Dental practitioner supply firm Pac-Dent has bought Ackuretta, a chair-side dental 3D printing startup that has a file-to-patient solution in place. Their all-in-one system combines resins, software, and printers with procedure-specific workflows — including curing ovens and washing stations. The company supports multiple dental workflows, such as tray-based and split-model workflows, with three printer models and resins for restorations. Ackuretta was founded in Taiwan in 2013 and pioneered complete chair side solutions with some of its peers. In the dental field, the 3D printing market is much more mature, with solutions that fit into your workday, office space, and knowledge. Dental 3D printing is easy to adopt and available for a wide range of procedures. That maturity level will be what makes it attractive to Pac-Dent, a 33-year-old company that sells desensitizing pastes, bonding agents, luting cement, 38% diamine fluoride, adhesive sensor holders, and all sorts of other things that I don’t understand.
Pac-Dent’s broad product portfolio will let it cross sell 3D printing solutions to its existing customers. That kind of easy-to-implement product portfolio addition points to a level headed takeover of something that will help drive growth, not something based on hope. Pac Dent already has several vat polymerization and other resins in its portfolio. That makes the Ackuretta acquisition an even more powerful one and could enable the system sales to drive more growth across resins.
Pac-Dent CEO Daniel Wang said,
“The most important aspect of this acquisition is how it amplifies our open-system vision, By combining best-in-class materials, intelligent software, and versatile hardware, we are building the most accessible and adaptable digital dentistry platform on the market. Just as important, we are thrilled to welcome Ackuretta’s outstanding international team—spanning Taiwan, France, Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, South America, and the Middle East. Their expertise strengthens our innovation pipeline, enhances product reliability, and expands global customer support.”
The open system talk is also very sensible and would be reassuring to customers. Yes, they’ll try to sell you their resins, but you can still choose which one, in a production environment, is the only sensible option, really. No one wants to be locked into one firm. The company says that,
“Pac-Dent will continue to support and collaborate with other open-system hardware manufacturers, with many leading dental 3D printer brands already validated and an ongoing program to expand supported platforms. Dealers and distributors can rely on Pac-Dent’s materials and workflows being validated across multiple platforms—ensuring freedom of choice, optimal clinical outcomes, and a sustainable, partner-friendly approach to digital dentistry.”
The company says that it is working on integrating US support options for the printers in its organizational structure. It will also work on validated workflows around its own products and training generally. The company also wants to expand its digital offering, pointing towards “a faster cadence of integrated end-to-end solutions—from data acquisition, processing, and CAM, to printing, post-processing, and 3D-oriented restorative materials—all delivered through a globally scalable, partner-friendly model.” The company is also looking at metal printing.
If Pac-Dent makes workflows that save time, effort, and cost for dentists and labs, then their products could become very sticky indeed. If you have a setup that delivers for you day in day out, you’ll come to rely on it and it becomes unmissable. If Pac Dent layers its offering in such a way that its solutions are easy to adopt on an à la carte basis but become more powerful the more you consume, then it could build long-term relationships with dentists and labs. Rather than hoping that customers will turn to it and buy a jar of something, you become their day-to-day working environment. For a distributor and retailer, such an approach can be very valuable. The software, materials, and machines you use are all part of their offering. If they work well, moreover, you’ll be more inclined to buy more stuff from them. Just like a dental chair was a monument to your trust in Dentsply Sirona, and a constant fixture in your working life, the printer and workflow could become your digital life. Think of extending appointment software, CT scan management tools, patient records systems, and workflows for booking and managing procedures on top of the CAD and 3D printing backbone, for example. Digital dentistry through 3D printing, therefore, is a huge opportunity for companies to take over from established players in the entire digital domain, and this bodes well for this acquisition and many more.