An interview with SprintRay's Holger Emmert at DDS.Berlin

Anisha Hall Hoppe, Dental Tribune International

Fri. 28. June 2024

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For clinicians of all experience levels, DDS.Berlin has been the prime opportunity to take their practice to the next level with companies bringing their very best in technology and technique and providing hands-on learning. Dental Tribune International spoke with Holger Emmert, head of marketing for SprintRay Europe, about what he felt clinicians would take home with them from DDS.Berlin and SprintRay’s offerings at the show.

Holger Emmert.

Mr Emmert, could you share your overall impression of DDS.Berlin so far?
We are positively surprised by the quality of the participants and the people asking really dedicated questions. The general knowledge of the participants is higher than what we normally encounter at a trade show or conference. It’s easier when we’re not starting from scratch and are able to offer clinicians and dental technicians a solution that really helps them.

Not everybody wakes up on a Monday morning says, “Oh, I need to change the world”, which is why events like this are important, so that people can break out of their routine for a few moments during the year and come together for these exchanges.

What advice would you offer to a clinician who is trying to convert to a digital workflow?
I love that question, because that’s been my passion for the last 15 years. First, for someone who’s moving from analogue to digital, it’s not about technology. It’s about understanding that you have to be open to learning something new, that you’re not just changing a piece of equipment, because your workflow will change significantly. And then, if you approach it from that angle, you will want to learn from a partner you can trust. I’m convinced that we are such a partner. It’s really about partnering with someone who understands what they're doing, who has the reputation as a teacher and mentor.

“Events like this are important, so that people can break out of their routine for a few moments during the year and come together for these exchanges.”

Should a beginner try to learn end to end from the beginning, or start learning individual pieces of a workflow?
It is better not to try and learn different pieces; acknowledge that you are not an R&D engineer, because, at the end, each interface requires know-how and may not fit together, and there won’t be anyone to help you. In the field of 3D printing, we are the only ones offering hardware, software and resins. You need a partner who thinks it through for you.

Would you share why the workshops like the ones SprintRay provides are valuable for clinicians?
Every speaker wants to show the best of what they do but the best things are not the everyday stuff. Digital is not about only the best things, it is also about the everyday things. Finding the right balance is what we do. We like to work with clinicians who are excited to show their unique cases but who are also eager to show the basic things like replacing an amalgam fillings with a minimally invasive solution via 3D printing, for instance, which is a very simple thing to do. It is not challenging once you have mastered the workflow. We want our workshop attendees to think to themselves “Oh, I can do that, and I don’t need to take seven more courses to be able to do that! I can get a unit shipped and installed the next day.”

And this is the message we want to send: We want to demystify these processes and show clinicians it’s not rocket science. So we try to balance that so they don’t get overwhelmed.

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