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Volume2 Issue8
S
upporting
Y
our
P
ractice
In thisdigital age, clinical andpracticemanagement information is thrown
atusright, leftandcentrefromsuppliers,ourcolleaguesandspeakerswhom
we respect and lookup to asmentors. I’ll be honest, at the endof the day,
Isometimesfind itoverwhelming!Worse, if the information isdivergentor
conflicting, itcanbecomeconfusing.
Recently,mybusinesspartner and I decided to invest inadigital impression system. My
partner doesn’t have thepassionor desire to invest a lot of time in researchingor vetting
suchproductsor systems so I tookon that role. I startedwheremost peoplewouldand
asked thevarious sales reps for informationondifferent systems. I foundout quickly that
while the sales repsmay know the systems, theydon’t knowall the technical intricaciesof
every systemon themarket. Furthermore, dependingon thedealer, theymayhavedifferent
incentives to recommendonecompany’sproduct over another.
Given the “busy-ness” of dailypractice, I buried thisproject for awhilebut resurrected it
when I registered toattendawell-knowndental convention in theU.S. Here, Imade itmy
mission to takeahalf dayaway fromCEcourses todomyown researchon theexhibit floor
andfindoutwhat digital impression systemactuallymade sense for our practice. After all, no
oneelse knowsour practicebetter thanus. Questions thatwere topofmymind included:
• What systemwouldfitbest inouroffice?
• Howeasilywould it integrate intoour existingworkflow?
• Howmuch supportwouldweget from thecompany—frompurchase to installation
andbeyond?
• Was the systemgoing tobecomeobsoleteor could itbeupgraded in the future?
Walking theexhibit floor turnedout tobemybest decision inmyquest tofinda system to
satisfyour practice’sneeds. Speakingwith representatives from theactualmanufacturers
(rather than thedealers that sell the systems) allowedme toask specificquestions regarding
the technical (hardwareand software) specifications thatwewould require. Theywerealso
able togivemequitedetailed information toensure thatwehad theproper IT infrastructure
to support the system. I alsogot tohear firsthand fromdifferent repswhy their systemwas
better than thecompetition’s andwas able tocompare them formyself.
Additionally, bybeingon theexhibit floor, I could test andhandleeach systemandmake
real-timecomparisons.
• Howeasywas it to learn the system?
• Howheavyor cumbersomewas it?
• Would itfit in the smalleroperatorieseasily?
• Were the images clean?
• Wouldour teambecomfortableusing it as theywouldbeusing the system for study
andorthomodels?
Currently,wedon’tmill our own restorationsbut itwas still important to knowhowwecould
incorporate this intoour futureworkflow. Mypartner and I are fairlyparticular and like to
workwithcertain laboratoriesbecauseof thequalitywork theyproduce. As a result, itwas
important for us toget our labs’ input or experiencewithany systemwewereconsidering.
THEMASKED
DENTIST
Anonymousby choice,
the “MaskedDentist”
will providehis/her
personal experiences
aboutpractisingdentistry
inCanadafrom time to
time. In this installment,
ourMaskedDentist is
ageneraldentistwith
anoffice inanurban
Canadian city.
APractitioner’s Perspective
Theviewsexpressedarethoseoftheauthor
anddonotnecessarilyreflecttheopinions
orofficialpoliciesoftheCanadianDental
Association.
Digital Impressions
