going digital: stories from dentists that made the switch · 2018. 6. 13. · viva smile dentistry...

Going Digital: Stories From Dentists That

Made The Switch

23M True Definition Scanner Customer Chronicles

Foreword

It started with a little FOMO. You know...fear of missing out. Lots of my friends had gone digital a while ago. They bragged about restorations that fit really well. They raved about reduced crown seat times and they revelled in how much they were saving on lab fees. In short...I was missing out.

But the cost...whoa. How could I justify spending that much on a technology that was unproven in my hands? I wasn’t sure if I was ready to spend that much money on a technology that I was unfamiliar with. I wasn’t sure I could buy a product from a company that was essentially a big unknown to me. Then I took a look at the 3M™ True Definition Scanner.

I had seen it at the Chicago Midwinter earlier in 2016, but I had also seen a lot of other products and technologies there. Meetings like the Midwinter are great, except everything tends to blend together in my memory. I decided to talk with a couple of friends who I knew were really capable clinicians. It turns out, I know some pretty smart people that had already been using the 3M True Definition Scanner for awhile. And they really liked it!

I scheduled a demo in my office, and we pulled the trigger. Now, I’d never go back!

In the following pages, you’ll get to experience other dentists sharing about their journey to digital dentistry. It’s our hope that you will find someone in here whose story you can relate to. Because at the end of the day, sometimes it helps to know that there are others like you out there—thinking, comparing and deciding—and then making the change to a successful digital practice.

Good luck to you in your digital journey!

Sincerely,

Alan Mead

Alan Mead, DDSMead Family Dental, Co-Founder of The Dental Hacks Podcast

I’d never go back!”– Dr. Alan Mead

“

The opinions and experiences expressed are those of the authors and may not reflect the experiences of other clinicians.

3M has paid to sponsor an episode of Alan Mead’s The Dental Hacks Podcast.


Dr. Juan ArrueJ.M. Arrue, DMD, LLC.

I’ve had my practice in Conyers, Georgia for 29 years. It’s not a big operation— a couple hygienists, two dental assistants, three front office staff and myself—but I’ve always been interested in how technology can streamline operations and increase our efficiency. I’ve used computers for charting and scheduling since the 90’s; I switched to digital panoramic X-ray and digital X-ray sensors long before they were standard practice. So, exploring digital impressioning with an intraoral scanner seemed like a natural progression.

Images courtesy of Digital Dental Leaders Laboratory in Montclair, California.

For me, price was very much a deciding factor when it came to choosing a scanner. I was ready to make the investment, but I also wantedto be smart about it. That’s what led me to the 3M True Definition Scanner in the first place. And after I had a demo of the system and met the rep, I knew it was a good fit for me and would make good fitting crowns for my patients.

I used to dread seating crowns with traditional impression materials. I never knew if it was going to fit, or how long it would take. Now, I have no concerns! They fit every time, and the margins are excellent, which gives me confidence that what we’re doing is the highest quality. My seat times have gone from around 40 minutes to 10 minutes, and those time savings alone have been the biggest pay-off in my eyes.

“ ”

The crowns made from a digital scan fit every time, and the margins are excellent…

My suggestion for other dentists out there that are curious about digital impressioning would be to talk to your lab. Finding the right lab is crucial, and mine has been an invaluable partner to me throughout the process. They work day-in, day-out with multiple brands of scanners, so they can make suggestions and answer questions.

Reliable sales reps also make a big difference. They have helped me out in a pinch when I had questions figuring out the system. When I first got it, I spent a whole weekend at my office just practicing and getting used to how the wand felt. Yes, there were some growing pains learning the technology. Would I go back? No way.

Yes, there were some growing pains learning the technology. Would I go back? No way.”– Dr. Juan Arrue

“

The opinions and experiences expressed are those of the author and may not reflect the experiences of other clinicians.


Dr. Ryan ConkleSaddleback Dentistry

We’re a general dentistry practice with a heavy emphasis on implants. In that setting, we saw what a 3D Cone Beam CBCT could do and felt that it made us very current in our technology. So, the question became, if we’re current in that regard, why aren’t we current in everything?

When I go to see a doctor, I expect him to know his field, to be current in his technology and approach. If I expect it of others, I expect it of myself, and I do believe it matters to our patients. We want our practice to give off a vibe that we’re operating at the highest level of health care efficacy.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not always an early adopter; I won’t buy into a technology for technology sake. However, if it’s clear to me there is an advantage, then yes; I’m all in and quickly. And with intraoral scanning, I was all in. In fact, I couldn’t believe how fast we got good at it. It only took about 2-3 days to become very comfortable with the 3M True Definition Scanner.

Additionally, you can’t discount the staff and how it makes them feel about their work. They are very into the technology and actually have scan competitions to see who can get the fastest, best scan. I’ll scan the prep and the quadrant and they’ll take over for the opposing and bite. It’s exciting for everyone, and your biggest worry is watching out for scan hogs who always want to use the 3M scanner!

The new technology leaves an incredibly positive impression of the practice with our patients. They love it and they brag about it to their friends. I’ve heard on many occasions, ‘I chose your office because I like your high-tech approach. You have a very modern practice.’

At the end of the day, when we made this decision, the system we chose had to be accurate and easy-to-use; our entire experience has exceeded my expectations. Even the rep who sold me the system kept checking back in to make sure things were going well… technology-wise, clinically, and relative to training and support, too.

I would encourage any dental practitioner to explore this technology.

You have to upgrade your practice or you’ll fall behind. And, it’s easier to do it a little at a time! In my experience, this technology can make you better. It makes the people around you proud of it and the care that you’re giving. That confidence and positive attitude are things that patients really do notice!

“ ”

Do your due diligence. Understand what you need for your practice and then do it! Jump in full force and don’t be afraid of any challenges. You’ll overcome them!”– Dr. Ryan Conkle

“



Dr. Gohar HovsepyanViva Smile Dentistry

Not everyone wants to mill their own crowns chairside. I certainly didn’t. So, when my husband brought a chairside CAD/CAM system into his practice, I was interested in, and impressed by the technology and the quality of the crowns.

At the time, I had no intention of going that far myself. But, I learned from that experience that digital technology might be a better option for taking impressions and producing precise crowns faster than traditional methods. With that in mind, I decided to bring digital impression technology into my practice.

Be open to new. You might be in for some good surprises.”– Dr. Gohar Hovsepyan

Many dentists I’ve encountered want to hold back, stay in their shell and not try new things—because the materials they use work for them. I understand that change can be difficult, but I try to be open-minded. I really believe that we must look into new techniques and technologies, or we’re limiting ourselves.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not what you would call an ‘early adopter.’ Far from it. I prefer to observe and wait the technology out a little, and I’m glad I did. The early scanners probably would have disappointed me, and there weren’t even many to evaluate.

When we were researching scanners two years ago, I was most interested in ease-of-use, with user-friendly hardware and software. I didn’t need anything overly complicated because I knew I wouldn’t use all the features anyway.

Of course cost was important too, as well as training. Bottom line: you need to know what’s important to you and what you’re trying to accomplish with the technology. Each intraoral scanner has its nuances, and depending on what you value most, you’ll be able to compare and contrast fairly easily. I wanted ease-of-use, both in hardware and software. I wanted a reasonable price and a system that met my needs, and I found it in the 3M True Definition Scanner.

“

”

Now we’re scanning daily, taking 50-60 scans a month, and we’ve had no issues. It only takes me one minute to scan a prep.

Of course, that’s today. It’s been almost two years now, but I remember my first prep… I was freaking out! I told myself that no matter how good the impression looked on screen, I was still taking an impression with my traditional materials, too! Needless to say, the process was smooth and worry-free. The lab I chose turned the crown around in three days, and it dropped right in. It took me about a week to be completely comfortable with the scanner, and I would not go back.

Images courtesy of Viva Smile Dentistry.

“



My journey began years ago when the first scanners started coming out. I would look and play at conventions, which was interesting, but I wasn’t sold in those early years.

Once newer iterations of the scanners started coming out, a friend of mine bought in and said his seat time was cut way down. That really got my attention!

Of course, I still had homework to do. Earlier in my career, if I’d get excited about a piece of equipment, I’d buy it right there. Not anymore. In the last 15 years, if I was thinking about buying into a technology, I was calling people and asking questions. “What’s the learning curve? How is the quality of the outcome? Cost? Support?” You name it, I was asking.

Eventually, I called up my dealer representative and asked him to bring in three scanners: True Definition from 3M, CEREC from Sirona, and Trios from 3Shape. I evaluated them on the factors that were most important to me, including ease-of-use, speed of scanning, good mobility (NOT giant in size), no-brainer price point, and that it was from a company that would stand behind it.

After checking all the boxes during the demonstrations, I made the decision to purchase and I love it.

Transitionally, it was pretty easy. After I bought the 3M True Definition Scanner, we had it in the practice before the trainer came out. I used that time to practice scanning on models and eventually, the staff. When the 3M trainer got there, I was ready to go!

The quality of the digitalimpression is better, so crowns fit better. The marginintegrity is excellent. There is less lab error and trimming.

The principles of taking a good impression are the same whether it’s traditional or digital. You want good isolation and a dry field. If you don’t have those, it’s frustrating no matter what you’re using! And, when you do obtain them, you can be successful with materials or technologies. However, in my experience, the margins are better with digital scanning and its just so much faster!

“

”

Dr. James KahalKahal & Wight, Comprehensive Dental Care

Do your homework. Look at several systems and decide what works well in your hands. Consider the cost and consider the source. Are they going to be around? I needed to have a trusted company behind the tech. That support was really important to me.”– Dr. James Kahal

“



Zirconia was really the starting point for me in bringing in digital impressioning. My wife and I practice together at two locations, and we were transitioning from PFM to zirconia. Because of all that you can do digitally with zirconia, I really wanted to go model-less at the same time. Digital impressioning offered an easy path to model-less dentistry and I jumped at it!

When you have models, there is always a risk in something going wrong in that process—the impression can have issues, the stone, the die—plenty of potential areas for error. With digital impressioning, that’s all gone, and the consistency is unbelievable.

Dentists are in the driver seat on this decision. You can call up companies directly or talk to your dealer rep and bring in any combination of systems that you want to see. That’s what I did. I simply told them I was interested in buying a scanner and wanted to get the scanners in front of me for demos. We looked at the Align, 3M, Planmeca and 3Shape. I evaluated them and chose the system that I thought was best—the 3M True Definition Scanner—based on cost-effectiveness, a no-nonsense result, and really good training and support.

You also can talk with other doctors who are taking digital impressions. We speak the same language, so it’s nice to have a little sounding board in someone who is looking at similar things.

At the end of the day, just do it. In my mind there is no reason why you should be doing traditional impressions for one, two or three unit restorations… I would never go back!

I’ve been asked about ROI (return on investment)—does this save you any money? Honestly, I’ve not been focused on a dollar amount savings. What I’ve focused on is that I rarely have to adjust a crown anymore. As fast as we can get patients in the chair, we’re seating crowns and all that my staff has to do is clean up the cement.

If you get a good scan, you get a good crown. Simple as that. With an all digital workflow, we’ve cut our turnaround time in half.

I was really surprised by the patient reaction. They like to see what we are doing, and this gives them a bit of a ‘Wow’ factor. Don’t underestimate the effect on your patients.”– Dr. A. Thomas Shields

“

“

“

”

”

A. Thomas Shields, DMDShields Family Dentistry



Dr. Giovanni PisoniBergoma, Italy

I remember it was very difficult to operate at the beginning, when I first bought my scanner. Learning the system was no simple feat because it was so new, and I had no specific process in place to follow. Everything I did was tested and invented, day-by-day and case-to-case. At that point, the technology was not nearly as refined, and the system was lacking in terms of ease-of-use.

By the time I had my next intraoral scanner, the 3M™ Mobile True Definition Scanner, there was no frustration. Partly because I was familiar with the digital aspect, but largely because it was just easy to use. Everything from the file management and capturing accurate scans to using the wand.

First and foremost, my patients are my priority.

I want them to have a positive experience when they sit in my chair, and minimize any discomfort best I can. The 3M True Definition Scanner has allowed me to accomplish that, because the wand is so compact and ergonomic.

I’ve actually had patients that were referred to my practice by their friends simply because I have the scanner.

The dental assistants at my office have also quickly adapted to the new protocol with the scanner; they enjoy that there are less components like trays and pickups.

Being able to dually enhance the accuracy of my impressions and make my patients happy has made the intraoral scanner a worthwhile investment for my practice.

I jumped right into digital impressioning soon after the technology was first introduced. In fact, I had my first scanner nearly 8 years ago. I say my first, because I have since moved on. It was frustrating to take the impressions with, and I wasn’t able to capture the full arch scan. Looking back, there were two main reasons I decided to go digital in the first place: to improve the patient experience, and to be at the forefront of digital dentistry.

“

“

”

”

I really care about accuracy and the patient experience. You have to try the scanner and ask your patients for feedback. As soon as you realize their appreciation for this scanner, you’ll want to use it regularly.”– Dr. Giovanni Pisoni

“



For the last several years, I’ve had the privilege of being part of King’s College London Dental Institute as the Clinical Lead for Digital Dentistry. Here, I work to help train roughly 20% of the UK’s dentists. I would vouch I’m not only an ardent user of digital scanning, but a devoted ambassador for the integration of digital dentistry. Part of my current role is raising awareness of all the different uses of the various scanners on the market, and ensuring the education is done in a scientifically-lead manner.

In our education program, we use digital scanners for three distinct functions: providing hands-on training for students, driving through new research applications, and treating all types of patients and cases, ranging from very simple to very complex.

Students in the program have the opportunity to use multiple differentscanners from 3M™, Planmeca™, 3Shape™ and Align®. The 3M True Definition Scanner offers many unique advantages, especially in the academic setting. The portability of the mobile version is ideal for a program of our size, where there are 263 operatories. And from a research-driven perspec-tive, its accuracy is a highly valued trait. Its ability to accurately capture full-arch scans and soft tissues is crucial.

Because I’m an academic prostho-dontist, my experience with digital dentistry has been a unique journey. I have used intraoral scanning not only for my research and teaching, but also in my own clinical practice. I choose to use the 3M Mobile True Definition Scanner in my practice because of features like its wand size, accuracy and CAD/CAM capabilities.

My patients have also responded very positively to the integration of digital scanning. They’re often surprised by the lack of discomfort during the process, mostly due to the smallness of the wand. They really don’t mind the scan spray, and neither do I.

Scan spray is your friend—it helps the speed and accuracy of the scan.

I would recommend that dentists first start with the intraoral scanner, and then transition to the CAD/CAM. This can certainly help increase the return on investment, by combining the power of digital impressioning with the added chairside milling.

In the course of my career, I have been involved with the education of future dentists, innovative research and the clinical care of patients—and it’s clear that new digital scanning technology is changing the way dentistry is being done.

“ ”

Dr. Rupert AustinClinical Lecturer and Honorary Consultant in ProsthodonticsLondon, UK

The strength, versatility and smallness of the wand has a robust design that makes capturing impressions easier for the operator and the patient.”– Dr. Rupert Austin

“


3M™ True Definition Scanner

Start exploring digital intraoral scanning today. Go to www.3m.com/TrueDef.

3M Oral Care2510 Conway AveSt. Paul, MN 55144-1000 USAPhone 1-800-634-2249Web 3M.com/TrueDef

3M CanadaPost Office Box 5757London, Ontario N6A 4T1CanadaPhone 1-888-363-3685

3M is a trademark of 3M. Used under license in Canada. Printed in USA. ©3M 2018. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are property of their respective holders. 70-2013-7028-8

These stories from dentists like yourself prove that no matter the size or location of your practice, incorporating digital dentistry with the 3M Mobile True Defintion Scanner is the ideal fit, in many ways: • Fits your hand. The world’s first mobile intraoral scanner that operates

solely on a tablet.• Fits your budget. Compact, cost-effective entry into digital dentistry.• Fits your practice. Elevates care by producing a clear, easy-to-understand

visual representation of the anatomy to help increase patient acceptance. And when you invest in a 3M True Definition Scanner, you’re not just getting a piece of equipment that takes impressions. You’re getting the peace of mind that you’re backed by a company that will support you in your journey and answer your call.

http://3m.com/truedef

going digital: stories from dentists that made the switch · 2018. 6. 13. · viva smile dentistry...

Documents