After a patient scan, the dental team can send the case to Glidewell through fastdesign.io™. A Glidewell technician designs the restoration. The practice then mills it on-site.
The service is available at no extra fee per design for practices that use the fastmill.io™ In-Office Mill. Glidewell says the setup can help doctors provide same-appointment restorations without learning CAD software.
That removes a common hurdle.
Glidewell says adding a second fastmill.io mill increases the number of units milled by 145%. Its chairside milling materials also report that glidewell.io users mill one crown every 9.97 seconds.
A technician-led digital workflow
The design work moves out of the practice. Once the dental team captures an intraoral scan, it submits the file to Glidewell through fastdesign.io™ software. A Glidewell technician creates the restoration design and sends the digital file back for milling.
Single-unit crown designs take an average of 15 minutes, according to Glidewell. The company's chairside materials describe fastmill.io as part of a workflow that links scanning, design software and milling for same-day restorative care.
Glidewell has also promoted fastplan.io, an in-office guided implant-planning product, showing that its digital chairside portfolio extends beyond milling. Its educational material treats restorative design as a distinct digital step, which helps explain why some practices may prefer technician-led CAD work rather than building that capability in-house.
"Many doctors want the advantages of digital dentistry, but they also want the option of not designing crowns themselves," said Rob Brenneise, Chief Growth Officer at Glidewell. "Unlimited Lab Design gives them that opportunity. Practices can start delivering same-appointment restorations without needing to learn new design software, train additional staff, or rely on in-house design expertise."
What the fastmill.io™ package includes
The redesigned fastmill.io™ system includes fastdesign.io™ Software and Design Station, a one-year warranty, training, unlimited support and Unlimited Lab Design. Bundle options are also available with the fastscan.io™ Scanning Solution powered by Medit®.
Glidewell says the system uses fully sintered BruxZir® restorations. That removes the need for additional sintering or firing after milling. Without a post-processing oven, the practice can move the restoration from the mill toward delivery without that extra stage. Glidewell's educational discussion of BruxZir places the material within chairside milling workflows and presents fully sintered zirconia as a way to reduce post-milling processing.
Independence Park Dental describes using a Glidewell fastmill.io system and completing the process from intraoral scan to finished crown in about one hour. Actual turnaround can depend on the practice's workflow and case.
That is the practical point.
The announcement focuses on the product and does not provide clinical evidence of superior treatment outcomes. Its value lies in the workflow. Glidewell is combining laboratory design expertise with chairside milling, so practices can use the equipment without first building in-house CAD skills. The setup may suit teams that want same-appointment dentistry while keeping clinical and restorative decisions in the practice. More information is available at Glidewell's fastmill.io™ page.
