Welcome to the third issue of Chairside^® magazine!

Dr. Gordon Christensen, cofounder of Clinical Research Associates, brings us a comprehensive article on impression taking called The State of Fixed Prosthodontic Impressions: Room for Improvement. Dr. Christensen reviews the most common impression taking mistakes made by dentists and provides some helpful suggestions for avoiding these problematic errors. I can’t tell you how many of these problem impressions show up at the lab on a daily basis, but the numbers would surprise you, and I think everyone can benefit from reading this technique-rich article.

I was fortunate enough to sit down with Jim Glidewell, Chief Executive Officer of Glidewell Laboratories, to discuss the rapid growth spurt of CAD/CAM restorations in the dental lab industry. I was able to inquire how Jim, as an industry leader, sees this trend affecting his own laboratories and also the dental laboratory industry as a whole.

I recently met up with Dr. Anton Misleh, who is one of Glidewell Laboratories’ top customers for occlusal splints. It just so happens that Dr. Misleh is a dental school classmate of mine, and despite our lack of TMD education in school, he has fully embraced conservative splint therapy. Together, we explore his philosophy on splints, and Dr. Misleh explains how he incorporates them into his practice.

Last month, we featured an article on Prismatik Clinical Zirconia™, or CZ for short. These high-strength all-ceramic restorations are our fastest growing product in the lab. This month, I am following up on the inquiries I received from that article with a Clinical Zirconia Photo Gallery. The photo essay gives you a glimpse into my own dental operatory where patients have elected to seat this popular PFM alternative. I present some case studies that best exemplify the beauty and natural-looking esthetics possible with these crowns and bridges.

I want to take this opportunity to encourage you to provide us with your feedback. If you have any comments, questions or suggestions regarding this issue of Chairside or past issues, please email us at chairside@glidewell.com. We will be featuring your comments in future issues.