The BellaTek® Encode® Impression System
Optimized solutions eliminate the need for implant-level impressions
Daniel J. Velinsky, DMD
For me, the main benefit of the BellaTek® Encode® Impression System is accuracy. It gives me a true representation of where the implant and the gingival line are, so I can achieve the most accurate result. The second benefit is speed. Because it is not necessary to numb the patient or take the healing abutment off, the Encode system allows me to move more efficiently through appointments. Now I can take the coded scan or impression and move on, which patients greatly appreciate.
The Encode itself is a healing abutment that is placed on top of the implant. Rather than being smooth, the Encode has unique codes on the occlusal surface that relay abutment design information to the laboratory. To arrive at the same results, I used to have to take the healing abutment off, place an impression coping, and then take an impression that needed to stay in the patient’s mouth for 7 to 8 minutes. The Encode enables a process that is very fast and accurate.
For a single tooth, it takes less than 5 minutes to do the scan, with no discomfort to the patient. After checking the scan, I write the laboratory prescription in the Encode dialogue box. It then uploads to the laboratory, and the BellaTek abutment and crown are designed and milled according to my specifications.
The advantage is that there is no loss of accuracy, as there might be with an impression or a plaster model, which can expand and contract, or with a casting in gold or wax. The process is completely CAD/CAM, and precise from start to finish.
Although many clients are going “model free,” I choose to have a model sent to me so I can hold everything in my hand in a proximal context for myself when making treatment decisions.
When the patient returns a few weeks later for the next appointment, the crown and the abutment are ready. I unscrew the Encode healing abutment, screw the abutment into place, and then cement the crown into place. All of the components fit with impressive accuracy.
The accuracy of the Encode system, along with the full CAD/CAM design and delivered milled product, results in an adjustment free process. Because of this advantage, the time that my seat appointments take has been cut in half.
I choose to use Zimmer Biomet Dental implants because of the Encode abutment and believe that this system is essential to delivering the best possible patient care. This technology makes my workflow efficient and gives me the accuracy I require, all while enhancing the patient experience. Dentists should highly consider adopting this technology.
For more information, contact:
Zimmer Biomet Dental
1-800-342-5454
www.zimmerbiometdental.com
About the Author
Daniel J. Velinsky, DMD, maintains a private practice in Stuart, Florida. With more than 30 years of experience in implant, reconstructive, and cosmetic dentistry, he continues to be an early adopter of the latest technological advances for his practice and his patients.
