Tuesday, May 21, 2013
For some unidentified reason my wife and I have gotten hooked on all those real estate reality shows on HGTV. One of these shows, Property Virgins, features first-time homebuyers trying to decide if they want to own a home and if so, what they should buy. Watching this show feels a bit familiar to me because a few short months ago you could have called me a Digital X-Ray Virgin.
I have been a solo practitioner inMesa,Ariz., since I graduated from dental school in 1995. For the last 13 years I have shared a 12 operatory building, and an old X-ray processor, with 2 other Digital X-ray Virgins. We all thought we were doing pretty well with our film and our chemicals and our temperamental x-ray processor. With that introduction out of the way, I am now happy to report that my partners and I made our decision and we are now immensely enjoying the wonderful world of digital imaging.
So why did I wait so long to go digital with my x-rays? For the last several months I’ve asked myself this question many times over because I have enjoyed this technology so much since adding it to my practice last August. But as I think about it, I had several reasons that kept me from pulling the trigger on digital imaging in the past. Some of the major concerns I had were: The sensors I had tried didn’t seem to be as diagnostic as film and I figured I would just wait for the technology to improve; I also was hoping costs would come down over time; and I was concerned I would need better computers with more data storage, and additional monitors which would mean an even larger price to implement digital x-rays.
Another roadblock was that my aforementioned partners—with whom I shared a darkroom and x-ray film processor—weren’t ready to make the move yet either. I remember another concern was my patients who were used to film x-rays might not like those bulky sensors. The list seemed to go on and on.
I think we’ve all had many of these concerns when evaluating this transition. I guess that’s why it shouldn’t be surprising that there are still many practices that haven’t made the jump to digital.
The thing that finally kicked me in the shorts and got me moving past all those doubts and concerns and toward a digital practice was when my front office and operatory computers began having technical issues. I decided this would be as good a time as any to build the computer infrastructure I would need to support a digital x-ray system. As I researched what I would need, I realized I wouldn’t need multiple monitors after all because I have chair-mounted monitors which are centrally located in each of my operatories. As long as my imaging software would allow me to easily magnify each x-ray to full screen, my patients and I would be able to see the image clearly from anywhere in the operatory.
I found some inexpensive 21” HP all-in-one computers that easily fit the monitor mounts on the dental chairs. This set up would allow me to plug a digital sensor directly into the USB port on the side of the screen with plenty of cord length on the sensor to reach anywhere in the room. After installing these new workstation computers, it became apparent that I was prepared to go digital and this is when I finally began investigating the various digital x-ray systems.
After doing a good deal of research, the system I finally chose was DentiMax, and there were several reasons I choose that company’s Dream Sensor. The first was that I found the quality to be amazing while the price was the lowest I had seen anywhere. While this made me skeptical, further research with CRA and other literature helped convince me that the DentiMax sensors—and their low price—weren’t too good to be true. I was delighted to find that the sensors were actually very highly rated. This, of course, made them an incredible value.
Another reason I chose the DentiMax system is the open architecture software. This allowed me to use my current wireless RF Systems intraoral camera in conjunction with the Dentimax x-ray imaging software, and to keep my patient photos organized in the same place as the digital x-rays. Another nice feature is that the Dream Sensor is thinner than most sensors I looked at and has rounded corners. These details helped to curb my concerns about patient comfort.
My final concern, of course, was the diagnostic quality of the digital sensor in my own office. I had seen the studies and the comparisons which all were favorable, but what would my x-rays look like on my monitor? DentiMax was especially helpful in extinguishing this concern as they allowed me to try the Dream Sensor before I bought it. They also provided all the support I needed in order to achieve stunningly clear images which had me diagnosing carious lesions I had missed on previous film x-rays.
I am still in my first year of losing my digital x-ray virginity, and it has been fun to see how my patients have responded so favorably to the new technology. They have been so much more prompt in scheduling their appointments because I have been able to show them exactly what was wrong and they are able to better understand the need for the proposed treatment.
I’ve found my first digital steps are leading to further practice transitions. My partners and I are in the process of getting rid of our old panoramic machine and replacing it with a new digital pano. I can’t wait to throw that old, broken-down x-ray processor out the door and stop buying all those chemicals. We still aren’t quite sure what to do with the old darkroom, but installing a shower in there is our favorite idea right now.
I have zero regrets about the transition to digital x-rays, and I still haven’t seen a better system out there with a better value than DentiMax. Be sure to check them out when you do your own comparisons. If you’re still existing in the realm of Digital X-Ray Virginity, I hope my experience will ignite a desire in you to take the plunge. You’ll never regret making the move.