The Effect of Smoking on Your Teeth, Gums & Oral Health

How Does Smoking Affect Your Oral Health? People who smoke are at risk for oral health problems. Cigarettes and tobacco can cause gum disease, oral cancer, and tooth loss.1 They also have a higher risk for complications following mouth surgery and tooth removal. Smoking affects your teeth and other structures in the mouth. The most common oral…

Digital Workflows: Provide Benefits to Accuracy, Consistency, and Efficiency

Over the last decade, the implementation and optimization of digital workflows have played a vital role in our business. Although we still have several traditional, “analog” components to our workflow, digital integration has delivered a remarkable level of accuracy, consistency, and efficiency across thousands of projects. As a lab that strives for continuous innovation, we…

Celebrating Skill, Reliability, and Adaptability: Dental Technician and CDT Appreciation Month

NBC, NADL, and FDLT are extremely pleased to dedicate the month of June to the appreciation of dental technicians and Certified Dental Technicians (CDTs). Dental technicians and CDTs develop specialized skills in order to provide care to patients in need. The reliability of that care is fortified by dedication to standards of excellence and continuing…

Mapping a New Course to Shade Determination

Introduction Although many aspects of dentistry have seen massive improvements in technology, process, and efficiency, shade communication and determination have been largely unchanged. The introduction of Mobile Dental Photography has not only expedited a technical jump, but has also opened the door to stark process improvements. Accelerated by a pandemic and the near extinction of…

FDA 510(k) Clearance – An Overview

By Eric Thorn, Esq. Well to start off with, no a 510(k) is not some type of retirement plan, that’s a 401(k).  Section 510(k) is a section of the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act) that requires device manufacturers to provide the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with at least 90-day advance notice of…

Fact or Fiction: DOL Classification of Dental Laboratory Technicians

By NADL Executive Director Bennett Napier, CAE This general timeline of activities, covering key moments in the last ten years, is intended to provide clarity on the classification system of occupations used by the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), including dental laboratory technicians. For background, the O*Net system classifies occupations based on the following criteria:…

Scannability of Soft Tissue Casts

INTRODUCTION Making the emergence profile around implants cleansable is a highly desirable characteristic for a successful implant restoration. With an increased demand for esthetic implant restorations, especially in the anterior, effective management of the soft tissue and the emergence profile is critical. In addition to being esthetic, proper contouring of the peri-implant soft tissue helps…

The Wax Duplicate Denture Technique: A Guide for Replication Accuracy and Success

At some point during a patient’s denture journey, they will require treatment that involves replacement dentures. There are many reasons that a patient may request to duplicate some or all parts of their current denture. Patients, particularly geriatric ones who have worn their current prosthesis for many years, are not always able to tolerate change.…