Planmeca's ProMax Pan/Ceph digital x-ray system provides clean, repeatable images

I’ve been using the Planmeca's ProMax since early 2010 when I expanded my office. The Planmeca sales rep presented it to me and when I saw what the pan could do I really liked it. Because I was modernizing my office and expanding it, I thought adding the ProMax was the natural way to take it, to move into digital and go paperless.

What would you say are the ProMax’s main benefits?

The patients really like the machine. They love the digital x-rays and not having to put sensors in their mouths to take bitewing x-rays. The images are very clean and they’re very repeatable. You get so much more information on the bitewing feature than you do with just regular intraoral bitewings because you actually see part of the jaw and the whole structure of the teeth. You see from the canine to the third molar area on both sides from the bitewings and that’s really nice.

We haven’t been able to get clean x-rays on patients with gagging issues for years, and this eliminates that. It’s especially good for kids because you don’t have to worry about cooperation as much and you get a lot of information from pan bitewings. You see erupting teeth, missing teeth and you can explain to parents what’s going on and get a clear picture of what’s underneath before you treat that primary tooth.

Plus the radiation levels are crazy low. I think they’re almost 40 percent lower radiation than you used to get. It’s also a huge time saver.

How do your patients react to the ProMax?

Everybody I put through the machine who gets bitewings without putting a sensor or film in their mouth loves it. They are like, ‘Wow this is so much nicer than the other way. I couldn’t stand putting that stuff in my mouth before.’ I would say 90 percent of my patients tell me they love it as soon as they walk out of the machine. I have a computer screen mounted on the wall next to the pan, so patients get to see images as soon as they leave and when they go back to the hygiene room the images are already up on the monitor.
It’s way cool. The images are just really clean, a lot cleaner than any other pan I’ve seen before and it just helps you get paperless. In doing that it also helps present an image that you’re on top of technology, that you’re current with the times and you’re making an effort to stay modern. I think the patients appreciate that.

Why would you encourage other dentists to try the ProMax?

If other dentists look at it and see what it can do and if they’re in the market to buy technology or upgrade their office then I think this x-ray machine sells itself. I think it will save them time. I think it will actually increase patient loyalty because they can see the dentist dedicating more time and effort back into the practice, plus any time you upgrade technology in your office it makes your practice easier to sell when it’s time to go. Plus it’s nice using new equipment. It’s nice learning about new equipment and using the technology.