THE CHALLENGE: GETTING CROWNS TO BE PREDICTABLE AND EFFICIENT
Dr. Eric Block is a leading voice in dentistry, known for helping his peers become “Next-Level Dentists” through innovative technology and techniques. But for years, he encountered similar challenges that many dentists face regarding crowns. These procedures were taking too long and case acceptance was low.
Time Investment
Early in his career, he found his crown procedures overly long and drawn out. The process of anesthetizing, preliminary impression, crown preparation, margin creation, axial and occlusal reduction, final impressions, temporization, packaging, mailing, and tracking of the case would be a foot-dragging sequence of tasks for him and his staff.
Case Acceptance
Dr. Block also wanted his patients to move forward with crown procedures more predictably. He found it challenging, particularly when the patient wasn't in pain. Even with great education on the benefits of treatment, patients would often delay or not schedule their appointments.
Crown Fit
However, often when patients did move forward, he lacked confidence in the fit of the restorations once they were ready for delivery. He was concerned of poor marginal seals, bite misalignment, or issues with temporary crowns.
To sum all of this up: Crown procedures were stressful for Dr. Block.
THE SOLUTION: A NEW FORMULA FOR STRESS-LESS CROWNS
For all these reasons, Dr. Block decided to develop a new approach to crown restorations. He now uses a combination of cutting-edge dental technologies. This approach makes crowns easier to explain to patients, faster for dentists to perform the procedures, and with more confidence in the fit of the restoration.
Here is Dr. Block’s formula for “stress-less” crowns:
Easily identify patients who need a crown with Overjet’s AI powered radiograph analysis. Dr. Block uses Overjet to help identify patients with a DMF (decayed, missing, or filled) value of 50% or higher who could benefit from restorative treatment, like crowns. These patients can be discussed at the morning huddle or during recall exams.
Significantly improve case acceptance by using Overjet to better show the patient what is happening in their mouth so they can see why Dr. Block recommended treatment and understand the importance of their restoration.
Dramatically reduce procedural time by using the glidewell.io™ In-Office Solution’s fastmill.io™ and fastscan.io™ — featuring Medit® i700® — to scan the prepped tooth and mill the crown right in the office,. This reduces production delays and improves same-day treatment opportunities.
Consistently ensure a precise fit by using Overjet to dry fit the crown and analyze margins for a satisfactory fit prior to cementing.
THE RESULT: TWICE AS MANY SAME-DAY TREATMENTS
Since implementing this approach, Dr. Block has more than doubled the number of same-day treatments he performs — a game-changer for both his patients and his practice. Now, typically, the entire restoration process happens without needing a separate appointment — from crown prep to cementation.
Ultimately, the powerful combination of Overjet and Glidewell’s fastscan.io has allowed Dr. Block to increase his same-day crown production by 31%. It’s the product of improving patient education, providing fast and precise in-house crowns, and providing patients with confidence that they are in the best hands to perform their dentistry.
