Cabinet dentaire Confluence offers powerful technology with urban views

In addition to general dental care, the Cabinet dentaire Confluence clinic offers orthodontic, endodontic and implant treatments. The clinic employs six dentists, six dental assistants, two clinic assistants and an executive assistant.

“To set up a clinic of this size, I had to surround myself with the right people. It was a massive project that lasted from July 2020 to the clinic’s opening in February 2022,” explains Dr Marine Veillié, the founder of the clinic.

The right people, or the right person, to be exact, ended up being Bastien Courbon from Sigma Net Santé, Planmeca’s distributor in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in France.

“Bastien was able to guide us throughout the project − from initial planning, when we were not even sure of what we were doing, to equipment and software choices and installation. He has helped us set up protocols, he reminds us of maintenance needs and will support us in future acquisitions. He has been a very close partner in this project,” Dr Veillié says.

An ambidextrous dental unit with an integrated scanner makes the daily workflow easier

The clinic’s six treatment rooms are each equipped with a Planmeca Compact™ i3 dental unit.  Dr Veillié, who is left-handed, appreciates the ambidextrous design of the units.

“I had never worked on a left-handed dental unit before, even though I am left-handed myself. In my former workplace, five out of eight dentists were left-handed, so I think ambidexterity is an important feature in a dental unit. I also like the chair’s design which takes up very little space – it fits into any type of room. The programming of the unit is intuitive and simple, and the settings are precise,” she says.

The clinic also has a dental unit integrated Planmeca Emerald® S intraoral scanner. Dr Veillié had no previous experience in using a digital scanner, but feels that it was easy to include it in her daily workflow. The plug-and-play scanner can be effortlessly moved from one treatment room to another, a feature especially appreciated in a big clinic with six dental units.

“The scanner is intuitive to use, and getting started was simple both for myself and for the assistant.  The scanner does almost everything on its own, and you can go back easily if you need to. The bigger tip is ideal for larger, sweeping motions, whereas with the small one, you can get into places that are more difficult to access. I have also noticed that the final restorations are more precise than those created based on traditional impressions. I use the scanner for onlays, bridges, crowns, and prostheses on implants.”

Involving the patient in the treatment process

The clinic is also equipped with a Planmeca ProMax® 3D s imaging unit, used especially in the treatment of wisdom teeth, in implant cases and in root canal retreatment, and with a Planmeca ProX™ intraoral unit which has an integrated Planmeca ProSensor® intraoral sensor. Planmeca Romexis® is the clinic’s imaging software of choice.

“I think it’s great to have everything on the same platform – whether it’s our digital impressions, panoramic images, intraoral images or 3D images. You can view the images side by side, and you can zoom in to get a closer look − it’s all very intuitive, and image quality is automatically optimised. I am very satisfied with the software, both in terms of image quality and the ease of use of the platform.”

Dr Veillié also uses the software for patient communication and to involve her patients in the treatment process.

“I show them their X-rays a lot to help them better understand the clinical situation. Both X-rays and intraoral scans are great tools for involving the patient in the treatment plan, and for validating our explanations. Patients today ask a lot of questions and really want to understand the treatment from A to Z.”

Big projects need big support

Dr Veillié chose Planmeca’s solutions for her clinic because of the reliability and good price-quality ratio of the products, and because the brand was recommended to her by her clinic planner Bastien Courbon from Sigma Net Santé.

“It’s not easy to immerse yourself in a big project like this at only the age of 29, like Marine did,” Mr Courbon says. “What appealed to both Marine and her associates was that Planmeca can master the whole chain from software to dental units and X-ray units. Everything is manufactured and controlled by Planmeca. Throughout the project, whenever Marine had specific questions, I had the support of Planmeca France behind me, and that’s what really makes a difference today. There are many major brands that are estranged from their customers. It’s reassuring both from a distributor’s and a dentist’s point of view to have a close relationship with the manufacturer in a big and expensive project such as this.”

Marine continues: “We have been very happy with our choice. If we had to do it all again, I think we would still work with Planmeca.”

Copy: Hanna Korlin
Images: shoootin.com