Tuesday, December 17, 2013
As our week of looking back on the year that was continues, we turn our attention to the Dentalcompare news feed for a look at the stories that drew the most attention throughout the year.
Looking at this list makes it clear that there is growing interest in not just the technologies powering CAD/CAM dentistry but also the new materials available for dental restorations. These two areas of technology go hand in hand, and they both continue to evolve and expand at a brisk pace.
Detailed information about dental products is the core of what we do at Dentalcompare, so when it comes to the news we publish, it should be no surprise that new product announcements are the biggest draw. In fact, this year 7 of the 10 most popular news items were new product announcements.
With that in mind, here are the 10 most viewed news items on Dentalcompare in 2013.*
10. New Dental Product: E4D NEVO Scanner and Design Center from D4D Technologies – Chairside CAD/CAM and digital impressions got both better and smaller in 2013, and the launch of E4D Technologies’ newest chairside system, the E4D NEVO scanner was big news. The debut of this laptop connected digital impression wand marked a complete remake of the E4D brand.
9. New Dental Product: Philips Sonicare FlexCare Platinum – Whether it’s because your practice does well selling them to patients, or you like to use them at home, or possibly both, Philips Sonicare brushes are popular. The launch of the company’s newest generation of brushes certainly drew some attention.
8. New Dental Product: Orascoptic XV1 Wireless Loupe and Headlight – Continuing the trend of new product launches on this list, Orascoptic’s XV1 loupes and light definitely made a splash this year. With no cords to get tangled, this product provides magnification and illumination in a simple, elegant package.
7. Lighthouse 360 is now a Certified Dentrix G5 Connected Solution – Software as a service is a growing trend in the industry, as is integrated software systems. This year Dentrix G5 opened up to new software connections and a number of companies connected their software to the popular practice management solution. Lighthouse 360 was one of many companies to do this, but their news proved to draw the most attention.
6. Sirona Expands CEREC Dental CAD/CAM Product Lines with New Digital Impression and Milling Options – The 2013 dental CAD/CAM revolution certainly included the category’s biggest name as Sirona news actually appears twice on this list. This announcement from the company showed some foresight as Sirona announced a range of CEREC CAD/CAM configurations for dentists and dental labs to purchase.
5. 3M ESPE’s Lava Ultimate Material is Considered a Ceramic in the 2013 CDT Codes – The first of several CAD/CAM material news items to make this list, this news was really about insurance codes which sometimes lag the technology innovations hitting the industry. The ability to code and bill for Lava Ultimate crowns the same way you can for traditional ceramic crowns makes it even easier for dentists to adopt this innovative 3M ESPE material.
4. New Dental Product: APOLLO DI Digital Impression System from Sirona – The second Sirona news item to make the top 10, this product announcement heralded the launch of the company’s newest digital impression system, an entry level scanner that can help dentists go digital while allowing them to continue to work with a dental lab for design and fabrication of the restorations.
3. New Dental Product: CS Solutions Chairside CAD/CAM from Carestream Dental – Carestream Dental announced its new open-architecture chairside CAD/CAM system in the spring and spent much of the year refining the details before formally launching the scanner, software and mill in the fall. When the year started dentists had just two chairside systems to choose, but as the year draws to a close there are numerous options.
2. New Dental Products: VITA Announces SUPRINITY Zirconia Reinforced Lithium Silicate CAD/CAM Material, Easyshade Advance 4.0 and AKZENT Plus Stains at IDS – The International Dental Show is always a huge launching pad for new products and this year it was no different. VITA used the show to launch a new multi-phase CAD/CAM material combining the best of both zirconia and glass ceramics along with updated shade matching technology and an enhanced stain system.
1. New Dental Products: DENTSPLY Debuts CELTRA Glass Ceramic and Crypton Cobalt Chrome Alloy CAD/CAM Materials at IDS – Maybe it’s the Superman themed name of the new Crypton Cobalt Chrome alloy, or maybe it’s the continued excitement over new chairside glass ceramic materials, but this IDS CAD/CAM news from DENTSPLY was our most popular news item of the year.
*The 2013 Top 10 lists are based on Dentalcompare traffic measured during the 13 month period from October 2012 – November 2013.