Our goal with this technology center is to emulate the efforts of world-class dental education facilities like the Pankey Institute and the Scottsdale Center, while focusing our offerings on practical, innovative solutions to everyday challenges," said Jim Glidewell, CDT, President and CEO of Glidewell Laboratories during the grand opening of the Glidewell International Technology Center in July. "It is our intent to share and advance the widespread knowledge of...advanced technologies and techniques for the fundamental purpose of making a positive difference in the lives of our patients and those of us who serve them."
The Center is a 2,800-sq-ft, state-of-the-art training, education and technology demonstration facility adjacent to Glidewell's implant laboratory in Irvine, CA. It houses a fully functional operatory and surgical suite equipped with a PreXion 3D Cone Beam CT scanner and offers live clinical video demonstrations to a 40-seat classroom auditorium. Using the latest in dental technology, experienced clinicians will provide an array of technology-focused continuing dental education.
Also on display at the event was Glidewell's new IOS FastScan® digital impression system. It features ego-motion technology, meaning the intraoral camera moves automatically while the user remains stationary. The built-in motion detection software virtually eliminates hand-movement distortion, capturing accurate surface topography throughout a depth of field that is greater than 15mm. The unit features touch screen display technology, eliminating the need for a keyboard and mouse.
The Center and IOS FastScan are just two of the 40-year-old laboratory's latest innovations. With a 75-person R&D department, Glidewell has become more than just a dental laboratory. It also manufactures raw materials such as BruxZir® Solid Zirconia, and another monolithic ceramic soon to be introduced: Obsidian™. Implant components, the Inclusive® Mini Implant System, and the forthcoming Inclusive® Tapered Implant System are all manufactured on site. "We have become a hybrid organization, crossing the traditional boundaries of dental technology with the digital manufacture of our restorations, while also fabricating the raw materials, components and systems that comprise those restorations," explained Glidewell.
