Glidewell Dental Laboratories Leverages Digital Transformation to Overcome Industry Bottlenecks

Image from the official product library

Digital dentistry has become a prominent trend in recent years. With the rise and disruptive impact of 3D printing and other emerging technologies, the dental industry faces the dual challenges of overcoming technical barriers and improving efficiency.

Glidewell Dental Laboratories (hereinafter referred to as Glidewell Dental Lab), the world’s largest manufacturer of custom dental restorations, is a company with extensive expertise in dental laboratory services, restorative material development, and digital design and manufacturing, enabling it to stand out in a highly competitive market. The glidewell.io™ solution leverages this specialized knowledge to provide clinicians with streamlined digital services, allowing them to prescribe dental restorations for patients in the simplest manner possible.

Since 1970, Glidewell Dental Lab has been providing affordable, high-quality restorative services to dentists. Today, tens of thousands of clinicians across the United States partner with the company each month, as it has become a leading manufacturer of dental materials and equipment and completed its digital transformation.

Glidewell Dental Lab’s digital design experts produce over one million dental restorations annually using CAD/CAM technology. VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) will introduce the company’s profile and secrets to success in the era of digital dentistry.

As early as 1970, after founding Glidewell Dental Lab, Jim Glidewell encountered the inevitable challenge faced by all manufacturing companies: how to expand product lines while maintaining profitability.

For a company with a simple structure, this question is difficult to answer, because until the late 1970s, Jim only owned and operated a few dental laboratories in the Southern California area, and he urgently needed a far-reaching solution.

Jim realized that the key to driving growth lay in the cost and quality of suppliers’ raw materials and manufactured components. The inconsistent quality of materials supplied each time made it nearly impossible to maintain dental restorations at a consistent standard.

Jim and the company’s dental technicians were well aware that the delivered materials failed to meet standards. Consequently, they allocated staff to analyze all incoming materials—a practice that was highly unusual in the dental prosthetics fabrication industry at the time. Any product found non-compliant with the manufacturer’s stated specifications was immediately returned for replacement or refund.

By the mid-1980s, the team had thoroughly inspected all delivered materials, reducing unnecessary waste and allowing surplus funds to be allocated more effectively. Jim then turned his attention to addressing his next constraint: the cost of components required for manufacturing dental restorations. He believed that the price of tools and equipment far exceeded the actual production costs of the corresponding products.

The primary issue the company needs to address isDental Occlusal Device IssuesAt that time, articulators were multifunctional and complex. Worse still, clinicians occasionally failed to return the articulators sent from the dental laboratory.

Jim Glidewell and a team of two engineers began investigating how dental laboratory technicians use articulators: which features are essential and which are rarely used? After clarifying these issues, they set out to develop a much more affordable articulator that still maintains the precision and functionality required in dentistry.

In addition, they strive to maximize the company's potential by mass-producing finished occlusal splints within a limited scale. The newly established R&D department, throughLaunch of Dentronix Occlusal Splint to Strengthen Its Capabilities, this articulator is accurate, affordable, and amenable to mass production.

In the late 1980s, the company consolidated its in-house dental laboratories; however, 95% of its business processes were still conducted entirely via mail. Meanwhile, the R&D department had grown significantly, with the objectives of reducing the need for expensive components and addressing how materials and products could be better integrated into Glidewell’s workflows.

As the company continued to grow throughout the 1990s, it quickly overshadowed many material manufacturers. Over the course of the decade, the internal quality control team devoted most of its time to testing, becoming thoroughly familiar with all dental materials available on the market at that time and gaining expert knowledge of which materials delivered optimal outcomes.

Subsequently, the R&D team continued to advance and developed superior feldspathic porcelain. Based on these findings, the company formulated a proprietary composition and contracted with an external manufacturer to produce this new Glidewell-specific porcelain, which remains in use in dental laboratories today.

In the 1990s, the direct sales model gained popularity in the industry. Jim Glidewell predicted that the company’s future growth path lay in vertical integration: manufacturing all required components in-house to significantly shorten the supply chain, which became the company’s core strategy at the time.

Glidewell Dental Lab manufactures custom tools specifically designed for technicians and retains dedicated maintenance personnel to service all equipment used throughout the laboratory. Other laboratories did not adopt similar practices at that time.

The R&D department has also set its sights on other industries, preparing to incorporate certain suitable technologies for use in dental laboratories. Most notably,Injection Molding. The team designed a manufacturing method for plastic occlusal splints that is extremely simple, allowing them to be produced in-house for less than one dollar each.

For many years, dentists have continued to rely primarily on feldspathic porcelain, and dental laboratories still perform the majority of their work manually. At the dawn of the new millennium, a research and development team of nearly 100 members—with decades of collective experience and comprising clinicians, materials scientists, chemists, engineers, and dental technicians—was fully dedicated to reducing costs for both the company and the entire dental industry.

Meanwhile, material manufacturers have shifted their research focus toDevelopment of All-Ceramic Materials, among which the most noteworthy isIPSEmpress® and IPS e.max® released by Ivoclar Vivadent。

These companies have demonstrated that alternative solutions for dental restoration do indeed exist. As demand for these materials surged, Glidewell Dental Lab promptly incorporated them into its products.

In selecting new materials for dental crowns, Glidewell Dental Lab, together with a leading ceramic scientist from the United Kingdom, has been scouting for innovative technologies worldwide and has begun testing materials procured from suppliers.Zirconia Powder。

The processed powder can be isostatically pressed into milling blanks, which are then fabricated using CAD/CAM technology to produce extremely durable zirconia abutments.。Prismatik Clinical Zirconia™ is a bilayered ceramic crown, achieved significant accomplishments and provided acceptable aesthetic properties.

In 2009, the entire industry began to undergo changes. Glidewell Dental Lab, through itsBruxZir® Solid Zirconia(A fully zirconia crown as durable as cast gold) expands on the concept of using a zirconia substructure, achieving aesthetically pleasing results that satisfy patients.

In the following years, the R&D team further advanced the BruxZir concept, launching pre-shaded and chairside-milled versions of the product. Leveraging the exceptional fracture toughness of BruxZir® solid zirconia, Glidewell Laboratories has developed multiple series to meet diverse patient needs. Among these, BruxZir® Full-Strength Solid Zirconia is a monolithic zirconia implant crown without porcelain veneering.

BruxZir® Family Star Product, Image from Official Product Library

This material was originally designed to provide a durable, more aesthetic alternative for demanding cases, such as implant restorations and areas with limited occlusal space. Now, thanks to the new BruxZir Shaded formula, BruxZir restorations feature improved translucency and color, closely mimicking natural dentition, making them a viable restorative option for anterior teeth.

BruxZir® NOW is a pre-shaded, fully sintered zirconia milling system designed for the fabrication of single-unit chairside restorations. For the first time, BruxZir NOW consolidates all the advantages of the leading monolithic zirconia brand into a convenient in-office milling system, enabling clinicians to deliver high-strength BruxZir Solid Zirconia restorations without leaving their practice.

BruxZir® Anterior Solid Zirconia is the newest addition to the BruxZir solid zirconia product line. This highly aesthetic restorative material is specifically designed to meet the esthetic and functional demands of the anterior region of the oral cavity. BruxZir Anterior Solid Zirconia features translucency and color similar to natural dentition, with an average flexural strength of 650 MPa. Moreover, BruxZir anterior restorations are designed and milled using CAD/CAM technology, ensuring a precise fit for patients.

BruxZir® Solid Zirconia Full-Arch Implant Prosthesis provides edentulous patients with a fixed, full-zirconia implant solution for those requiring more durable and aesthetic denture alternatives. This full-arch restoration is made entirely of BruxZir Solid Zirconia, significantly improving patients' speech and masticatory function.

Currently, more than 150 independent R&D teams are driving scientific research in areas such as monolithic and layered ceramics, composite materials, and dental design software.

A significant milestone for Glidewell Dental Lab was the expansion of its partnership with Structo, a provider of dental 3D printing solutions, in late February this year, integrating the Structo Velox desktop 3D printer into the glidewell.io™ In-Office solution.

Since the advent of 3D printing technology in the dental industry, the concept of chairside 3D printing has remained stagnant due to its excessive time consumption.

Huub van Esbroeck, founder of the Canadian dental technology company Structo, stated, “To elevate dental 3D printing technology to a higher level, we must address its complexity, enabling clinicians to focus on delivering better treatment outcomes for patients.”

The Structo Velox desktop 3D printer adopts exclusive patentedFully Automated Post-Processing System to Simplify Dental Appliance Manufacturing Processes. It comprises three stages: printing, washing, and curing. All these steps are centralized on a rotary turntable and ultimately integrated into a single compact automated system.

Velox also features Structo’s new AutoPrint preprocessing service, where users simply upload an STL file and the processor handles nesting, support generation, and slicing, allowing the printer to start automatically without any further intervention.

Glidewell.io™ Digital Solutions, released by Glidewell Dental Lab in November 2017, are designed to reduce the prescription and delivery time for restorations, and include the iTero Element® intraoral scanner, fastdesign.io™ software, and the finalstage.io™ dental ceramic furnace.

Glidewell.io™ Digital Solutions, image from the official product library

This system combines artificial intelligence with Glidewell Dental Lab’s proprietary digital library of restorative data, allowing dentists to choose between in-office design and manufacturing or digitally sending patient cases to the Glidewell laboratory. If a patient’s condition changes during treatment, the flexibility of the glidewell.io solution accommodates shifts in the treatment plan without requiring the dentist to start over.

Mike Selberis, Chief Technology Officer at Glidewell Dental Lab, stated, “With the addition of Structo Velox and glidewell.io™ solutions, the company can now offer a comprehensive suite of in-office applications, including intraoral scanning, chairside milling, and chairside 3D printing, providing clinicians with an integrated solution for laboratory-quality appliance fabrication within their practices.”

After joining Structo Velox, it facilitates chairside operations for dentists. Image source: official laboratory photo

Structo Velox will become an integral part of the Glidewell.io™ ecosystem, adding seamless direct printing capabilities for single and multi-unit restorations, drill guides, scan bodies, models, and orthodontic appliances.

“Our partnership with Glidewell Dental Lab, along with the deep integration and development with its system, fully embodies our vision for Velox: to liberate work from workflows, forge a perfect collaborative relationship, and ultimately bring our dental solutions to market,” Huub added.

Both Structo and Glidewell aim to transform clinicians’ workflows through this collaboration and accelerate the adoption of digital dentistry across the industry. The Structo Velox 3D printer is expected to launch later in 2018 as part of the Glidewell.io™ solution.

Glidewell Dental Lab is not only a company dedicated to rigorous product research and development, but also one that excels at surviving in a highly competitive market and implementing effective marketing strategies and brand building in the digital age.

Due to intense market competition, many marketers focus too much on finding potential customers, rather thanEstablish Strong and Trustworthy Relationships with Existing Customers. It seems that enterprises are merely seeking one-time customers rather than pursuing mutual benefits through long-term cooperative relationships.

Consumers are plagued by a barrage of spam emails, pop-ups, and paid advertisements. In reality, these marketing efforts are futile. Jim Glidewell, President and CEO of Glidewell Dental Lab, offers pertinent marketing advice for businesses in the dental industry:

1. Prioritize customer needs

Consumers, weary of false promises and hyperbolic advertising that bear little resemblance to the actual products purchased, are no longer quick to place their trust. Companies must focus on meeting customer needs, abandoning flashy marketing rhetoric in favor of letting the product itself attract clients.

Enterprises must demonstrate to consumers how their products can improve their lives, using data-driven, diverse, and fact-based approaches. By leveraging storytelling and emotional appeals, they should think outside the box and discard meaningless rhetoric.

2. With data andProductQuality Speaks

Advertising claims must be supported by evidence. All products sold by Glidewell Dental Lab have been validated through testing. Furthermore, the company conducts independent research and monitoring on many materials, carefully analyzing their performance in relation to its products.

3. Listen to Feedback and Improve

Unrelenting self-improvement allows consumers to see that, by collecting their feedback, ideas, and even complaints, Glidewell Dental Lab consistently demonstrates its commitment to delivering faster service, enhanced functionality, more convenient operations, and a more enjoyable experience. The management team at Glidewell Dental Lab meets weekly to discuss ways to improve the company’s services and product quality.

References:

http://glidewelldental.com/about-us/

http://www.sleepreviewmag.com/2018/03/glidewell-dental-structo-integrate-velox-desktop-3d-printer-glidewell-io-office-solution/

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/glidewell-dental--structo-announce-integration-of-the-velox-desktop-3d-printer-into-the-glidewellio-in-office-solution-300602222.html

https://www.weibo.com/ttarticle/p/show?id=2309404214845854621765