Technology

From the beginning of time there has been a chasm between dental software vendors and their customers. For the most part, this has been due to miscommunication between parties and limited technical knowledge on the side of the dental practice. At the end of the day, in many cases this has built up a limited trust with software vendors.

Money tends not to grow on trees, and given the current state of the economy – not to mention issues specific to the dental industry – buying new equipment is rarely a frivolous endeavor. Doctors have to weigh the pros and cons of their needs and wants against their available funds before making purchases – no matter the size.

As crazy as this may sound, I always wanted to be a dentist. At the age of three, I declared my intentions to my family and then worked toward that goal.I never wanted to be a policeman, a fireman or anything else (OK ... maybe for a few days I wanted to be James Bond, but that had more to do with the girls and gadgets than anything else).

There was a time when the purchase of a new piece of software came with a user’s manual the size of a phone book. Now, both phone books and instruction manuals are all but extinct. Instruction duties have been transferred to trainers, online classrooms and tutorials. Unfortunately many dentists don’t take advantage of training opportunities, which is a big mistake.

Healthcare data is always going to be at risk. Breaches continue to grab all of the headlines, and dental providers are exposed to the same risk.

Being the kind of practitioner we all desire to be requires a serious commitment.

Having had the pleasure the past few years of helping practices transition to electronic health records (including prescribing systems), I was excited to see that New York State was making ePrescribing (eRX) mandatory for both medical and dental providers beginning March 27, 2016.

As most of you are aware at this point, there is a mandate for all providers in New York State to begin prescribing electronically (eRX) beginning March 27, 2015.

The American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) will host its annual spring conference at the Hilton Chicago on May 2-3, 2015.

Every dental office is different. Practices specialize in particular areas of dentistry and focus on a number of varied treatments. Yet there is one thing that unites all offices: The desire to help patients understand exactly what is being recommended to them and why. 

Since 2003, Laura Hatch and her husband, dentist Anthony Hatch, have been rocking dentistry. When they opened the doors at their Maryland practice, they chose a rock-and-roll theme that has carried over to their new practice in San Diego, Scripps Rock Dental, which they opened in 2008.

Dentists know any successful practice management solution is going to be a digital one.

Last week’s “Straight Talk” episode was a huge success! It is apparent that hands-on programs dealing with ultrasonics remain of interest to many of us. Thank you to Rachel Wall for her time and for sharing how we can continue to improve our skills. This inspired me to recognize and appreciate three things that have made me a better dental hygienist.

In a move likely to send waves through the 3D printing market, Stratasys has introduced the Objet Eden260VS Dental Advantage 3D Printer.

When leveraged effectively, Eaglesoft can make a dentist’s job easier and take away many stresses of running a practice. But with so many tools available in the program, it can sometimes be difficult to use each one effectively. Below I’ve listed 10 tools in Eaglesoft that every dental practice should be using:

The end of one year and the beginning of another is always a great time for reflection, introspection, and planning.

It’s easy to get good electronic health record (EHR) software, but according to Mike Uretz of DentalSoftwareAdvisor.com, unless it’s implemented correctly you’re still going to have problems.

I consider myself to be a pretty decent dentist, but I’ve never considered myself to be the kind of guy who could tell his CPA, “Don’t worry about filing for me this year. I’ve got this.” I mean, we all have our core competencies, but mine lie more in the area of linear thought, sketching schematics, programming, clinical testing, and that sort of mundane stuff.

In 2014, I wrote a plethora of articles for Dental Products Report and Dental Practice Management about the projected future of electronic health records in dentistry. Recently, I have had the opportunity to sit in on numerous EHR vendor demos for clients ranging from small practices to large groups and DSOs. The bottom line is that I have had an insider look that most people don’t have into what 2015 will bring when it comes to EHR adoption.

We have seen some tremendous advances in our beloved profession of dentistry in the last 25 years or so. As computing power has increased, research and development in many areas of dentistry has allowed us opportunities to perform procedures that would have had G.V. Black as happy as a hungry shark in a swimming pool full of tuna.

As technology continues to provide unparalleled advances and innovation, dental practices continue to change their methods for performing treatments, maintaining patient records and communication. 

SurgiTel® announced the debut of the world’s first touch-free headlight LED, The Eclipse™ LED.

Each year, Dr. John Flucke shares his predictions for emerging and continuing dental industry trends in the coming year. Here are his predictions for 2015.

Dental equipment manufacturer Planmeca USA originally developed Planmeca Romexis software as an open architecture system, making it compatible with all software operating systems and dental equipment from other companies.

Every year, Dental Products Report compiles lists of the most viewed and most downloaded articles, products, e-books, webinars and how-to guides on dentalproductsreport.com. Here are the 10 most-viewed articles of 2014.

Last year at this time, we talked about some key trends heading into 2014, and many of those same trends will continue to play a big role in the dental industry in 2015 and beyond. 

There are lots of things I love about my job at Dental Products Report. I get to meet incredibly bright and driven people, I get to travel to meetings that allow me to see the latest and greatest in our great profession, and I get to test and experiment with the products and gear that will be available to my readers in the next year or two.

It was like a movie: The upstart son passionately fights with his father over the family business needing to take the technological leap. And true to the script, the son’s vision and hardheadedness eventually earns the grudging respect and admiration of the father. And in this real-life case, it’s a happy ending as the move alters the fortunes of the family business.

"So, how do you put a geeky germophobe to good use? Make him the office manager."