Quickest way to produce digital modes

[kyleyounggun]

I have been finding it incredibly difficult in terms of time to make models and making it more efficient.

3Shape is one of the slowest ways to make models, having to trim them first before sculpting is annoying me to me. The workflow is incredibly annoying especially if I need to move parts of soft tissue. I've been using mesh mixer to remove and smooth those areas then bringing them in.

The fastest way to make models I have so far is scanning, dcm>stl, then using blender for dental.

Is there any other programs or methods of producing digital models, I get about 20 a week and I do all cad designs and printing for RPD's, splints, models, aligners. Somedays it takes me hours do models so I do them in batches. I messed with model maker in 3shape unite and honestly, I can do them incredibly fast but I have yet to find a way to import dcm files into model maker. (it requires TRIOS scans)

Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you

 

[Toothman19]

Only takes about 1-2 minutes in exocad. Maybe an extra minute if you mark the margin

 

[CoolHandLuke]

exocad's new Quick model feature works pretty good.

 

[Brett Hansen CDT]

I have been finding it incredibly difficult in terms of time to make models and making it more efficient.

3Shape is one of the slowest ways to make models, having to trim them first before sculpting is annoying me to me. The workflow is incredibly annoying especially if I need to move parts of soft tissue. I've been using mesh mixer to remove and smooth those areas then bringing them in.

The fastest way to make models I have so far is scanning, dcm>stl, then using blender for dental.

Is there any other programs or methods of producing digital models, I get about 20 a week and I do all cad designs and printing for RPD's, splints, models, aligners. Somedays it takes me hours do models so I do them in batches. I messed with model maker in 3shape unite and honestly, I can do them incredibly fast but I have yet to find a way to import dcm files into model maker. (it requires TRIOS scans)

Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you

This answer isn't going to work for you, but i recently offloaded all the model design and printing to a new tech we hired. Has enabled me to focus more on designing our more complicated cases and getting some new products going. When our IOS cases come in, she takes them from me and designs and prints the models. Then they are ready to do when I am ready to design the restorations.

 

[kyleyounggun]

This answer isn't going to work for you, but i recently offloaded all the model design and printing to a new tech we hired. Has enabled me to focus more on designing our more complicated cases and getting some new products going. When our IOS cases come in, she takes them from me and designs and prints the models. Then they are ready to do when I am ready to design the restorations.

Actually, that's exactly what I've been trying to work on. I wanted to hire someone to do models, and scan in cases. Unfortunately, I see this is the only way. I'm a numbers/logistics guy at heart. Hiring someone to do mundane things daily would greatly increase my productivity through the day. However, hiring someone to see what the case needs before making the model, extending a border, faking a border for a retainer, removing garbage off the tooth from a scan, etc is extremely difficult to teach someone.

 

[PRO ARTS DL]

Edit: I forgot to mention that most of these models I design are for removable and nightguards. So I don't have to create dies.

I do most of them on blender for dental. Except when they are from Medit, Meditlink has it's own model designer integrated. However the cleaning up part is better/easier on meshmixer.

I use meshmixer to clean them up and close holes. Then open meshmixer, import them, create a base, then hollow them out, then export them. It is just a few clicks once you get used to it.

 

[kyleyounggun]

Only takes about 1-2 minutes in exocad. Maybe an extra minute if you mark the margin

exocad's new Quick model feature works pretty good.

I had access to exocad for a very long time, I have yet to use it in some time. I might have to look into it.

 

[RileyS]

50-60% of my work is now coming in digitally and the workflow is killing me. Trimming the crap off, guessing at margins, telling and showing the doctors how often I'm guessing, printing. The worst is tracking down all the files from the 6 different IO scanners we receive cases from and the different ways to enter the case order from different implant companies is enough to make me want to make out with a shotgun.
One doc just sent me a link to check out sirona's new portal for receiving and organizing all IO scans from any system. I haven't looked into hard enough yet cause sirona has always been such an asshole company.
Is it super easy for everyone else?
I've been trying to hire techs for over a year and have zero success. Been dragging my feet on hiring and training off the street as per usual...

 

[tehnik]

Saw this in LMT magazine, no idea about the outcome:

Eliminate design time from your dental lab’s workflow with CADflow. Our cloud-based AI platform converts intraoral scans into printable models for retainers, splints, or bleaching trays in seconds.

CADflow : Automated Digital Dentistry Solutions for Labs of All Sizes

Once a dental prescription is submitted to our system, our algorithms get to work. Whether it’s automatically basing, trimming, or removing brackets, the prepared file is available for download minutes later.

cadflow.ai

 

[RileyS]

Saw this in LMT magazine, no idea about the outcome:

CADflow : Automated Digital Dentistry Solutions for Labs of All Sizes

Once a dental prescription is submitted to our system, our algorithms get to work. Whether it’s automatically basing, trimming, or removing brackets, the prepared file is available for download minutes later.

cadflow.ai

I don’t do any of those items. All implants and crowns.

 

[Car 54]

50-60% of my work is now coming in digitally and the workflow is killing me. Trimming the crap off, guessing at margins, telling and showing the doctors how often I'm guessing, printing. The worst is tracking down all the files from the 6 different IO scanners we receive cases from and the different ways to enter the case order from different implant companies is enough to make me want to make out with a shotgun.
One doc just sent me a link to check out sirona's new portal for receiving and organizing all IO scans from any system. I haven't looked into hard enough yet cause sirona has always been such an asshole company.
Is it super easy for everyone else?
I've been trying to hire techs for over a year and have zero success. Been dragging my feet on hiring and training off the street as per usual...

Even with the fewer number of IO accounts I have, I'm finding the same thing, the logistics can be nuts. One thing I know for sure is that I have to print the lab script first thing put it in the pan and on the shelf, so I don't lose track of it. Then comes this abutment here, that model there...

As far as the margins, same thing. I'm still grateful for the impression case I do get. Easier workflow for me, easier to track, and with the accounts I have, excellent impression margins etc.

 

[tuyere]

Saw this in LMT magazine, no idea about the outcome:

CADflow : Automated Digital Dentistry Solutions for Labs of All Sizes

Once a dental prescription is submitted to our system, our algorithms get to work. Whether it’s automatically basing, trimming, or removing brackets, the prepared file is available for download minutes later.

cadflow.ai

We've been using Cadflow and the error rate for their files is climbing rapidly. Easily 1/5 of all files we get back need manual repair in a mesh CAD program, it's wild. I'm very surprised we're still giving them money. We're getting back in touch with them about this today so let's see if they can fix things.

 

[LuthorCorp]

For our cases which we get almost 40-50% digitally, we have someone who receives all the files, and RX, they register the cases, download and place the files all on one central location for our design team.

On the design side we have some people that exclusively do models (Ortho side mostly) and they can do anywhere from 60-100 arches a day while doing some other stuff.

C&B side the designers just make the models and then the design in the same workflow.

Having someone receive, organize and centralize the digital files is a godsend. Makes it easier since they go to all 6 portals to grab files, rename and organize and once the designer gets the casepan they know exactly where the files are everytime.

 

[Brett Hansen CDT]

50-60% of my work is now coming in digitally and the workflow is killing me. Trimming the crap off, guessing at margins, telling and showing the doctors how often I'm guessing, printing. The worst is tracking down all the files from the 6 different IO scanners we receive cases from and the different ways to enter the case order from different implant companies is enough to make me want to make out with a shotgun.
One doc just sent me a link to check out sirona's new portal for receiving and organizing all IO scans from any system. I haven't looked into hard enough yet cause sirona has always been such an asshole company.
Is it super easy for everyone else?
I've been trying to hire techs for over a year and have zero success. Been dragging my feet on hiring and training off the street as per usual...

Sirona portal has worked fine for us. We have our front office person download and log in all out IO cases everyday

 

[RileyS]

Sirona portal has worked fine for us. We have our front office person download and log in all out IO cases everyday

Using the cerec connect case center is fine, just like all the others, i was referring to this new ds-core. I think if you and your clients join regardless of their scanner brand it keeps everything there so you just go to one portal rather than 6 individual ones....I think

DS Core: Cloud Solution for Dentists & Labs | Dentsply Sirona

Enhance dental care through seamless cooperation between dentists and labs. DS Core, our cloud solution facilitates communication, instructions data security & workflows.

www.dentsplysirona.com

 

[rkm rdt]

 

[rkm rdt]

 

[rkm rdt]

 

[CADflow.ai]

We've been using Cadflow and the error rate for their files is climbing rapidly. Easily 1/5 of all files we get back need manual repair in a mesh CAD program, it's wild. I'm very surprised we're still giving them money. We're getting back in touch with them about this today so let's see if they can fix things.

Hopefully we were able to fix things for you, we pride ourselves on service and responsiveness here (we don't often check message boards though!) and typically you'll get a response from our development team with an hour of an inquiry from our team. For those that are seeing this older thread for the first time - that error rate is unusually high and very atypical of what we see in the thousands of .stl files we process daily. AI design is very sensitive to scan quality, especially around the posteriors. Out of an abundance of caution if there is a hole in the mesh above our internal threshold, we'd rather the lab make the call on the missing material instead of AI generating a result that could lead to a chair side rejection and an appliance return. We continue to reinvest to handle more complex classes and increase our success rates and we continue to work hard to achieve our customer retention rate of 98% with almost 2 million designs delivered to hundreds of labs.