,The VeriONE digital workflow is an affordable, all-in-one platform that satisfies all 3D printing needs, ,Asingle Blockbuster Video sits nestled in the hills of rural Bend, OR, a lonely holdout from the oncebooming VHS era that ended nearly two decades ago. Just like Blockbuster, dentistry is home to several holdouts of its own, as decades-old technologies like film x-rays, polysulfide impression materials, and amalgam fillings are still produced today by manufacturers that have held tightly to their roots., ,But that hasn’t been the case for Whip Mix. With humble beginnings that date back to 1919, the company first found success with its widely popular “Whip Mixer,” a glorified eggbeater that whipped and mixed gypsum and water together until it reached the perfect consistency to be poured around a wax pattern. This process, called lost-wax casting, was frequently used to fabricate metal prosthetics like gold crowns., ,Today, Whip Mix is known for an entirely different product—3D printers. “Whip Mix has been around for a long time, and it’s a company that sees the writing on the wall,” said Jeffrey Lineberry, DDS, a general dentist in Mooresville, NC, whose practice focuses on complex cosmetic and restorative dentistry. “After being in the stone and gypsum business for many years, they realized there would be a decreasing demand for those types of products in the market, and a growing demand for dental technology like 3D printing.”, , ,
, ,“I think we’re at a place now where digital dentistry is very applicable to what we do every day.”
—Jeffrey Lineberry, DDS, , ,Home to state-of-the-art dental 3D printers like the Asiga Pro 4K, Asiga Max, and recently launched VeriEKO 3D, Whip Mix offers dental clinicians the freedom to fabricate models, splints, surgical guides, custom trays, dentures, crowns, and models in the comfort of their own practices. One of those clinicians is Dr. Lineberry, who a year and a half ago decided to invest in a dental 3D printer., ,“I was one of those guys hanging on the fence of the digital world,” admitted Dr. Lineberry. “It wasn’t that I didn’t believe in it, it was a matter of finding the right time and place to get involved with it. And I felt like Whip Mix and its VeriONE digital platform offered a good opportunity to jump in.”, ,The VeriONE digital workflow from Whip Mix is an affordable platform that satisfies all digital printing needs at a price point that’s less than the cost of some intraoral scanners. It offers dentists an easy entry point into digital dentistry that includes a scanner, 3D printer, print resins, washing unit, and light-curing unit. As an authorized dealer for 3Shape, Whip Mix gives doctors access to the full product line of TRIOS scanners and digital design software., ,For offices that want to start 3D printing but are hesitant to do their own design work, off-site design services are available. “Whether you need a design or a digital wax-up, you can upload your scans and the lab prescription and receive a file for printing in about 24 hours,” said Dr. Lineberry., ,With VeriONE, a single phone number connects doctors to a sales rep, product training, billing assistance, and technical support. A dedicated VeriONE team helps ensure practices are set up for success with reliable installation services and ongoing support. Plus, every component of the VeriONE digital workflow is engineered to work together seamlessly, and Whip Mix helps integrate all the technology to ensure predictable results., ,Since starting his digital journey with Whip Mix, Dr. Lineberry has begun to take a deeper look at his existing workflows, pausing to ask himself an important question: Can I do this digitally? “I think we’re at a place now where digital dentistry is very applicable to what we do every day, and the new printable materials on the horizon are really going to change how we do dentistry,” he noted., ,One treatment area that seems to be gaining popularity in the 3D printing space is digital dentures. “Back in the analog days, we would typically take a preliminary impression, get a custom tray and wax rims created, and then develop an MMR records appointment,” said Dr. Lineberry. “Rather than going through all those different steps, I can scan the existing denture that was fabricated prior to surgery and use it to print up a full provisional denture. Then, I can use that as the custom tray to get the bite registration and other records that previously took multiple appointments.”, ,Fewer appointments equal more time back in Dr. Lineberry’s day, and in dentistry, time is money. “When you start doing things digitally, you can send files instantaneously and there’s no downtime. You also avoid shipping, which can be costly and unpredictable.”, ,There’s no hiding the fact that the future of dentistry is digital, but as in-office 3D printing becomes a reality for more and more practices, there is now more than one way to go digital., ,“In the past, buying a digital scanner and milling machine was a significant investment that would run a practice well over $100,000,” said Dr. Lineberry. “Now, you can get a great-quality 3D printer and scanner for less than half that amount.”, ,“Imagine if, instead of sitting chairside all day and doing a bunch of direct composites, you could scan the patient and then 3D-print the composite,” he noted, adding that while you’re waiting for the printer, you could go see another patient, do some follow-up calls, or get a cup of coffee. “And if you could do all of that in a similar time frame and achieve an outcome that’s as good as or better than what you could do clinically, why wouldn’t you?”
