Dental Asia March/April 2023

BEHIND THE SCENES
How challenging was the learning
process for CAD/CAM design?
Vaitelyte: That was a long time ago. Like
most things, the more time you spend,
the better you get. Every software is
unique, and it takes patience to master. It
is exciting to see new software releases
and learn new features and techniques.
I like the handy feature called exocad
wiki. If you need help while designing,
there is a trick. You can just press the
question mark at the top right corner,
and it takes you straight to relevant
information.
Do you like having more interaction
with the patients and the dentists
working in-house?
Vaitelyte: I love it. No more guesswork!
We can provide a much better patient
experience, and I can get instant
feedback from dentists. I know not
everyone has this opportunity and not all
our work is in-house.
We also work with external dentists,
and this is where exocad’s dentalshare
and webview are fantastic tools to
share, discuss and confirm designs with
clinicians and patients, and they don’t
need to be in the same building or city.
Just think how much chair time this
saves.
Some want the “Hollywood smile”. What
are your thoughts on this?
Vaitelyte: I know “Hollywood smile” is not
for everyone, but many who are not related
to dentistry want straight, white and shiny
smiles. Thanks to exocad’s Smile Creator,
I don’t need to read patients’ minds. I can
propose designs, overlay patients’ images
and ask their opinion. It helps to see how
digital wax-ups integrate with patients’
faces. I can design patients’ mock-ups
before appointments and confirm designs
while they are in the dental chair.
What do you like about exocad?
Vaitelyte: Everything — stability, flexibility,
and ease of use. I am obsessed with exocad’s
sculpting tools, the libraries, and with how
much better this software gets every year.
I thought that it would be hard to improve
on DentalCAD 3.0 Galway, but DentalCAD
3.1 Rijeka is even better — much smoother
model builds, a bigger variety of model
articulators and attachments, and easy-toreuse
digital wax-up set-ups. The cherry on
top is that I can change the implant library
without affecting the abutment or crown
design.
How does using exocad impact your job
satisfaction?
Vaitelyte: First of all, without exocad I
would not be a dental CAD technician.
It had a tremendous impact in my life. It
pushed me out of my comfort zone, changed
my career, and I moved to another country.
It was so worth it! I met amazing people,
created thousands of smiles and I found
my passion. I am so grateful for the exocad
community, and everyone that helped me on
my journey.
Do you think digital tools will help attract
more women to the field?
Vaitelyte: Of course! Dentistry is a maledominated
industry, and we need more
female professionals. It brings a different
perspective, different approach and different
skills. We have already begun to see the shift
in new talent. It is already changing. Digital
workflows remove the necessity of being
in the laboratory, allowing the flexibility to
juggle work-life balance.
Any insights for other lab techs that you’d
like to share?
Vaitelyte: Play, don’t be afraid to experiment.
Personally, what worked for me was dental
congresses, shows and training. The best way
to learn is from somebody else! The exocad
team offers training sessions you can easily
book them online and believe me it kickstarts
your career at any stage whether you are
a beginner or an expert. Last year was my
first exocad Insights event. It was great to
meet the exocad team, and other dental
professionals, and to learn all about the new
features. DA
DENTAL ASIA MARCH / APRIL 2023 47