At the Digital Dental Academy in Berlin, Dentsply Sirona welcomed 37 CEREC mentors from 12 Latin American countries for an update on topics related to CAD/CAM in the dental practice. The experienced users from the mentor network tackled various topics linked to restorations and dental implants, accompanied by an in-depth introduction to the new CEREC Software 4.5..

Berlin/Salzburg. CAD/CAM technology that is simpler than ever to use, with a wide range of materials and various possible applications aimed at faster, better dentistry – all this is available from CEREC today. From May 29 to June 2, 37 CEREC mentors from Latin America came to Berlin to learn more about the latest innovations in the field and experience them for themselves. At the new Digital Dental Academy (DDA), they met with renowned CEREC experts from their native countries.

The program featured extensive training courses on the new CEREC Software 4.5, on Celtra Duo, the zirconia-reinforced lithium silicate from Dentsply Sirona Prosthetics, in combination with the CEREC SpeedFire sintering furnace, on using SiroLaser Blue with CEREC, and on CAD/CAM-assisted implant placing. The DDA provided the ideal atmosphere for the event. The spacious rooms allowed the attendees to utilize 20 CEREC units, and the hardware and software. Above all, the equipment offered them hands-on experience with the new CEREC Zirconia workflow, with which all-zirconium restorations can be produced in just a single session. All areas of the facility are digitally networked, from the X-ray system to the treatment center. The Digital Dental Academy is the third institution in the world alongside Scottsdale (USA) and Taipeh (Taiwan) to specialize in CEREC training.

Mentoring: qualification and continuing education

The mentor program developed out of the "train the trainer" concept: the mentors are dentists who offer their support to interested fellow practitioners and first-time users in their home regions. After the five-day program, they receive a certificate qualifying them to work as official, certified CEREC mentors in their native country. Recertification is required on a regular basis in order to stay in the program; the only way to guarantee that the quality of training remains excellent. The Berlin event brought together trainers, offering practical exercises on the device, and experts carrying out lectures and presentations. This was the first time that first and second-generation mentors had come together at an event: the first attendees of the "train the trainer" program from 2013–2015 and the mentors who only joined the program in 2016 and 2017.

As well as describing product features, the course instructors reported on their own experiences with the innovations and offered tips on how to integrate the features into everyday practice simply and quickly. This format was received extremely well by the attendees. Dr. José Leonardo Pérez from Colombia was delighted by the organization and atmosphere. “I really enjoyed coming here as a community; sharing ideas with our peers helps us all progress,” he said. When the five-day course was over, the mentors felt well prepared to pass on new tips and ideas to CEREC users in their home countries. They carry out important work in a region where CAD/CAM technology is only just starting to spread.

From one user to another: the best way to learn

Experiences from all over the world have shown that first-time users learn how to use digital technologies best if they have experienced colleagues at their side to answer their questions. “Specially trained CEREC mentors are a simple way to provide help with this,” says Daniela Bischler, Senior Sales Manager for CAD/CAM in Latin America at Dentsply Sirona. “One thing I am especially pleased about is that we have been able to use our own instructors to cover most of the material presented. That is a clear sign that our work over the past few years has borne fruit, and that we have succeeded in training recognized experts in Latin America. CEREC can do a lot these days – and, thanks to the mentoring, users in the region will be able to tap into those opportunities faster.”