A dentist revitalized by CEREC and Galileos

For Rich Cooper, DDS, starting his own dental practice had its challenges. When he opened West Loop Dental Associates in Chicago, Ill., in 2000, he realized how difficult it is to attract patients to a new practice versus buying a practice with an existing patient base. Despite the difficulty getting off the ground, he and his staff were highly motivated and excited about the work they were doing.

By 2010, the practice had grown tremendously. Unfortunately, the excitement level had died, the day-to-day tasks had become routine and the work was no longer challenging. Find out how Dr. Cooper integrated new technology into his practice to make dentistry exciting again.

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When did you first consider CEREC and why?
My Patterson representative, Michele Geno, invited me to visit another doctor who was using CEREC successfully. I was blown away by the technology and the quality of restorations that CEREC was able to produce.

What made you decide to purchase a CEREC?
I started looking at some of the hard numbers and how I could actually incorporate this into my practice. My Patterson representative told me everything I would need to know as far as costs and productivity.

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What do you like most about your CEREC?
The convenience of being able to provide one-day dentistry is amazing. I have total control over my restorations and patients love the fact that they do not have to deal with messy impression material and temporaries.  Seeing the detail of my work magnified on a computer screen has made me a better dentist.

How has CEREC affected production?
Before getting CEREC, I was taking impressions and sending all of my cases to a lab. Now I can complete most restorations the same day, for less time and less money.

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What is the biggest difference?
It literally changed the way I practice dentistry and essentially changed my life. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t get up and look forward to going to work. I’m excited about dentistry again, and I’m more integrated in the dental community than ever. I’m doing presentations on CEREC and XG 3D, I’m a mentor on CERECdoctors.com and am now educating other doctors about the technology.

When did you decide to integrateOrthophos XG 3D CBCT into your practice?
About four months after getting CEREC, I went to a 3D Summit in Chicago and after the first hour I tracked down my Patterson equipment specialist and said, “Let’s make this happen.” I had signed on for GALILEOS before I even left.

What has been the best thing about having GALILEOS XG 3D?
The CBCT shows me pathologies that we otherwise wouldn’t see, so we’re recognizing work that patients need to have done that we otherwise wouldn’t have seen on traditional 2D X-rays. It has also made implant placement much more predictable, because of the integration with CEREC. It allows me to plan my implants from the crown down, which leads to better results.

Why are you glad that you incorporated this new technology into your practice?
I have total control over the process from start to finish and it’s totally digital. Coming to the office is enjoyable now. All of these products that are the newest, the latest and greatest, are making my day-to-day work very smooth, very easy and mostly predictable. The level of care that I’m able to provide is the highest – this is going to be the standard of care one day, we just happen to be ahead of the curve.

This article originally appeared in the September 2014 issue of Dental Products Report. For articles on other upcoming products, click here to subscribe to DPR's newsletter.