My Castellini – with Michael Norton

castellini Skema 8 ContinentalDr Michael Norton BDS FDS RCS(Ed) was the first UK dentist to install a Castellini Skema 8 Continental when it launched in December 2018. He was one of a few selected European clinicians who undertook a clinical trial on the chair. Here he talks about ‘My Castellini’.

Why can’t you live without your Castellini chair? What’s the main reason you love it

I love my Castellini because of the sheer range of equipment options available for it.

I love the fact it is very well designed for someone performing oral surgery. And the fact that it is very well designed for stripping down and decontaminating to ensure complete cross infection control.

Why did you opt to buy a Castellini chair?

In order of importance to me was first and foremost its safety features. Particularly those relating to decontamination and cross infection control. The auto sterile feature and the fact that all the handles, bits and bobs come off and can go into the autoclave, that for me is the key thing. The number one reason and all the more pertinent now!

Number two was the equipment itself. The sheer range of equipment options available is impressive.

The legacy of the brand is also very important to me. I bought my first Castellini chair in 1997 and I have always been one of the first to buy the new, top end chairs from Castellini. In fact, I was often involved with them in testing out the chairs for the company.

Back in the 1990s the company produced a chair called the Logos chair. This had an integrated cardiac monitor. It was a really useful feature for me as I perform a lot of treatments under sedation. It also had an integrated auto-sterile system, which has continued to be available through the years of Castellini since it has been copied by other chair manufacturers.

As a practice that specialises in treating patients with implants, it was great all those years ago to be able to buy a chair that had an integrated implant motor with torque control. In fact, Castellini was one of the first companies to provide a chair with an integrated implant motor.

Along with the implant motor, it also has a facility to deliver sterile saline through the chair. It is now a common feature on a lot of chairs, and ideal for people like me who perform a lot of implants. But Castellini was one of the first to offer that integrated facility for implant surgery. And given my position as an implant surgeon, that was a big selling feature for me.

My respect for the brand stems from that time.

Do patients comment about the chair?

They certainly do. A lot of patients will comment on the fact it looks very high tech.  As things have developed over the years with integrated computer screens and digital technology, they have noticed how high spec the chair looks.

The chair is such premium quality – so they often comment on how nice and new it looks. It is such an integral part of my treatment outcome so of course I also take great care of it.

How does the chair represent your style?

It is a very good question as it does reflect my style! It reflects my style on a number of levels.

First and foremost, the safety and the cross infection control. I am a bit obsessive when it comes to maintaining a clean working area. So it reflects me in that respect.

I think many people know me for my very high tech approach to implant surgery. So you have to have the best equipment to undertake that kind of work.

When patients, or other practitioners, have been to my surgery, they comment on how unique it looks. Many different visitors applaud it.

The practice has a very high-end design and obviously you want a chair that has the beauty and aesthetic appeal that fits in with a beautiful practice. The Castellini chair complements that very well.

If your chair was a car, what car would it be?

It would be a cross between a Ferrari and a Volvo. The beauty of a Ferrari and safety of a Volvo.

If your chair was a fashion design, what would it be?

I would say Ermenegildo Zegna. A historical fashion house, also Italian, that boasts a century of success in the precious woollen fabrics sector and in luxurious menswear.

If your chair was a watch, which would it be?

A Patek Philippe

What projects are you working on at present?

I am always undertaking clinical studies in the practice. Many in the implant world will know my publications in dental implant literature.

I am about to embark on a new study, hopefully at the end of April. I have just received approval from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and have ethical approval for it. This is going to be a study involving 15 patients, and has the potential to totally revolutionise implant dentistry. I am working with a company from Boston which has a completely new concept in the way you place an implant. This will not only be relevant to oral surgery, but it actually has huge potential relevance to orthopaedic surgery. Anything that involves bones: repairing bones, fractures, placing implants. Whether they are dental implants, or whether they are hip or knee replacements.

This product has the potential to completely revolutionise the field. My clinical trial is the first in-human clinical trial outside America. It is also only the second in-human clinical trial ever. It is a privilege to undertake this and I will report the findings in due course.


For more information about Michael’s Castellini chair, visit: www.dental-equipment.co.uk/dental-chairs/castellini.

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