Practice Management

Hailed as the most significant and sophisticated release since the launch of CEREC 3D almost a decade ago, CEREC®  Software 4.0 brings out the full potential of the CEREC AC Acquisition unit and its Bluecam imaging technology. Multitasking: Users can work on multiple restoration designs at the same time. Restorations also can be designed in different modes for greater flexibility.

Michael Delano, Product Specialist with Carestream Dental talks about the launch of CS SoftDent Software version 15 with Stan Goff, Executive Editor, Dental Products Report, live from the convention floor at the California Dental Association trade show.

If you’ve read my dental columns over the years, you know I’m incredibly finicky about computer backups. A digital office is absolutely dependent on a consistent and repeatable backup schedule. I cannot stress that fact enough. The saying among geeks like myself is, “The failure rate of hard drives is always 100%.”

We published an article back in 2010 about dental anxiety written by Jackie Foskett, RDH, BS, who is a Certified Hypnotherapist and founder of Healing Hypnotherapy. Foskett outlined the benefits associated with using guided relaxation in the dental office.

No one wants to be involved in a dispute that disrupts the normal flow of business to the dental practice. Disputes harm dentists financially and emotionally and cause turmoil within the practice among employees, owners and patients.

No one likes the look of wrinkles or sagging skin especially when they mar the look of a smile that has been newly improved by teeth whitening, veneers, implants or other dental procedures.

While high tech options continue to evolve and offer us ways to simplify our personal lives, transferring those same advantages into the dental office just makes sense.

Dentrix G5 includes a number of new features, none bigger than the one that makes it an “open platform” that encourages software developers (including the three highlighted below) to write applications for the practice management system to share data with the new Dentrix database.

Tips that all dental practices should use to set clear financial arrangements and expectations for their dental patients.

Do you have a legal question regarding your dental practice? Dental Products Report Legal Analyst Michael Sacopulos addresses reader questions.

A positive trend occurring within dentistry is the adoption of “green” or environmentally-friendly strategies. These strategies include the selection and use of products that are biodegradable and have less toxic byproducts, such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

I’ve had some good times in dentistry, and in addition to the good times, I’ve also learned a lot. Of course I’ve learned a lot about dentistry, I mean a license to practice is really just a license to continue to learn, but I’ve also learned a lot about my patients and how to make things better for them.

Do you have some great vendors that support your dental practice? Perhaps your computer technician does a great job coordinating all the technology in the dental office plus he’s saved the day in an emergency once or twice? Has your dental supply vendor rushed an order for you or given you a product out of her own personal stash when you were in a pinch?

If a patient walks out of your practice annoyed, that patient likely isn’t coming back. And these patients may not even tell you they’re irritated with you or one of your team members; they may smile and nod until they can finally leave, all the while thinking, “man, I need to find a new dentist.”

In October 2010, I attended the American Dental Association’s annual conference in Orlando. Just a few months before, I started a Facebook page for our practice and was struggling to come up with new and interesting posts. So, while at the conference, I attended a presentation on Social Media to learn how to use Facebook to benefit the practice.

The further you get into your career, the easier it is to become complacent, to make yourself believe there’s no point to invest in new technology or that the pains that come with practicing dentistry are just part of the job. But no matter what your age or how close you think you are to retirement, you have to continue to grow. You have to stay curious and passionate about what you do, whether you’re planning to retire in 5 years or 20 years.

In a shift at the top of the one of the dental laboratory industry's leading marketing firms, Terry Fine was recently named President of AMG Creative, Inc. Prior to the promotion, Fine served as VP of Sales and Marketing for the Colorado-based agency. Fine takes over the position from AMG founder Bill Neal, CDT, who will continue in his role as Chief Executive Officer for AMG.

This is an important decision.

When Irish dramatist Oscar Wilde wrote “To expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect” in the nineteenth century he probably did not imagine just how relevant this adage would ring true in the twenty-first century.

With dental-related ER visits on the rise, Dr. Norman Holtz's New York-based dental practice is available to patients at all hours.

The Mississippi Dental Board now requires all dental offices in Mississippi to have an automated external defibrillator (AED) onsite. This mandate deadline date is July 1, 2012. The regulation also requires that all licensed dentists and dental hygienists licensed by the State of Mississippi maintain a current certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Henry Schein announced the launch of Dentrix® G5, a new version of the Dentrix practice management system.

It is always a good idea to deal with a dental supply company whose staff takes enough time to share new dental products with you, ones that will help bring more patient comfort, care and value to your practice.

DPR Technology Editor Dr. John Flucke uses Google Voice to simplify communications both inside and outside of the dental office.

Unlike the majority of his peers in dental school at the New York University College of Dentistry, Dr. Zuckerberg wasn’t pursuing dentistry as part of a family legacy. On his first day of dental school, talk of bridges had him thinking about the Brooklyn versus Verrazano.

Research presented by the American Association of Dental Research shows that periodontal treatment and appropriate dental care can help lower the medical costs for diabetic patients.

I never met Dr. Thomas Hoyt, but his idea to create a publication dedicated to bringing new product information to the dentist is what made Dental Products Report possible. Dr. Hoyt passed away this week, on March 21, 2012. As the original visionary and publisher behind DPR, Dr. Hoyt utilized his experience as a dentist - he graduated from Loyola Dental School in Chicago in 1953 - to determine best practices for meeting the information needs of his peers.

Thirty years ago a long-lasting friendship was formed between dentists Michael Chalef and Harold Enoch. Both were sitting in on the Georgia Dental Licensing Board exam when they first met.

I believe I just got a glimpse of the future. For some time I have been speaking and writing about the far out ways we could be using digital technology in the future. Things like cloud computing, data mining, self learning virtual brains, data base marketing, artificial intelligence and fully automated e-services. All of these far out future ideas have been put into play with a new online service called Practice Activator from ActionRun.

COLUMBUS, Ga., July 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Aflac (NYSE:AFL), the number one provider of voluntary and guaranteed renewable insurance in the United States, provides a simple, no direct cost option for employers to make dental insurance coverage available to employees without the hassle of network restrictions, deductibles or annual premium reviews. Addressing a top employer challenge of making competitive benefits available to attract and retain talent, Aflac's dental insurance policy helps meet the needs of both employers and employees.