Sameer Puri D.D.S. So I’ve been getting emails, phone calls, even letters via the post office from people asking - "What’s the big deal about the Omnicam?"
Let me first say that the powder-free, streaming-capture full-color Omnicam is just awesome. It’s not only the best intraoral imaging system in dentistry, it proves that the company that made it has a strong commitment to stay on top and not let the competition pass it by. When the E4D first came out, it was hailed as the next big thing. Well, since the E4D release, Sirona has released two cameras (Bluecam and Omnicam) while E4D is still struggling to get buccal bite incorporated into their system.
Let’s address the three main features of the Omnicam one by one and see how it affects the world of CAD/CAM dentistry.
POWDERFREE – Let’s face it, if you have the Bluecam you know that powder is no big deal. For years, powder has given us accurate imaging and fast imaging. A quick spray with powder that saves a ton of time imaging. Now as easy as it is, is this something we CEREC users wanted to eliminate? Absolutely. But with previous systems, if you eliminated powder, imaging became more difficult.
Before the Omnicam, the iTero was the only truly powderless system out there. With no powder, you had to take multiple images of the teeth to create a model. A large camera and lots and lots of images made the iTero frankly difficult to use. The E4D was mostly powderless – I mean most times you didn’t need it, but they sell a powder called Accent to be used on very translucent surfaces like enamel. If you have seen images with the E4D, they really aren’t very clear. Here is an image I just found searching the internet. I dont think those waves that are on the model actually belong on the teeth
The images just don’t look good in my opinion. On top of that, you have to take lots of them to have any chance to create a virtual model. So to avoid the bulkiness of the iTero and the lack of clarity with the E4D, CEREC users gladly sprayed a bit of powder to get crystal-clear images with ease.
Now with the Omnicam – there are no compromises. You have a truly powderfree system with an ease of imaging that has never existed before. No powder ever, and literally seconds to take a scan. The best of both worlds. So did I want to get rid of powder in the past? Yes. Was I willing to compromise and take inferior clarity scans like E4D to get rid of powder? No. So now we have no powder and crystal clear scans.
Here is a scan with the Omnicam:
STREAMING CAPTURE – This is something new with CEREC, as the previous generation cameras such as the Redcam only took images from above the height of contour. Below the height of contour, the virtual model was created by extrapolating data. Contact areas were extrapolated, and as long as you took an image from the path of draw of the tooth, you were able to get predictable contacts with a single image.
Bring on the Bluecam, where now you can get better data and add additional images if needed by taking images below the height of contour. Did we need this often? No. Above the height of contour was all we needed because like most laboratories, the software would simply block out the undercuts. Now with streaming capture of the Omnicam, we can capture everything, above the height of contour, below the height of contour – everywhere. Why all of a sudden is this a good thing, where with previous versions of CEREC it was not needed? Simple. It’s easy to capture the data now. Everything is about reward vs. effort. With virtually no effort, you can capture every last bit of data. And frankly, this is still optional. Areas below the height of contour that you don’t need do not need to be captured. But because it’s easy – you can do it. Compare that to the other systems where it’s mandatory to capture multiple images. Tedious, in fact. The Omnicam just makes the whole imaging process so much easier.
FULL COLOR – While others concentrate on obscure imaging technologies, Omnicam, gives us something that we will actually use. What you see in the mouth is what you get. Not only is the system great for patient treatment, it’s great for patient education. The full-color vibrant models show in vivid detail the dentin, enamel, amalgams, composites. What a great way to show the patient in 3-D what their teeth look like.
The Omnicam is a game changer. Not just for CEREC but for dentistry in general. Does this mean the Bluecam is obsolete? NO! I need to stress this. The Bluecam is still a fantastic piece of technology. It’s the bestselling CAD/CAM system to date, it’s highly accurate and it has served thousands of dentists and hundreds of thousands of patients. The Bluecam will continue to serve dentists and patients well. But the Omincam has just raised the bar for everyone.
If you haven’t seen it and are planning on coming to Scottsdale Center for a course, find me – I’d be happy to give you a demo and show you how this amazing piece of technology works.
