Sourcing Top Quality Dental Supplies and Equipment in The UK
The modern dental practice is a far cry from the meagre facilities available to the toothpullers of the Middle Ages or even a few decades ago. Although progress in dental equipment design has been steady, if somewhat limited and slow, the widespread application of digital electronics led to a revolution in the design of dentist equipment during the 70s and early 80s. This and other technological advances have, in turn, created a growing need for companies to manufacture and distribute these new specialised dental supplies.
The turning point came in 1971 with the adaptation of CAD/CAM technology to create digital impressions by a French Professor named Franҫois Duret. While alginate moulds are still the default option for most dentists, there is a growing acceptance of this more manageable and more precise digital alternative.
Other Additions to The Digital Dental Supplies Market
The applications of CAD/CAM in dentistry have grown, and most of these rely on parallel advances in imaging technology. For example, compact intraoral cameras allow the dentist to generate high-definition, full-colour images or videos of the teeth and soft tissues. For example, these may later be used to help the dentist illustrate a proposed treatment plan when discussing it with the patient.
However, several more impressive applications become possible when these 2-dimensional images are rendered as 3-dimensional models by CAD/CAM software. Cutting-edge companies like Hague Dental Supplies can offer dentists a range of 3D printers and automated milling machines. These devices can accept data from 3D models, which can then be used to fashion restorations, such as crowns, inlays, onlays, veneers, and implants, with exceptional precision.
When the data is transmitted to a 3D printer, the restorations are created additively from layers of materials like Bridge nylon or acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) filament. By contrast, milling is a subtractive process in which a block of ceramic or porcelain is gradually reduced to the required shape. The latter process is called CEREC (Chairside Economical Restoration of Esthetic Ceramic) dentistry. This innovative application of digital dentistry enables the impression-taking and manufacture of a crown, for example, to be completed and fitted on the same day. Other examples of digital electronics in dentistry include:
- Intraoral scanners
- Intraoral X-ray equipment
- X-ray imaging scanners
- Orthopantomograms
- Cone Beam Computed Tomography units
Shopping for Digital Dental Supplies in the UK
The demand for dental services in the UK is consistently high and growing. Hence, most of Britain’s dentists want to be assured that their dental equipment is of the highest quality. Consequently, many local distributors choose to source their digital equipment from leading digital dental manufacturers such as Acteon, Planmeca, and Vatech. It is, therefore, worth noting that Hague Dental Supplies is one of the few UK companies where one can find state-of-the-art conventional and digital dental equipment from these world-renowned manufacturers under one roof.
While intraoral cameras and scanners, autoclaves, washer disinfectors and dental chairs may be of exceptional quality, time and wear and tear can take their toll. When deciding on the best company to supply your dentist equipment, be sure to choose one with a team of dental engineers with the skills, experience and resources to undertake your conventional and digital dental equipment maintenance.
