WOBURN, Massachusetts--SensAble Technologies, Inc., a provider of force-feedback haptic devices and touch-enabled 3D modeling solutions, has announced that its SensAble Dental Lab System is the first dental CAD/CAM system to support the design and fabrication of Valplast removable partials.
Valplast partials are a flexible nylon restoration that eliminates the need for metal clasps. Featuring technique-sensitive processes required for producing flexible partials, SensAble's system helps dental labs to deliver a better fit in less time with partials that require less chairtime for the dentist.
With more than 60 years of use, Valplast material is strong, noninvasive and almost invisible. Valplast partials use a tissue-bearing technique for retention. Much care is needed to design restorations with the precise set of undercuts needed to hold them in place.
Instead of eyeballing the design to identify undercuts visually, SensAble's digital survey feature shows the lab technician the location and depth of all undercuts at the same time. This allows technicians to quickly design the denture for optimal retention.
The SensAble Dental Lab System streamlines the steps for assuring consistent thickness in the flexible partial. Working with "digital wax," technicians can define the exact thickness required in specific areas of the design.
They can design Valplast partials with the same digital accuracy, consistency, and repeatability as with the wide range of dental restorations supported in SensAble's system. This includes metal partials and full contour crown & bridge.
The system's digital precision also greatly reduces time-consuming finishing steps, such as grinding and polishing, and allows labs to deliver restorations that require fewer adjustments and less chairtime.
"Creating Valplast partials has required the same 60-year-old process of manually modeling in wax--until now," said Bill Stroh, president of Williams Dental Lab in Erie, Pa.
Stroh, an innovator and Valplast product user, developed the design and fabrication process for using the SensAble Dental Lab System to create flexible partials.
"With SensAble's system, my technicians are creating better fitting Valplast partials, and saving 30 minutes on each case," he said. "The system's versatility is always amazing us. I've been using the SensAble system successfully for the past 18 months to make metal partial frameworks, and now I can leverage the system to make our Valplast partials as well."
"We're excited to see labs like Williams using digital design tools to accelerate the production of Valplast flexible partial dentures," said Justin Marks, business development manager, Valplast International Corp. "There has been no question that dental lab technology is moving in the direction of digital design and fabrication techniques and we are thrilled to see these technologies being applied to removable restorative dentistry. We're pleased to join SensAble in providing dental labs with next-generation materials and digital processes that deliver better dentures with less working time, and more consistent results."
Valplast will exhibit flexible partials designed and fabricated using the SensAble Dental lab System at the Chicago Dental Society's 144th Midwinter Meeting, (booth 161).
Both companies will be showcasing their products at LAB DAY Chicago, booths 907-909 (SensAble) and booth 827 (Valplast).
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