(l-r) Mr. Thimi Ilia, Mr. Junick Hermida, CAD/CAM Support Specialist & Instructor Mr. Curley Faulkner, Mr. Mark Kaplan, Mr. James Taillefer
Staff members from Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) visited the Charlotte, North Carolina office of Sirona Dental Systems Inc.—the manufacturer of the CEREC CAD/CAM units used by the School—for a training session from March 2–6, 2015. The major topics addressed during the training were the installation, maintenance and repair of Sirona dental equipment. In attendance from GSDM were Clinic Manager from the 930 Commonwealth Avenue Dental Health Center Mr. Junick Hermida, Dental Repair Technician Mr. Thimi Ilia, Sixth Floor Student Lab Technician Mr. Mark Kaplan, and Manager of Facilities and Operations Mr. James Taillefer.
During the training session, participants learned the basics of how to properly set up and calibrate CEREC units. They learned how to perform basic repairs on both the acquisition units and milling units and each participant had the opportunity to use the equipment to mill a tooth. “The trip to Sirona was enlightening. It was really interesting to see how we can make an acquisition unit communicate with a milling unit,” said Kaplan.
All of the GSDM repair technicians will be trained and certified by Sirona to work on the equipment so that they will be educated on both the CEREC CAD/CAM and x-ray imaging systems. In the future, the staff will have the option to obtain further training from Sirona Dental Systems with an advanced CAD/CAM course as well as basic or intermediate imaging courses. With this training, the dental repair technicians will be prepared to troubleshoot and tackle any issues with the equipment that may arise in the School or in the Dental Health Centers.
“I really learned a lot about the CEREC units at this training session,” said Taillefer. “Being able to work one-on-one with the units and the Sirona representatives helped us to fine-tune our troubleshooting techniques.”