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NEW CENTER, NEW PHILOSOPHY
When you first meet the staff of the new USC Center for Dental Technology, they look more likely to be opening an art gallery or launching their spring collection in Paris than creating a state-of-the-art dental materials facility. Clad in hip, designer clothes, the three recently transplanted Europeans do not jibe with the American expectation of a dental technologist. And that's fine with them. "To me, the dental technologist is an artist. He has to understand aesthetics means the combination of beauty and art. There is not a golden ratio that can be used on every patient. Each patient is unique,” says Michel Magne, director of the Center for Dental Technology.This philosophy is the driving force behind the new center. Magne and his colleagues, Inge Munck and Domenico Cascione, are part of growing segment within the dental technology profession who view their work as functional art—
a marriage of technology, utility, aesthetics and personal expression.
"It is very similar to architecture. We work with glass, metal and ceramic. Sometimes we must restore, sometimes we must redefine everything. We must consider the surrounding environment, the personality and psychology of our client," says Magne.
Unlike the traditional scenario—a dentist provides the specifications and orders a restoration from a dental lab—at the Center for Dental Technology, the patient will meet with the dental technologist before, during and after fabrication. This approach will allow Magne and colleagues to accurately match color, to consider the restoration in the greater context of the face, and to understand the patient's expectations.
For Magne, a perfect restoration is one that emulates nature and provides a balance without "visual tension" in the smile or face. A less than perfect or irregular shape is not necessarily something that should be corrected.
"Sometimes a little imperfection can add charm. For me, this is the definition of aesthetic, to rediscover the charm," says Magne.
Although the 2,000-square-foot laboratory and research center is still in development, Magne hopes it will attract dental technologists and dentists for hands-on training seminars, courses and internships. In a broader context, he hopes to use the center to elevate the standing of dental technologists.
“We are here to change a little bit the relationship between the technologist and the dentist. We are two people with different occupations, but we need to work together,” says Magne. The most important thing according to Magne is that the dentist and the technologist, along with the patient, form a partnership to achieve the best results.
The Center for Dental Technology will also place a heavy emphasis on research. Creating new methods and materials, particularly those utilized in ceramic restorations, will be a primary focus. Emerging technologies, such as computer-aided milling machines, will also be investigated.
"I believe the Center is going to a big success. It will attract patients, dentists, students and technologists from the United States and from around the world. And, hopefully, many of them will share my point of view," says Magne.
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