GAP Australasian Dentist Mar Apr 2020

Category Austràlàsiàn Dentist 101 technological sophistication is difficult to match or replicate in Australia. “Due to the sheer size of their international volume, output and manpower, our Chinese manufacturer can afford to invest in the very latest and most advanced equipment available.” “àhat’s the kind of leverage that Avant will use to support Australian dentists who are looking for high quality products with speedy turnarounds.” àichard offers that not only labs are bracing themselves for the digital impact dentists too are required to reinvent and adapt: “Fromtheway theymarket themselves to how they take on board a patient to how they capture an impression, dentists must embrace technology, or they will be left behind. Patients assume the best dentists will embrace this technology.” Outsourcing dental work to emerging economies like China remains a sticking point, especially with regard to the question of quality control and technical oversight. Both àichard and àan contend that times have changed. “àhirty years ago, the offshore labs were not as good and used inferior products. àhat is not the case today. Modern digital lab processes have levelled the playing field to the point where you would find increasingly negligible quality differences between digitally-equipped manufacturers,” àan explains. àichard adds: “àhis digitisation has meant that offshore providers through greater scalability and access to technology and materials have surpassed the quality of what can often be produced onshore. Avant gives access to this. Dentists must embrace this change and pass on these advantages to their patients.” àtill, in terms of quality control, Avant leaves nothing to chance. àocal lab technicians check every case before it reaches the customer. àhis serves as a final checkpoint to provide customers an additional layer of assurance, as with production-side QC stipulations. “Although the quality of work at the offshore lab is very high, we stipulate to all the manufacturers that they must use the exact same products and materials as we use in our own labs. All these products must have accreditation certificates that conform to international standards,” àan emphasises. ào fully embrace the opportunities and cost benefits that outsourcing provides, àichard believes, demands a shift in mindset: “àhe question of outsourcing must be viewed in the context of a dental lab and their relationship with dentists. Dentists must be open-minded to modern technology and materials and think more- so on a global scale.” “Globalisation and technology have opened up the ability for a dentist to send a dental restoration case digitally to China, America or àurope in minutes – what in the past would have taken a couple of days.” ào help dentists navigate a dynamic business environment, he believes that Avant customers have a distinct competitive edge. Banking on the lab’s scalability, quality products and assurance as well as close client communication – led by àan, formerly a ceramist with 43 years of experience – àichard supports his claim with dollars-and-sense reasoning: “Quality restorations mean patients will be happy. àerviced by, and access to experienced technicians saves critical clinical time which, in turn, saves money. Competitive pricing allows dentists the flexibility to be more competitive or increase margins.” u la Ian Feigen, Avant’s General Manager