Captek - updated reinforcement technical technique

[AaronR]

Adding reinforcement belts and struts to Captek copings puts added thickness strategically where it is needed without increasing material thickness and cost where it is not needed. The purpose of this technique is to build stronger and more stable copings, in high stress clinical situations such as: high risk posterior occlusion, 2nd & 3rd molars, implants, bridge abutments, press porcelain to Captek, etc. This is a quick and simple technique for strategically adding reinforcement belts and struts with any of Captek Nano materials.

The attached photos were taken by Joshua Fitzgerald. The framework was done by Tiffany Scienski and porcelain work done by Joshua Fitzgerald. The material used was Captek Nano Universal P&G and Ceramco 3 porcelain. They are loving the results they are getting with the final fits and seeing great results with the added reinforcements.

 

[rkm rdt]

What is the material cost for that single coping?

 

[AaronR]

total material cost is in the range of $55

 

[rkm rdt]

That's a fair price for a pfg coping however I don't have a large demand for it.

As a small lab ,it may be months before I see a return on my alloy purchase.

The cost of a cad/cast pfg coping would be a bit higher plus delivery but I can group the units to lower the delivery charge. The advantage is that I can redirect my cash flow else where ,reduce my inventory and labour as well.

 

[Affinity]

total material cost is in the range of $55

Sorry but I have a hard time believing that.. Although its been a LOONG time since Ive done some captek.. but the material (near pure Pt and Au) has only gotten more expensive. What does each strip of P and G cost? Not to mention painting it with more gold bonder. Im not knocking the product, ive done hundreds.. in fact im captek advanced cert. ..
But as 'neat' as the product is.. its difficult to charge by weight like a normal alloy, so you end up flat rate pricing it.. and generally end up losing money.

A 'strut' is not going to increase the strength of a coping that much.. you can still pinch these copings in half with your fingers.. Dont mean to hijack your post, I just humbly disagree.. just my own experience. Drs seem to love it, and im sure there are a few out there who still want it. On the plus side, bonding to porcelain is excellent.. so when the crown does eventually fracture, at least the porcelain stays on it!

 

[AaronR]

A few things to take away here. To minimize the volatile swing of gold pricing for clients and to stabilize Captek material costs, a price stability protection initiative was implemented in the second quarter of 2007 that offers clients clear, predictable and consistent guidance on Captek material costs for an established period of time. We evaluate our pricing every quarter / 3 month intervals. As of right now, our pricing has been constant since October 1, 2011 (that's 6 months of price stability / protection)!! The beauty of this stable pricing structure is that you know what you are getting for 3 month intervals and Captek can be flat feed. Captek technology is an efficient use of gold and has become an important tool laboratories are using to control high gold costs for their dentists. A great opportunity for flat fee pricing and ability to maintain lower costs longer. Captek is the cost stable crown in a volatile precious metals environment.

Any questions on how to price Captek, I would be more than happy to assist you in greater detail with that.

In regards to the reinforcement technique. Yes, even with the addition of these belts and struts one can "pinch" a Captek coping. However, that is not the intent of the reinforcement. This reinforcement technique is to increase the rigidity of the coping during porcelain firings or if you are pressing porcelain to Captek. These small belts and struts strengthen the coping resulting in better fits, stronger frameworks, etc.

In relation to fractures, Captek crowns will "fail" for 3 reasons: clinical error, technical error, crown was not Captek. If all the steps are followed (proper occlusal clearance / occlusal management, proper fabrication procedures followed, porcelain protection where needed, proper bonder application, etc) Captek's longevity is equal to any other product out there. I was a lead Captek technician for many years at a large volume laboratory, and Captek was one of the lowest remake factor restorations throughout the entire lab.

With our continued commitment to direct-to-dentist marketing, we continue to get more and more wind in our sails and we are seeing a postitive result from our clients as well. There are many situations where Captek is the ideal choice for restorative just like many other products shine in certain situations as well. Its leveraging these opportunities where Captek can come into play.

We are happy to help you in any way possible!!

 

[JohnWilson]

While we all love when reps come to this site to share information and be a resource to the members I have to say a few things about Captek. This is in no way to slam this product just a way to share what many of you may think but are afraid to post.

There is a ton of evidence that shows this is an exceptional product. With that being said it also is a product that in these lean times have become a very client specific product.

Captek like many fine products seem to have a lifespan of interest. We originally got involved with Galvano copings and on perfectly prepped cases it was an exceptional product. The problem was that the majority of single units had unsupported glass and eventually failed.

Captek studies have shown very good results when instructions are followed. The problem is like may things in the real world, deviations of prep design and proper frame design force a flat rated product to be more volatile. I have stacked glass on cases where support was not optimum because the outsorce lab did not build up a marginal ridge and some worked some failed. The cost to add more material where its supposed to be is pricey and thats why the majority of captek outsourcing are thimble copings.

Over the years I have used many many labs to try and find the holy grail and similar mindset of frame design with this product. I found a few that were exceptional but honestly the price for a perfect core was high. A year or so ago we picked up a virtually brand new Captek kit that a representative of the company alerted me to. We were encouraged to watch the CD's and use the companies resources to "Learn the product" about this time the metal ceramic game for us just about dried up. The guys doing captek switched to EMAX and FCZ and my dreams of controlling quality in house went up in smoke.

Now its 2012 Argen has the reins of the company and has a vested interest in pushing the product. I am sure their pockets are deeper and hopefully they can generate some interest back in this product. I try and follow the lead of the big-shiney-box labs marketing campaigns to piggy back off their buck and throw my personal message in front of potential clients. When I see glidewell and micro and some of the other big labs push a specific product I do the same.

As for captek I have not seen this push lately, I hope it comes but honestly the material is labor and technique demanding and honestly the profit per unit on this restoration is not close to where I want to be for the price I have to sell it for.

So in closing I am not bashing a fine product I am just pointing out that at a suggest $55 alloy charge is actually closer to $100 if the core needs to be built up along with the extra labor to do so. There is not a substructure on this earth at this given time that I want to stack glass on that I can make a substantial profit on at this rate. No matter how pretty your units are its about profit, trends and marketing genius. When you can get my potential clients to demand this product over the competition and allow me to make the same profit I can make on an Pressed Emax or a FCZ then metal will not be the ugly red headed step child it has become.

BTW I have a very nice captek kit for sale

 

[AaronR]

It is great to be a part of dental forums like the DLN and to help make sure people have accurate information about all Argen / Captek products, especially Captek. John, you are correct in saying that there is an added expense when properly supporting porcelain on Captek copings. Some may not be aware that we have made advancements in our technology where adding support structures is less costly (updated materials) and a lot more efficient as well (updated techniques). Captek , or any metal free options, cannot offer every clinical answer, yet, there are still many, many clinical situations that are perfect for Captek. There are still many dentist that ask for Captek specifically by name and we continue to increase that demand by our continued marketing efforts, and being in front of the dental communities. We also need to make sure laboratories understand how different Captek is from Galvano systems. We are also responsible to make sure dentists are aware of Captek Certified labs, and how Captek can be a restorative option in their “clinical toolbox”. When dentists are aware of the potential of Captek, we see them just as excited about Captek as about any other product. It is also our responsibility to make sure our clients manufacture Captek in the most cost effective, profitable, technically and clinically sound manner. This is what we do each and every day. We encourage our clients to make good business judgments and we are here to help them along the way, in any way possible