Digital Dentistry at Orono Dental Care

How you can increase productivity with CAD/CAM

An expert and early adopter offers examples from the field

As a certified advanced CEREC trainer who lectures internationally on technology, Dr. Michael Skramstad is an expert on CAD/CAM solutions. As a dentist practicing at Minnesota-based Orono Dental Care, he’s seen firsthand how the technology increases efficiencies and enhances enjoyment.

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Dr. Michael Skramstad, Orono Dental Care

When he and his partners opened Orono Dental Care in 2003, they quickly embraced digital dentistry as a differentiator. “It allowed us to do a crown in one day, which was not very common then. … It allowed us to build our office just through word-of-mouth advertising,” says Skramstad, whose 27-employee practice expanded from eight operatories to 14 in 2020.

Over the years, Orono Dental Care has upgraded to the latest digital scanners, milling machines and 3D printers. Today, the practice is nearly 100 percent digital, offering everything from orthodontics to implants to family dentistry and doing nearly any restorative treatment in a day.

How the time and cost savings add up with CAD/CAM

Whether through scanning, milling or printing, the efficiencies gained by bringing design and production in-house to offer single-visit dentistry add up. “You know it’s going to make you more efficient, whatever solution you go with. At the end of the day, that’s what technology is all about, creating more efficiencies. And by doing that, the profitability and the financials will follow closely.”

Skramstad shared examples from his own practice:

Dr. Michael Skramstad viewing an image from the Primescan digital scanner

Digital scanning

One way that CAD/CAM boosts efficiencies is by allowing dentists to hand over more responsibilities to dental assistants. While they gain more opportunities for growth, fulfillment and more involvement in dental procedures, dentists get back time and energy to focus on other things and see more patients.
 
This is the case at Skramstad’s practice when it comes to digital impressions, but it doesn’t stop there. “We’ve given them the responsibility of scanning. Some of them do design work. All of them do milling and finishing, staining, glazing and the rest of the restoration,” he says.

Dental practitioner milling a crown

Milling

Orono Dental Care has milled from day one and now has four milling units. “The milling is still the foundation of what we do at the office and the major procedure that we do digitally is crowns,” he says.
 
Milling increases productivity because of the speed of production, especially when it comes to dry milling crowns with zirconia, he says. “The zirconia’s been a huge benefit because the fit of it’s amazing, you can do it super, super fast, and you can turn these appointments around in an hour,” he says. “It’s much better than waiting two weeks from the laboratory.” 
 
Keeping milling in-house also allows for same-visit dentistry. “One patient visit is always going to be more productive than two from both a time and financial perspective.” And patients appreciate it, he says. “I think that they’re mostly just happy to be done in a single visit.”

Primeprint 3D printer

3D printing

As the original Primeprint tester in the U.S., Skramstad acquired the new technology in 2021 and sees the difference it makes. Because the new printer is more precise, safer and easier to use, he for the first time feels comfortable handing over 3D printing to his dental assistants, which frees up more of his time.
 
Another first with Primemill is that his practice is milling bleach trays, splints and models. This means they can be produced the same day that a scan is taken, rather than waiting for a lab to turn it around.
 
The cost savings also add up. While it varies, Skramstad estimates that he saves more than $100 per surgical guide and about $80 per splint by producing them in-house. Those savings are significant for a practice that does about eight guides and 10 splints a week.

“At the end of the day, that’s what technology is all about, creating more efficiencies and by doing that, the profitability and the financials will follow closely.”

Dr. Michael Skramstad, Orono Dental Care

dental practitioner using a digital scanner

The enjoyment adds up too

In his work as a trainer with numerous dentists, Skramstad says that while many of them seek out CAD/CAM technology for the financial benefits, they end up experiencing another important perk – greater enjoyment of their work.
 
“I don’t really care if you’re 29 years old or you’re 60 years old, we see the same kind of emotional effect of introducing this type of technology into their offices. They just kind of get a new love for dentistry and everybody just enjoys their job a little more, which is kind of the point. And the financial benefits follow that.”
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The benefit of Patterson’s support and service

Dr. Michael Skramstad says that the biggest benefit of being a CAD/CAM customer of Patterson is the support and service the Patterson Technology Center and service technicians offer. “They just are really, really good at what they do,” he says.
 
His staff has gotten to know Patterson team members personally over the years, and his assistant always has someone to call, he says. “Patterson understands that our office revolves around this technology. We don’t want to be down, so they’ve been very good at getting people out here very quickly. And in general, they can troubleshoot and solve the problem right away.”

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