When you take into account the variety of sleep appliances on the market today and pair it with the fact that each and every patient has their own “dental landscape,” it becomes crystal clear that finding the ideal sleep appliance to treat your patient is not (and has never been) a matter of “one size fits all.”

So how do you know which sleep appliance is the right one for any given patient? 

To be successful in deciding upon the right sleep appliance, you need to know:  

Materials, qualities, design and functional specifics of the different appliances. Hard acrylic? Cad-Cam Appliance? Does it allow lateral movement? Is it easily adjustable for patient and/or doctor? How is it retained – ball clasps and clasps? Is it lined with thermoplastic material? Can you adjust it and realign it easily? Then…

What are the controlling parameters in relation to the patient? You will need to perform a full and complete dental sleep examination and a TMJ exam.  

SML can print your digital impressions into a physical working model. The printed model can then be used for appliance fabrication.
appliance fabrication process
TO SEND DIGITAL IMPRESSIONS OR FILES:

OPTION #1 - iTero LAB NUMBER #14305
To add SML to your iTero system, contact iTero Customer Service
at 1-800-577-8767    itero badge
 
OPTION #2 - STL FILES
Upload STL files to our SML Digital Portal - www.SMLglobal.sharefile.com
Call 800-423-3270 or go to SMLglobal.com/digitalportal to request access to our SML Digital Portal.

PRINTED MODEL OPTIONS
• Printed Working Model (for Appliance Fabrication)    $14.95 per arch
• Horseshoe Printed Model    $21.95 per arch
• Low-Profile Printed Model    $31.95 per arch
• Full Base Printed Model    $91.95 per arch  

DIAGNOSTIC SERVICES
Whether you're beginning to integrate appliance therapy into your practice or you're an experienced veteran at orthodontics, SML can create the diagnostic information you need to successfully complete your treatment.  

Evaluating and Managing Temporomandibular Injury Cases Fundamental, Clinical, Medicolegal Issues and Beyond
A must-attend 16-hour seminar

Course Description— This "How To" two-day seminar is designed for practitioners who are eager to stand out from the crowd and develop or enrich their expertise in handling temporomandibular injury cases.

Practitioners are requested to give an opinion on injury causation, explain the mechanism of injury, calculate the permanent impairment rating and estimate the cost of future care of an injured individual for the purpose of compensation. Hence, the practitioner must gain the knowledgeto properly and effectively address these requests.

Your younger patients will be going back to school this month. For those in high school and middle school that might mean returning to training for their sport of choice, including football, soccer, wrestling, and hockey. Parents of these students are likely willing to pay a lot of money for the best equipment and pads to keep their children safe, so don’t forget to remind them about investing in a quality mouth guard.

Generic mouth guards are available over the counter, but only a dentist can ensure a mouth guard that is specially fitted to an individual. Explain to the parents that a mouth guard sold by a dentist provides a better fit, which ensures better protection for the teeth. It may help to prevent concussions, as well – always a huge concern with contact sports.

Consider yourself a mouth guard expert. Don’t be afraid to speak up and encourage parents to invest in the best.  

In the world of dental appliances, you’ll find a variety of different types of springs and coils, including the Mattress Spring, Z Spring, T Spring, and the Helical Coil. It’s easy to overlook these small components, but the fact is they are often the main drivers that create the change which you and your patient expect from an appliance.

Helical coils in particular can help dentists and orthodontists accomplish a variety of key goals, including:

• Maintaining or regaining space lost after a tooth extraction
• Forcing an eruption
• Aligning teeth

SML (Space Maintainers Laboratories can create a variety of dental appliances that utilize helical coils. Two of our most popular appliances fit this profile.  The Modified Spring Retainer, relies on a helical coil to align incisors.  

With a population of 2.4 million people, the greater Vancouver area is the third most populous metropolitan area in Canada. This diverse, energetic, and wonderful city is known for its “livability” and quality of life.

No wonder so many people call it home. And on the subject of dental care, those people need it regularly – along with braces, splints, retainers, snoring appliances, and more.

If you are opening a new dental practice or cosmetic dental practice in or around Vancouver, it is vital that you partner with an experienced, accessible dental lab. At SML Global, we provide a full network of dental labs all around the world, including the one in Vancouver, British Columbia on West 8^th Avenue.

Babies are born with a natural inclination to suck on thumbs, fingers, pacifiers, toys, and pretty much whatever else they find. Regarding thumb sucking, most children slowly grow out of this habit -- usually between the ages of three and six. Some don’t, however, and as they grow older, their thumb sucking can become a problem.

By the time a child is six, thumb sucking habits could begin to cause new, permanent teeth to grow in crookedly. This condition is called malocclusion…and it may need to be corrected by an orthodontist. Long-term thumb sucking can also lead to speech impediments, such as lisping or problems in pronouncing “T” or “D” sounds.

There are plenty of thumb sucking remedies on the market, but one of the best options may be an appointment with your dentist. Several dental appliances have been created to stop thumb sucking habits, including the Blue Grass Appliance U.  

Calgary, Alberta is one of Canada’s most prominent cities, housing a population of 1.2 million people (according to its 2015 municipal census). A huge economic powerhouse for Canada, its booming oil and gas sector also contributes significantly to the country’s GDP. Thanks to the resultant strong job market and relatively low unemployment, most of Calgary’s citizens are able to visit the dentist and pay for the dental appliances they need to maintain good oral health.

This being the case, it is vital for dentists setting up shop in Calgary to partner with an experienced dental lab -- one that can reliably manufacture a wide variety of dental appliances, including retainers, fixed appliances, snoring appliances, and more.

SML Global has been building a network of excellent dental labs all over the world since 1981. Our facility in Calgary (at 17 Avenue S) services dentists throughout the city and the entire province as well, providing well-made custom appliances for each and every patient.
Contact our Calgary, Alberta dental lab at (800) 661-1169. 

The transition from baby teeth (primary teeth) to permanent teeth is an important part of growing up. Marked by some anxiety and steeped in tradition, i.e. the Tooth Fairy, the process is not always a smooth one. In rare cases, a tooth might not appear (erupt).

The failure of a tooth to erupt may be caused by the root of the tooth fusing to the bone of the jaw -- in essence, anchoring the permanent tooth down. This typically occurs with the mandibular molars or in anterior (back) teeth when the child has experienced some form of mouth trauma.

Eruption failure doesn’t just affect the aesthetic look of a child’s smile. It can also cause the erupted teeth to shift and crowd, affecting the symmetry of the jaw and face. Whatever the cause, It is important for parents to take action should a tooth not come in.