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Kurt Boyd’s dream of creating zero waste dentistry has become reality with the launch of a new project. By Lynne Testoni
Dental prosthetist Kurt Boyd has a dream—and a plan—to transform dental waste into innovative, recyclable materials.
Born into a family of dental technicians, Kurt began his dental career in 2003 and qualified as a dental prosthetist in 2008, joining his father Neil, also a dental prosthetist, in the family business after spending time working in commercial dental laboratories, the public sector and private clinics. Kurt’s brother Carl also joined the business after training and working in commercial laboratories. As the family business, then Smile Care Denture Clinic, developed and grew, Kurt and Carl, looking to the future, felt inclined to embrace the industry shift to digital dentistry.
Around 2019 Kurt started to note the emergence of “digital dentures” in the market, with their milled base and added carded teeth. From there digital denture production started to advance very quickly, until it got to the point that the brothers decided to take the plunge themselves and Smile Care Denture Clinic expanded into the digital space in 2022 with a digital studio.
Inside the digital studio
Kurt also now runs his own private training facility at the digital studio, which is located in Geelong, where his courses are tailored to each person’s specific requirements, whether they are just starting out or are further along their digital journey.
“The best thing about this technology is that it doesn’t just give us amazing results, it gives us our time back,” says Kurt. “The machines can keep working overnight and on weekends, which means that instead of being stuck at the lab, I get to finish early. This means more time with my family and even gives me the chance to sneak in some extra mountain biking.”
A state-of-the-art facility, the digital studio includes the latest advancements in milling, 3D printing, and digital scanning, allowing them to provide a wide range of high-quality dental appliances to patients, practitioners, and laboratories.
Carl works as the inhouse 3D printing expert, embracing the rapid advancements in digital dental technology.
Kurt says that digital technology in the dental industry is the way of the future, and he thinks it has a lot of potential with regards to efficiency and accuracy.
Waste minimisation
Notwithstanding the many positives of digital dental technology, Kurt says he saw a lot of waste and felt there was an opportunity to transform dental acrylic waste into new products and so prevent much of it ending up in landfill.
“After being digital for three years we were just seeing this waste pile up,” he says. “I thought surely we could come up with a solution that was better than throwing it in the bin.
“With the rise of digital dentistry, materials such as PMMA are contributing to growing landfill waste. Patients and professionals want more environmentally responsible solutions.”
Kurt reached out to an old school friend, Jack Fitzgerald, founder of Think Polymer Technologies and Think Manufacturing, based in regional Victoria. Fitzgerald’s company is a manufacturer and recycler of PVC products, so he is well positioned to tackle the complex PVC recycling challenges posed by this dental waste.
Fitzgerald’s company works with the CSIRO on different manufacturing and recycling projects and is keen to push the envelope when it comes to reducing industrial waste.
“I got in contact with Jack, and we went through a few ideas and because he’s got a team of chemists and engineers, they were able to analyse the material and work out exactly what they could do with it,” Kurt says.
Second life
Known as the Australian Dental Sustainability Initiative, the project is transforming dental acrylic waste into high-quality, eco-friendly products— developed and manufactured in Geelong.
It’s a powerful story for people to put on their websites and brochures and their marketing material as well, telling the story of disposing of waste properly rather than sending it into landfill.
Kurt Boyd, co-owner, Smile Care Denture Clinic
“It’s very exciting,” says Kurt. “We’re able to turn the byproduct of milling dentures and dental appliances into composite decking and fencing, which is made and sold in Australia.”
But it doesn’t stop there. Recently launched at Dentechno, the new Sydney-based expo run by the Australian Dental Technicians Association, the initiative has big plans—as does Kurt—to recycle more dental waste.
“This is just the beginning,” he enthuses. “ There is approximately 10,000 of these discs getting thrown into landfill each month around Australia. So, it is something big and it’s only going to keep growing as well as more people move into digital dentistry and general technology.”
Working on a subscription basis, the initiative offers dental clinics the chance to have their waste recycled as well as helps them communicate the initiative to their customers.
The new website includes an explainer video showing how the waste is converted from offcuts or byproducts into new products. Subscribers will be sent marketing materials and regular reports on the volume of waste diverted from landfill.
The initiative is less about making huge profits, and more about reducing wastage and being ecologically responsible, Kurt says.
“With this initiative we can make a big difference. Decking and composite fencing is the answer for now, but we are looking at other things that we can create from this waste.”
Spreading the word
Kurt says he is reaching out to other dental laboratories and dental clinics around the country that are milling dental appliances and dental products to try and get them involved in the project.
“Rather than throwing the byproducts in a waste bin, they can join this initiative and start making a difference. It does take up a fair bit of space, but it’s more about leaning towards a more sustainable future than an economic driver.”
He says he feels that the dental industry is keen to look at new, sustainable initiatives like the Australian Dental Sustainability Initiative. He’s excited about all the possibilities the project presents and adds that there was a lot of interest shown by the industry at the expo.
“We want people to align with the growing demand for environmentally responsible healthcare,” he says. “If people can be part of the solution rather than the problem, that would make a big difference.”
He strongly believes that by building what he calls a circular economy, it can also be a powerful message to the community, adding that since he included information about the initiative in his office, he has received some fantastic feedback from his customers.
“It’s a powerful story for people to put on their websites and brochures and their marketing material as well, telling the story of disposing of waste properly rather than sending it into landfill,” he insists.
“You’re positioning yourself as a leader in the dental industry and moving towards greener practices.”
