The DEXIS Platinum digital x-ray system comforts, engages patients

Matt Davis has had his share of dental x-rays taken over the years, but some of the experiences were so bad that he really wanted to try and avoid future x-rays at all costs.

“It (discomfort) used to be to the point where you really didn’t want to take the x-rays,” he said. “I would tell doctors unless it’s absolutely necessary, I don’t want to do it. And unless they really knew what they were doing, it took forever. It was like I just lost 20 minutes shoving x-rays in my mouth.”

But that was before he started going to Dr. Jason Barth’s Salina Dental Arts about two years ago. Dr. Barth uses DEXIS digital x-ray, and both he and patients like Matt are thankful he does.

“One of the main differences we noticed was the sensor itself; it seems to be much more comfortable for patients,” said Dr. Barth, who used a different system before his practice converted to Dentrix and switched to the DEXIS Platinum Sensor at the same time. “The thing that’s nice from our standpoint is the convenience of having just one sensor. We’ve also noticed the quality of the images has gone up a lot.”

Dr. Barth’s patients also are thrilled to hear digital radiography exposes them to much lower doses of radiation.

The patient’s perspective
The first part that Matt and his wife enjoyed about the practice and working with Dr. Barth was the attention to detail. It felt nothing like a doctor’s office, and when they walked in, it felt like they were in a friend’s house.

“They walk out, they greet us and they walk you through each step of the process,” Matt said. “Once we got into the x-rays, that’s when things began to shift for me. I’d been to older practices that weren’t using digital x-ray and I was ready for it to be uncomfortable and to bite down on this and to hold your breath…we didn’t have to do any of that.”

He added that the quicker process comes with many benefits, not just the time savings. “Whenever you walk into a dentist’s office you never know for sure when you’re actually going to get in,” he said. “But when we walked in for our initial process and getting set up and having our x-rays taken, everything was seamless.

“When we got to the x-ray part it was like ‘Done,’ and the next thing you know the assistant is showing us the images right away. ‘Here’s your x-ray. Everything looks good.’ That quickly. Wow.”

With the whole case file right there, Matt felt very present when the doctor came in. The patient and the doctor see the same thing with the same clarity and detail, and there’s no delay for film to be developed and run to the doctor. In the past, this waiting period for the film to develop was “the worst because you’re not sure what you’re supposed to do, and what they’re going to find,” Matt said.

“I think in any kind of medical visit there’s always some kind of anxiety about what they’re going to find,” he said. “Is there something bad? Are they taking their time because they don’t want to tell me? Or are they maybe trying to figure out a plan to try and sell me something I don’t need?”

New confidence
Now Matt expects to enjoy his dental visits more and he has a better feeling about what the practice is doing for him.

“You sense he’s investing in his patients. He’s investing in a process to appreciate our time. They have a consultation room set up. You see it on a large screen and there are no secrets. The dentist is your guide and they’re guiding you through what you can see in your own mouth. All of a sudden this person is a partner with you. It decreases anxiety and increases your confidence in the doctor.”