If It’s Good for the Patient, It’s Good for the Practice

The cara Print 4.0 allows Kaye to immediately fabricate models, guides, and more

While working in medical technology in South Africa several decades ago, Gary Kaye, DDS, knew that he wanted to become a dentist in the United States. After attending the Columbia School of Dental Medicine, he worked at a group practice in New Jersey, but he wanted to have his own practice in New York City. Kaye has realized those goals and more. Since 1995, he has expanded his solo practice into a successful multispecialty, multilocation practice with its headquarters in Midtown Manhattan.

"If you follow your passion, everything usually works out," Kaye says. "It really has for me."

Now, having realized those grander visions, Kaye focuses on a more modest but just as important one: taking care of patients to the best of his abilities.

"I have always felt that the most important part of the practice is the patient," Kaye says. "If you take care of the patient, success follows."

CAD/CAM technology has played an increasingly significant role in helping dentists provide patients with the best treatment possible, and Kaye's background in medical manufacturing has proven to be an asset in that regard.

"With the way that technology has evolved during the time I have been practicing, I have been able to embrace these developments and make them a mainstay of my practice," he says.

Kaye says that in the past 4 to 5 years, the only analog impressions he has taken have been for "the occasional denture." He has been milling chairside restorations for approximately 18 years.

"Our philosophy about technology is that if it is good for the patient, it is good for the practice," he says.

Although the technology makes model-less dentistry possible, Kaye realized early on that models were still necessary in many cases. For some time, he was outsourcing model production to laboratories or printing centers, but even the fastest turnaround times were not ideal.

"We had this great opportunity to scan in the mouth and show that scan on the screen immediately," Kaye says, "but then we had to wait a few days for the model."

Kaye began researching options for purchasing his own 3D printer. To maintain his quality standards, he needed a more robust machine than some of the cheaper options on the market. He finally found one that fit both his needs and his budget in the cara Print 4.0 from Kulzer.

Digital light projection (DLP) technology makes the cara Print 4.0 quicker, more economical, and more accurate than laser printers, and the cara Print 4.0 is even faster than most other DLP systems. The intelligent calculation of the illumination sequence and the mechanical movement of the z-axis-combined with the unique properties of the tray window-speed up the manufacturing process significantly.

"The most important benefit is its speed and how little time is required to print a model," Kaye says. "We could not find any other printer that could print a model as fast as the cara Print 4.0. This is important because we prefer to print the model while the patient is still in the office so we can verify it."

After speed, the next most important consideration for Kaye was technical support, an area in which Kulzer is known to excel.

"Support from the manufacturer is as important as the product," Kaye says. "This printer is backed by incredible service, which is crucial for any digital technology."

Kaye has had the cara Print 4.0 for approximately 7 months, and now he uses it for surgical guides in addition to models. Eventually, he expects to print night guards, temporaries, and possibly restorations  as the materials evolve.

"We see this as an evolution, and we expect the materials to change, so we need a manufacturer that can support and update the product as needed," Kaye says. "I am very comfortable with a company like Kulzer that has deep roots in dentistry, materials, equipment, and now, technology."

As that evolution continues, Kaye is embracing the opportunities that 3D printing technology provides in regard to offering better patient treatment.

"It is a very robust machine, and it fits within our philosophy of how we practice and how all dentists will be practicing in the future," Kaye says. "Digital restorative dentistry has changed the way that we practice. It is changing how our patients are receiving restorations and how they will receive them in the future."