DAMAS and it's relevance to the CQC

During a recent discussion regarding all the latest requirements by the CQC for our surgery partners it became apparent that as a DAMAS laboratory we already had all the required information in place to provide our clients with complete peace of mind regarding compliance of the restorations we provide.

How so?



As a DAMAS laboratory our compliance with MDD & MDR is independently validated so our clients can rest assured that everything that needs to be done from the labs point of view is in place and being independently audited every year to ensure continued compliance.



USING A DAMAS REGISTERED LAB

What does this mean for you, the dentist?

•The laboratory undergoes a yearly site audit.

•The laboratory’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) registration is verified.

•The laboratory’s dental technicians are checked and verified as registered with the General Dental Council.

•Patient contact materials are verified as CE Marked and fit for their intended purpose.

•The laboratory’s equipment maintenance processes are validated as appropriate.

•The laboratory’s post market surveillance and vigilance procedures are inspected and verified as complying with the law.

•Purchasing and verification of purchase products to enable traceability of materials is inspected and verified to ensure recalling of devices is possible – should this be necessary.

•Contract review and final inspection of appliances is audited to ensure compliance with the dentist’s original prescription.

•Statement and labelling of appliances including issuing the patient statement is verified as complying with the Medical Devices Directive.

•Laboratory sub-contractors are verified as fit for the purpose they are intended for.

•Staff training and competences are checked as verified as undertaken by the laboratory.



DAMAS laboratories undergo yearly audits to gain certification to DAMAS to prove compliance with the Medical Devices Directive (MDD) and the Medical Devices Regulations (MDR) which is a legal requirement within Europe for manufacturers of custom made medical devices.



DAMAS Certified laboratories offer reassurance where other can’t because their compliance with the MDD & MDR is independently validated.



For more information on DAMAS visit www.damas.co.uk



A downloadable pdf of the DAMAS benefits is also available here

Invitation to an evening of Digital Dentistry!

We were proud to be one of the first Laboratories in the UK to be able to accept digital impressions through the Cerec Connect system and now we are taking our commitment to Digital Dentistry further by expanding the systems we support & offering our surgeons the opportunity to look at the next generation of digital impression systems.

The system is iTero, Brought to us in the UK by Straumann and using the latest imaging technology to produce digital impressions, even on implant restorations!

On the evening we will showcase the future of impressions and restorative design using the iTero Digital impression system and the Straumann CAD/CAM system we will use to support it in the laboratory.

Benefits to you:

• More efficient use of chair time and reduced costs
• Better impressions which result in shorter fitting appointment times
• Remakes reduced from 5% to 0.5%
• Re-impressions eliminated

iTero Advantages

• Improves the profitability of the Dental Practice
• Improves patient comfort
• Improves the quality of care provided
• Provides a full choice of restorations using Straumann CAD/CAM

Reserve your place

Along with the space reserved for some of our own surgeons we'd like to tale the opportunity to open the invitations to anyone who is interested in looking at this exciting system. We will do our best to ensure you get a place but if we do run out of places on this evening and there is strong interest I'm sure we will be able to arrange another.

This system is already getting great feedback from the current surgeons and technicians using it so why not take the opportunity to see and try this system while it's local to you?

Details:

6th April 2011

6.30 - 8.30

Ambridge Ceramics Ltd, The Coach House,

Phoenix Business Centre, Low Mill Road,

Ripon, North Yorkshire HG4 1NS

1.5 hours CPD

To reserve your place either:

email: info@ambridgeceramics.com

Phone: 01765 607347

The home of Digital Dentistry

ADI Yorkshire Study Club

We're also presenting at the ADI Yorkshire study club!

ADI Yorkshire study club

We're very proud to have been asked to present to the ADI Yorkshire study club on CAD/CAM implant restorative options.

We have been a member of the ADI for a long time and regularly attended these study clubs. The quality of the presentations is always very high and we have come away with some fantastic insights into implant dentistry. The other great thing about the ADI study clubs is that they always have a good mix of surgeons, nurses & technicians which makes it a great platform to share ideas across the whole dental team.

So naturally it's very important for us to keep these high standards and present on a topic that's worthy of attention.

We'll be covering the advances that CAD/CAM and digital dentistry, along with some of the system we use now which are delivering superior results to traditional laboratory methods. We'll cover some of the advances made by Atlantis , Biomet, Sirona & Nobel Biocare among many others.

Come along and see us under great pressure then let us know what you think of our topic and content on the night!

We look forward to seeing you all there.

Yorkshire Study Club - 11 May 2011

Digital Dentistry - What are we missing?
Presented by: Mark Ambridge RDT & Steven Campbell RDT
Date: 11 May 2011
Time: 1900 Refreshments 1930 Lecture
Location: Cedar Court Hotel Wakefield, (J39 M1), Denby Dale Road, Calder Grove, Wakefield, Yorkshire, WF4 3QZ
Please book by: 03 May 2011

Synopsis: In dental technology we now have many more restorative options than have previously been available, but many surgeons and technicians are still not aware of how readily available or accessible this technology is. We will look at all of the clinical benefits of moving over to digital workflows and CAD/CAM restorations. We will also highlight the many systems and techniques, which can be adopted immediately without incurring any financial burden or disruption to your daily practice.

Educational Aims: To understand the benefits of using digital workflows and CAD/CAM systems in your surgery/laboratory to provide superior implant restorations for your patients.

Educational Objectives: To look at the digital solutions and CAD/CAM systems available in the marketplace today, along with many of the new developments which will be widely available in the near future. To understand how we can use these systems today to improve the quality of the restorations we deliver to our patients.

For booking and more info click here

The Dentistry Show

We're presenting at The Dentistry Show!

We're delighted to announce that we have been asked to speak at The Dentistry Show on Saturday 5th March at 3pm in the Technicians programme.

There's a fantastic line up of speakers on both days and it's an honour for us to join the other well respected technicians in presenting ideas and innovations that are transforming dental technology in the UK

Come along and see why CAD/CAM restorations are making it possible to offer our patients more for less.

In the dental laboratory today, we have many more restorative options than have previously been available, but many surgeons and technicians are still not aware of how readily available or accessible this technology is. We will look at the clinical benefits of moving over to CAD/CAM produced restorations and will also highlight some of the many systems and techniques available.

We will also show how these can be adopted immediately without incurring any financial burden and minimal disruption to your daily practice.

To see some of these advances that our surgeons already benefit from jump to our services page

Dentinal Tubules

Dentinal Tubules catch up

For anyone who is not familiar with Dentinal Tubules, it is quickly becoming THE dental community site for keeping up to date with the latest news and views on the topics that really matter in dentistry today.

Membership is free, the forums are always active with very informative topics and sometimes a more casual opinion on some of the current topics that affect us every day in dentistry.

Dentinal Tubules is open to anyone who is involved the dental profession which leads to a great mix of clinical articles along with fantastic pieces on business coaching and motivation by very well respected authors such as Chris Barrow and Kevin Rose.

We were very fortunate to be approached by Dhru Shah in May 2010 with a request to supply articles which showed the latest developments and opinions from a laboratory view.

We published our first pieces in July 2010 and since then the feedback has been fantastic!

If you are involved in dentistry in any way we would encourage you to tap into the fantastic resource of information and support that is available in the active dental community within Dentinal Tubules.

We have used this opportunity to share the advances and instant benefits which can be achieved by switching to CAD/CAM dentistry by using systems such as Atlantis along with many of the other ideas and innovations which are changing dental technology and services which your laboratory can offer you.

If you missed our articles then they are available here (our articles are under the authors Mark Ambridge & Steven Campbell) along with other articles in the expert columns.

At Ambridge Ceramics we've always been passionate about learning and sharing ideas to improve the services we offer to our patients and Dentinal Tubules does a great job on both these fronts by providing fantastic articles and active forums where the latest ideas can be thrashed out by the passionate members Dhru has attracted to his site.

If you're not a member, join up now because you're missing out.

Christmas Closing

It's hard to beleive that the year has flown by so fast and we are already talking about Christmas!

To ensure that everyone gets their cases back for Christmas and to avoid disappointment we are posting up the closing dates and turnaround times below.



Laboratory Closure during Christmas period 2010



The lab will be closed from Monday 27th December 2010

and will re-opened on Tuesday 4th January 2011



Collection & delivery



The last collection will be Thursday 23rd December 2010

The first delivery after will be Tuesday 4th January 2011




Work required for fitting before Christmas

All work which need fitting before Christmas must be recieved by the laboratory on the 9th December

Any work received after the 9th December will need an additional 6 days to the usual 2 weeks required in the lab to allow for the closure period

For example a job received in the lab on the 13th December 2009 would be returned for fit on the 5th January 2011



We hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

















From all the team at Ambridge Ceramics

We're Live, Atlantis Live!

We've now got the list of confirmed dates and venues for the Astra Atlantis live CAD/CAM custom abutment roadshow.


Altantis abutments from Astra Tech are the ultimate in CAD/CAM cement restorations (and sometimes even screw retained, but more of that on the night) for the most popular implant platforms currently available.


On these evenings you will discover,


How to deliver the most biocompatible abutments for all major implant systems, in a range of options including Ziorconia, Gold coloured & Titanium for the best aesthetic results.


How to maximise your retentive surface for your cement retained restorations using Astra Atlantis.


How much your standard abutments really cost you, including stock abutments which are traditionally seen as a cheaper option but can ofetn cost you much more than a CAD Atlantis custom abutment.


How to save even more money by reducing the cost of expensive alloy used to restore cement retained restorations.


How to have abutments delivered which are easier to clear excess cement at fit by using Atlantis unique VAD (virtual abutment design) used by Astra Tech to design the abutments.


The unique benefits of Astra Atlantis Gemini abutments which save you surgery time, reduce the patients discomfort of extra impressions & help to develop the soft tissue for maximum aesthetics.

The dates are:-

30th Sept - Bristol City Centre Marriot Hotel, 2 Lower Castle Street. BS1 3AD

14th Oct - Birmingham Marriot Hotel, 12 Hagley Road. B16 8SJ

28th Oct - Glasgow The Met Hotel, 500 Argyle Street. G3 8RR

11th Nov - Leeds The Met Hotel, Principal Hayley, LS1 2HQ

17th Nov - Manchester Marriot Renaissance Hotel, Blackfriars St, M3 2EQ

18th Nov -Webinar, login online and watch from the comfort of your own home!


The link below is for the official Astra flyer which contains full details of the evening and speakers.

Astra Atlantis Live flyer.pdf

For more information please feel free to email Lydia McCalla

lydia.mccalla@astratech.com
or phone 01453793267

It's free to attend, you get 1.5 hours CPD and they'll even feed you!

Ambridge Ceramics is now the largest single provider of Atlantis abutments in the UK and we're extremely excited about the giant leap forward that Astra Atlantis offers both labs and surgeons when restoring implants. We can't wait to share this with you.

If you would like more information on Astra Atlantis abutments please feel free to visit our dedicated Astra Atlantis Specialist site

Ambridge Ceramics, the home of digital dentistry.