts. “The Glidewell service, their support, is the biggest difference for me,” said Dr. Barton. “CEREC didn’t have a lab for me to contact like Glidewell does. It would have been a challenge to find someone with the time and ability to help and somehow remote into my system. It would have been an exception to the general workflow with CEREC, whereas with the glidewell.io system, it’s part of what you’re paying to have. And it’s wonderful.”

How is all this possible? Glidewell’s dedication to owning the entire manufacturing operation behind its dental products and services enhances results, ensures quality, minimizes cost markups, and allows for direct customer support for practices the company partners with in optimizing dental care. Today, Glidewell’s industry-leading Research & Development department consists of over 150 individuals dedicated to revolutionizing the products, tools and techniques available to dental professionals. In addition to more than a dozen Ph.D.-credentialed researchers, this experienced team of scientists, chemists, engineers, clinicians, Certified Dental Technicians and Master Dental Technicians is proud to play a role in shaping the future of dental technology.

In the dental practice, that future is looking increasingly digital, and glidewell.io represents how technology is eliminating the barriers that once existed between the dentist and the dental lab. In addition to the CAD/CAM technology at the heart of its restoration design and milling capabilities, the restorative materials used with glidewell.io are also borne of vertical integration and relentless innovation at Glidewell.

The restorative materials the company’s R&D team have developed in-house have undergone extensive clinical validation, both in its research operatories and in dental practices across the country. In fact, BruxZir^® Zirconia has been studied by Clinicians Report for over 10 years — more than any other zirconia in dentistry — without a single terminal fracture occurring. And glidewell.io is the only chairside CAD/CAM system that empowers dentists to mill restorations from this material in their own offices.

Dr. Scott Methven, who has set his practice apart from the competition by offering his patients same-visit BruxZir NOW crowns, appreciates having support from experienced lab technicians when needed. “If it’s necessary, we still sometimes call upon Glidewell for help with designing a restoration,” said Dr. Methven. “It’s handy that a Glidewell lab tech can remotely take over the computer for us and help design the crown.”

When you decide to make the leap to same-visit dentistry, the adoption of a new workflow is largely dependent on the accessibility of the system and the training provided by the manufacturer. With glidewell.io, the artificial intelligence-powered design software does the work — so you don’t have to — and the installation includes a complete day of in-person training with your entire staff, ensuring that you and your team can hit the ground running and begin offering single-appointment restorations immediately.

Dr. Jeffrey Sprout of Evergreen, Colorado, noted how the combination of initial training and ongoing support has made the addition of same-visit crowns to his practice easy. “When we first got the glidewell.io system, we had one full day of training where experts from Glidewell came out to our office and showed us everything,” said Dr. Sprout. “Since then, it’s been a matter of calling Glidewell and having them walk my assistant through any questions she has had.”

But initial training and continuous technical support are just two ways Glidewell helps you succeed in single-appointment dentistry. As in-office milling becomes a basic, essential part of your practice, Glidewell offers an array of in-person and online education to help you take on more complex cases and maximize the output of your system. This includes live, hands-on advanced training courses as well as monthly webinars led by clinicians with expertise in same-visit restorations. Additionally, you have access to free, on-demand articles and videos so you can enhance your skill set at any time that’s convenient for you and your team.

Same-visit dentistry presents enormous opportunity as dentists look to streamline their restorative workflow and find new avenues for practice growth. Although many doctors have questions about dental CAD/CAM technology and the quality of restorative materials, glidewell.io addresses those concerns with single-click, AI-generated designs and crowns milled from the most trusted zirconia in dentistry. And should any issues arise with a particular case, dentists have access to technical support from restorative experts, putting the largest dental lab in the U.S. chairside as you transform your practice with single-appointment crowns