DPS Becomes First TEREC Member to Deploy the SensAble Dental Lab System

WOBURN, MA – SensAble Technologies, Inc®, the leading provider of haptic devices and touch-enabled modeling solutions, announced that Dental Prosthetic Services, Inc. of Cedar Rapids, Iowa has become the first member of the Technical Research Consortium (TEREC), a North American association of dental laboratories, to deploy the SensAble Dental Lab System (SDLS). A unique integrated CAD/CAM solution that includes a “3D Virtual Touch” stylus, the SensAble system is used to scan, design and fabricate a wide variety of dental restorations. The system increases lab productivity and consistency, while making it natural and intuitive for lab technicians to transition to digital design for the production of crowns, bridges and removable partial frameworks.

TEREC is a strategic alliance of 14 North American full service regional dental laboratories that convenes regularly to evaluate new technologies and processes that may offer a better way for them to serve dentists and their patients. As part of TEREC’s Technology group, Dental Prosthetic Services is one of a handful of digitally-savvy dental labs that actively consults with leading vendors on the latest materials, products and techniques – then shares its findings both informally and at TEREC gatherings. The group’s upcoming annual meeting takes place in St. Louis, Missouri from May 28 through May 30, 2009.

“Although we already have a number of other digital systems, we were impressed by the SensAble Dental Lab System’s versatility and ease of use,” said Kristine Van Cleve, president of Dental Prosthetic Services (DPS). A 65-person full-service lab, Dental Prosthetic Services purchased the SensAble Dental Lab System because it is the only solution on the market for digitally designing and producing partials, as well as full-contour crown & bridge restorations.

“SensAble’s system takes some of the most time consuming tasks in our lab, and makes them fast and efficient. While we’re still new in our deployment, we believe the SensAble system will improve our productivity, deliver exceptionally high-quality results – and also improve our bottom line.”

In an economy where productivity is paramount, SensAble’s digital consistency and precision is laying the groundwork for DPS to produce more restorations with the same number of technicians – and gain the flexibility to handle multiple types of restorations from one extensible digital platform. The SensAble system has also allowed DPS to redeploy three staff members from jobs where they primarily handled manual waxing, and into positions where they perform virtual design tasks.

The SensAble Dental Lab System’s key components include a 3D scanner, design system for creating partial frameworks and full contour crown and bridge, resin printer, and case management software that have been tightly integrated to produce accurate, consistent results in a streamlined workflow. The system uniquely incorporates force-feedback haptics, where technicians hold a touch-enabled stylus instead of a computer mouse – and work with virtual wax-up tools to literally "feel" the on-screen model as they apply, smooth and carve "digital wax." This approach mimics the traditional method of hand modeling dental restorations, allowing technicians to digitally design with unmatched speed and precision, while keeping the artistry and manual dexterity they've spent years perfecting.

“Our digital team embraced this new technology immediately,” Van Cleve continued. “The haptic device allowed them to actually “feel” the restoration they’re designing on screen, making it intuitive to use and easy to learn. Our technicians doing traditional wax-ups can now see a newer, exciting career path for themselves using SensAble’s system. For us, that means happier and more committed employees.”

“TEREC is an organization that is known for its forward thinking and technical savvy, so we are particularly excited to announce DPS as our first TEREC customer,” said Bob Steingart, president of SensAble Dental Products. “The SensAble Dental Lab System gives labs the design freedom they need to easily handle “real-world” cases that are challenging and time consuming for many other CAD/CAM systems – while gaining productivity as well as digital accuracy, precision, and consistency.”