Dental Technology: Buying New Toys for Your Dental Office

Breakthrough Clinical as Editorial Director Stacey L. Simmons, DDS, explains why she loves her new digital scanner and dental imaging, as well as what she looks for in buying a new piece of dental technology for her practice.

It’s clear that the digital and technological world has firmly induced its footprint in dentistry, and if you’re like me, you don’t want to get left behind. That clearly arrives at a price and again, if you’re like me, you have to study world markets for the most recent and greatest gadgets and gismos, assess your finances, and then decide whether to take the plunge and purchase said toy( s ). My colleague and co-editorial director, Dr. Josh Austin, is a specialist in dental technology.

Well, the most recent addition to my digital armamentarium has not frustrated. I recently bought the Carestream CS 3600 digital scanner. What do I like best? This part of dental imaging equipment didn’t transgress my budget, its small and easy to use, it integrates with my software( Eaglesoft ), it scans promptly, customer support is readily( and easily) available, my crown/ bridge and scanned denture instances come back quickly and accurately, there are no associated fees, I don’t have to mess with impression material, and my patients desire it! They get so excited about learning a scanned image of their tooth that can be flipped around on the screen–all of their friends only have to know about it. Talk about a win-win.

I’ve only been using it 2 months and I’ve not yet tapped into the full potential of the scanner, but that will come with time. Bottom line: I’m never going back to impression material.

Sleep apnea is something I’m trying to continually learn more about, and we’re fortunate to have the president of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine as an author this month. Dr. Harold A. Smith writes about how we can bridge the gap between dentists and physicians when treating our sleep apnea patients. Teamwork is key to a successful

Retreat or apicoectomy ? What are the factors that we need to consider when a root canal is not successful? Dr. Michael Zuroff, an endodontist out of Michigan, is back to give us his perspective.

I know you’ll enjoy the pathology case from Ghana in West Africa. Give us your thoughts. You only can’t make this stuff up.

Happy fall, my friends!

Stacey L. Simmons, DDS
Editorial Director, DE’s Breakthrough Clinical with Stacey Simmons, DDS