Here is a primer I am developing of dental products. In the future there will be links to manufacturers and specific products:
Introduction
The modern dental office is now technology driven. This statement can be said safely in the year 2005 due to the proliferation of new equipment and predictable and affordable in-office computer networks. What we hope to do here is give a preliminary roadmap to the practitioner who wants to update his or her office, or a guide for the new practitioner to set up a digital office from the start. The latter could be quite simple. Just get a loan, go to a supply house and say- "set me up". The suppliers can pick and choose layout, equipment and installers all under their direction, with minimal input from the practitioner. The problem is that as you will see, each supplier/integrator/designer has preferred products that have been chosen either from personal preferences, or corporate alliances. As Jerry Seinfeld once said- "Not that there's anything wrong with that". I hope to give you a better understanding of the products, procedures and systems that will help put this office of your dreams together.
PRELIMINARIES
The first thing on the agenda is an office philosophy or mission statement. What sort of practice do you envision? Will it be care for the masses, or treatment for the select few? Do you want to do all procedures yourself or will you have helpers in the office? If you are a current practitioner, what is your skill set? What is your personality- ie- are you very verbal or do you let the treatment do the talking? More clinically, do you think about comprehensive restoration of teeth or of the whole mouth? What is your comfort level with bonding a cusp back on to a molar as opposed to a crown or onlay? What is the minimum periodontal situation you will accept prior to a restoration? Do you want to see a lot of children?
The reason I am getting more specific with this series of
questions is that the answers will determine which technologies you might tend
to migrate to. For example, there are CAD systems that will make spectacular
partial or full coverage restorations in one visit. There are lasers that can
assist in periodontal treatment. Do you purchase these items first and then
figure out how they will perform in your practice? Many practitioners fall into
that trap and then try and disown the expensive piece of equipment. Informed
decisions on technology pieces have to be based on their value to your own style
of practice. Take a deep breath.
COMPUTER INFRASTRUCTURE
The basic office functions will run with a practice management software system, which by nature requires a computer network. I have to qualify this by allowing for the few practices that only want a computer at the "front desk". The PM systems can certainly run that way, but we are talking about the modern dental office. Having said this, a budget has to begin here with a look at what it will take to put computers in all of the treatment rooms, private offices, front desk, waiting room and other areas such as lab or staff room. All of a sudden the "3 op" office now needs a network of 6 or 7 computers. It is beyond the scope or wants of most dentists to set up and administrate their own networks. The particular configurations are also tied into the Practice Management software that may determine some networking and setup issues. A few companies have taken over the majority of the dental software marketplace. There are some smaller companies with fully functional products but limit the support. Their contention is that they are solid platforms and can train and support from within the software. The financial saving comes from the fact that they do not need a large support team with on-demand service. There are also smaller regional companies that best concentrate on a limited geographic area allowing excellent local support. The listing here may leave some out due to their visibility, not by design.
PAPERLESS?
A goal of many is to set up a totally electronic chart. There are offices that do not have a pen or pencil in sight. The terminology here should be chartless. There is no harm in having a few forms around as long as they are ultimately accessible through the digital system. Totally paperless in an established practice may not be an easy task. The thought of scanning all of the old records and radiographs is monumental, expensive and perhaps unnecessary. The goal should be to establish a date after which all charts are digital. Anything that needs to be found prior can still be looked up "the old way". Most offices find that after two recalls, as long as there is a current full series of digital radiographs and digital photos, the old records begin to gather dust after a year. There will always be some patients with a lot of ongoing treatment- in those situations the charts can be scanned as they are in use. Of course a new practitioner can start paperless from the beginning. No old records or old habits to contend with.
COMPUTER NETWORKING
Many practitioners pride themselves on being able to design and build computers and networks, the author notwithstanding. This s admirable and perhaps cost saving until the network breaks down while the doctor is on vacation or in the middle of an extended procedure. The staff must patiently wait, with a disabled appointment and billing schedule, grumbling in the interim. The doctor appears the next day triumphant after spending a good part of the evening troubleshooting and fixing the situation. The solution for the majority is to have someone else do the hardware installation and maintenance. The practice management systems usually have strategic partners, including their own staff, to take care of this. Service and maintenance contracts may appear to be costly, but far less than downtime or lost data. There are dozens of local integrators and some national. The listing here comes primarily from those who have advertised nationally, exhibited at dental meetings and my own research.
Index:
CAD systems- in office
CAD systems (Lab)
ConeBeam CT systems- hardware
ConeBeam CT systems - software/reconstruction/ implant planning