DB Lab Digest

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Not Your Run of The Mill: Q&A with Toothworx Lab Founder and Whitepeaks Hyperion User Keith Morgan.

Keith Morgan is Founder and Director of Cardiff Digital Dental Laboratory Toothworx. Here, he talks CAD/CAM, doing his bit for the NHS, buying from British labs, and why he loves Whitepeaks Hyperion zirconia..

Keith Morgan’s extensive CAD/CAM experience, and passion for aesthetics and customer service has forged his digital dental lab Toothworx, into becoming an innovative, forward thinking company with a host of glowing testimonials. Based in Cardiff, Toothworx is a crown and bridge lab that offers the full-spectrum of
services; from bespoke single unit restorations to more specialist full contour implant retained work. It also offers an in-lab bespoke shade taking service.

Keith Morgan in his Cardiff Laboratory Toothworx.

What projects have you been involved in during lockdown?

I got involved in the "Buy British" Campaign. The pressures COVID-19 placed on the UK Dental Technology Industry sparked the DLA to launch a campaign that highlights the amazing talent and high standard of skill present in the UK Dental Technology Industry. Clinicians may be tempted to source restorations from labs overseas, yet this can be a false economy as quality can be compromised. I’ve also 3D printed batches of visor frames for the local hospitals and healthcare providers, in addition to offering a free denture repair service to the elderly during the crises.

Image used courtesy of Keith Morgan.

Why did you set up Toothworx?

I set up my lab 7 years ago because I really wanted to evolve with my passion for dentistry in the industry. Being my own boss gave me that opportunity to do this. I wanted to move with the times and be a pioneer in digital dentistry.

I believe I was one of the first to start milling with 5 axis milling units in lab in the UK. I started with one milling unit from a German manufacturer, and a 3shape scanner/software. This was a whole new challenge as at the time very little was known and I had to quickly evolve to understand milling strategies and how to mill these materials from designs on-screen. It involved lots of trial and error and late nights! I also then had to learn how to either layer with porcelain or make monolithic crowns actually look like a tooth.

Keith Morgan uses Whitepeaks Hyperion and Jensen Miyo for realistic effects.

I was passionate about pioneering the advent of dentists buying into systems such as CEREC, and how we could successfully work with these scans at the lab; which more recently has become the norm. Today we have 3 milling machines, 6 3D Printers onsite, 7 staff members and are working with Exocad 3Shape and Sirona in-lab software.

I am always pushing to produce the best quality zirconia restoration

I am determined to use the best material and I want to make it as aesthetic as possible. I have learned all the best ways to maximise results from each zirconia material and can confidently say that I have tried every single
zirconia brand on the market. Being one of the first labs to be using the materials, I have had numerous brand companies send me samples to try. I have learned how colouring the zirconia pre-sintering or post-sintering
can make a difference depending on the brand, I’ve also learned how heat sintering and processing the material correctly through all the various greenstate stages effects the final outcomes. I have tested many samples and worked with each material to its best capacity, yet until I discovered Whitepeaks Hyperion, I still had not found what I considered to be the optimal zirconia.

How did you discover Whitepeaks Hyperion?

I discovered German brand Whitepeaks Zirconia Hyperion from seeing positive comments on various forums I’m involved with. I wanted to see for myself what I could do with it, yet trying to get hold of it seemed impossible. Luckily, DB Lab Supplies started stocking it in the UK, and this is where I met Peter Harling on a course he was leading. The course covered staining Whitepeaks zirconia using their infiltration liquids. To talk and learn from another key technicians’ knowledge and passion for zirconia proved invaluable. We formed a friendship and now regularly bounce ideas off ourselves and others in our network on materials, techniques, and ideas.

Why do you choose Whitepeaks Hyperion?

Whitepeaks Hyperion is everything I need. It possesses different strengths (600mpa incisal to 1100mpa marginal), and has 9 pre-shaded multi-layers; giving ideal natural looking translucencies. It makes your life easier. You can
achieve beautiful results with very little effort. You can just fire, stain and glaze slightly and it looks amazing. You can also play around with it. To further push its boundaries, I enjoy using infiltration liquids such as the Whitepeaks liquid. These add more depth of colour in areas including essences and internal effects. With Hyperion, I’m not battling with shades and Chromas; it matches up fairly easily with the Vita shade guide.

Discover Whitepeaks zirconia for yourself

For more information on the Whitepeaks range of materials and educational events, contact the DB team on sales@dbortho.com, or call 01535 650578.

About DB Lab Supplies

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We are continually developing our product range, designing innovative products through consultation with leading industry experts throughout the world, to ensure that our products meet the high standards expected by today’s practitioners.

 

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