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Mr. Fleer, Morita keeps surprising the dental world with innovative ideas and has made many dreams come true for dentists. What will you be presenting this year at the IDS?

We are coming to the IDS with two newly developed products, one in the field of 3D diagnostics and one in endodontics. We believe that these will once again set standards in clinical practice. Both will improve working comfort and treatment success in their own way, for the benefit of dentists and patients alike — very much in tune with our traditional company values. Our ultimate objective was, is, and always will be to ensure maximum precision, excellent product quality, and real value for the practitioner.

What exactly makes those two newly developed products stand out?

Our Veraview X800 2D/3D diagnostic system makes diagnosis and treatment safer and more reliable. It delivers images of outstanding quality, images that are better still than those of its already excellent and proven predecessor. Its resolution is so high that the Veraview X800 can visualize even the smallest structures in the tissue and bone. Artefacts are reduced to a minimum thanks to the system’s 360-degree rotation. A number of new or supplementary features contribute to higher image quality and minimized artefacts in both panoramic and 3D views. Our new X-ray system offers eleven selectable fields of view (FOV) for targeted treatment planning. It provides more useful answers in all dental diagnostic situations, always taking into account the ALARA (“As Low As Reasonably Achievable”) principle. Another new feature is the possibility of face-to-face patient positioning, which makes communication with the patient a lot easier and allows an exact alignment of the laser beams. In short, this is a novel X-ray generation that sets new standards.

The same ambition has guided us in the development of our latest innovation in endodontics: the TriAuto ZX2, the successor of the TriAuto ZX cordless endo motor with integrated apex locator. It is still the only endodontic system on the market that combines both functions in one handpiece. Simple, intuitive operation and fully automated functions ensure reliable results. We have perfected those results with our new safety features Optimum Torque Reverse (OTR) and Optimum Glide Path (OGP) to preserve natural tooth substance and make the treatment process more effective. OTR affords protection against file breakage and microcracks by changing the direction of rotation in excessive-torque situations, while OGP facilitates — and this is a first — an automated definition of the glide path. These are good examples of how innovative products make a significant contribution to ever more precise and more comfortable treatments in the dental practice.

Sounds futuristic all right. But what are these new “realities” all about?

Virtual-reality/augmented-reality software is currently finding its way into many areas of professional and everyday life. Experts predict that the market for mixed-reality applications will grow to $120 billion by the year 2020. Something big is growing here! Perhaps unsurprisingly, video gaming is the number one field where the technology is put to use. More remarkable is the fact that the medical field comes in a close second. The technology has immense potential for health care in general. We want to harness it to support care providers and patients, who can use the technology for treatment purposes by merging necessary treatment parameters and other information into the live image in the form of additional visual layers. The technology can also be used to optimize patient consultations, or operator training for specific devices, or to take a virtual tour of a dental office to be opened — to name just a few examples. The best way to learn about the many ways these technologies can be utilized will be a visit to our stand at the IDS — a very special experience. 

In summary: Morita and its traditions en route to the future.

Exactly. Value-added innovation is our tradition. We will continue down this road, taking advantage of new opportunities and technological innovations. The "+" sign in our 100-year anniversary logo symbolizes this. We are proud of what we have achieved, but we remain focused on the future. As for the past 100 years, we will never lose sight of our goal to improve the quality of life for clinicians and patients — always with tomorrow in plain view. Factors that are central to progress and further development — including social change and technological innovations — play an integral role in the planning phases of our product development. True to the motto of “Thinking ahead. Focused on life.”