10 Questions with Carestream's Dr. David Gane

A conversation with the VP of Dental Imaging for Carestream Dental.  

1 Tell us a little about the company’s background.
Created from several companies that joined together, Carestream Dental has roots that date back to the late 1800s with the first dental radiographs. Carestream Dental employs a number of dental professionals in senior management positions. And, our key differentiator is that we design, develop, manufacture, sell and support our wide portfolio of products.

2 What makes the RVG 6100 sensor so popular?
The RVG 6100 is the complete digital x-ray system. It delivers the highest image quality available in three sensor sizes. And it is immersible, so it can be properly sanitized and safely used in all clinical situations. It can also be used with Logicon caries detection software for computer assisted interproximal caries diagnosis.

3 How important is it for practices to consider their imaging options and choices when they‘re building or remodeling a practice?
The importance of deciding which imaging systems to use and how to best implement them cannot be overstated. Imaging systems are fundamental to every dental practice and all options must be considered thoughtfully and thoroughly when starting a new practice, or remodeling an existing one. Intraoral cameras, x-ray systems including phosphor plate, direct digital, pan, ceph 2D / 3D and how these systems integrate into your practice management system and work flow can make or break a busy practice.

4 With a wide array of products, how does Carestream Dental educate dentists on the benefits of its offerings?
We believe that the best way to talk to dental professionals is through relating to them as clinicians. So, we spend a great deal of time educating dentists, and their staff, on the improved diagnostics Carestream Dental products can bring to their practice.

5 How do you involve the entire dental staff in this education?
We focus on the dentist, specialist and practice staff through continuing education courses focused on improving their workflow and how to better utilize our practice management software. We do that in multiple forums, including tradeshows, symposia, customer conferences, lectures/presentations webinars, white papers and journal articles.

6 What is the focus behind Carestream’s products?
All of our products are designed to meet our three key philosophies: diagnostic excellence, workflow integration and humanized technology. One of many products that exemplifies these attributes is the CS 9000 3D. It combines multiple modalities, focused field CBCT panoramic and optional cephalometric imaging. It is the lowest dose and highest resolution CBCT on the market. It allows for face to face patient operator positioning to optimize image quality and integrates seamlessly with our other imaging and PM technologies.

7 What are the benefits of being part of a tradition rich company known for great products?
With ties to industry leaders such as Eastman Kodak, Trophy Radiologie and Practiceworks, dental professionals worldwide have come to see us as their trusted guide on dental image technologies and produce in excess of 800,000,000 dental images per year with Carestream Dental products. With that comes the responsibility to constantly provide innovative products that raise the bar on image quality and work flow… and we don’t disappoint.

8 How do ergonomic considerations come into play when developing new products?
Humanized technology is one of the cornerstones of our product philosophy, and carefully designed ergonomics can make the difference between a good vs. a great product. We call on the collective wisdom of our huge customer base to provide input on how to make our products easier to use in the clinical environment. We then vigorously test new products to ensure we have got it right before we release the product to the market.

9 Can we expect more product launches in 2012?
Yes, we are launching our next generation panoramic imaging system at the ADA, the CS 8100. The unit’s predecessor was considered a workhorse and had a very good life in the market. The CS 8100 builds on that reliable technology but delivers an all new, compact imaging system.  

10 What Carestream Dental products does every new dental practice need to have today?
Every modern practice should have a solid practice management system, intraoral cameras and consider CBCT imaging. The latest version of CS SoftDent has just been released with a brand new Scheduler, allowing office staff the freedom to multitask with a very user friendly workflow. Our CS 1600 intraoral camera and RVG 6100 are essential tools for assisting in the detection of caries.

Finally, for offices looking to implement cone beam technology our CS 9300 comes in two configurations allowing the practitioner to choose between four or seven fields of view, panoramic and optional Cephalometric imaging. It is the ultimate diagnostic tool.