If you are new to the Stalagmite Dental Model System, you may wonder if it really saves money. If you have been using the system for awhile, you already know that this question can be put to rest. The following will show how and why this dynamic new system will save you time and money; plus the esthetic value and accuracy of your model work will improve considerably.
1. LMT® (Lab Management Today) October 2006 issue showed that the average wage received by a skilled technician working in the model department in the USA is from $12.00 to $15.00+ per hour. That is $.20 to $.25+ per minute. As you can see, just a two or three minute savings in time can easily nullify the cost of this product; but there is more...
2. When you start using this system, you will be amazed at how much your stone bill will drop each month. Model stone costs between $1.00 and $2.00+ a pound, depending on which brand you use. Stone is very heavy and costly to ship. The plastic base of this system will easily save between $.25 and $.50+ per model because of the stone base that it replaces. Don't forget about all the wasted stone that is ground away and the time lost when grinding down models when using the glue-die-pin technique. Also, super glue will not be needed to secure the die pins.
3. Mail order case will cost considerably less to ship because of the lighter weight.
4. Stone does not need to be ground down to a given thickness. No drilling or gluing of pins is needed. Also, index grooves do not need to be cut around each die to prevent rotation. All of this is built into the RTP (Removable Tapered Pin) Base.
5. All index pins on the RTP_Bases are strategically located to prevent putting a die into the wrong location. (However, it does not prevent you from putting a die into the same location on the wrong base.)
6. All Stalagmite bases have a posterior plate with a slot to receive a Vertex® or similar articulator. (We recommend using the Flat Mount Socket if you intend to use the bases more than once, as it is more easily removed.)
7. RTP bases and stainless steel die pins can be used over and over provided they have not been damaged. However, RTP_Bases should not be reused if any of the small plastic index pins have been damaged. Also, too many saw cuts will not allow for an adequate surface under the dies.