Thursday, April 10, 2014
Every year the dental industry goes thru changes, and as business owners we need to stay ahead of the curve if we want to be at the top of our field. Implementing new technologies is one way I accomplish this.
There are always learning curves and implementation issues that arise, so being ready for them is important. It’s good to have a plan when you invest in a new technology, but sometimes you don’t realize how profoundly it will change the entire way you do dentistry and how you run your business.
This was the case in January 2013 when I became the first dentist in the United States to adopt a new diagnostic technology—The Canary System. At my practice we have found the implementation of the Canary System to be unlike anything we have ever encountered. It wasn’t the learning curve—having opened an office from scratch in 2000 I am well aware of the time it takes to get up and running on many levels when implementing new things. However, I found that the power of this diagnostic tool changed everything I had done, and in turn has created an entirely new business model for my practice.
The traditional model for a general dentist revolves around diagnosing problems and the typical solution is amputation of the problem. Such an aggressive approach is the norm because traditionally these problem pathologies are only discovered at a later state when more conservative treatment modalities are not applicable.
While there have been numerous advances in the dental industry over the years, I have not found anything in the area of diagnostic devices that is as revolutionary as The Canary System. It has the ability to scan a 1.8 mm wide by 5 mm deep area in 6 seconds and can find pathology in the form of a defect within a tooth as small as 50 microns.
The highly effective diagnostic tool allows you to find pathology sooner so that it might be reversed or treated earlier by less invasive forms of dentistry. However, detecting decay this early requires a new approach to both treatment and patient education.
Our implementation approach has been to spend more time during examinations to educate patients on the cause and effect of biofilms, pH, diet, hygiene, oral rinses and therapies. This allows for more compliance with home care recommendation and an increased desire on the patients’ part to have their mouths cleaned and scanned regularly. Patient engagement and involvement within the practice is at an all-time high, and the hygiene department has grown and evolved to offer biofilm air polishers, oral rinses and probiotics.
We have brought in another staff member whose function is to scan patients with The Canary System and provide information in the form of an open conversation on what people can do to help themselves so any issues detected do not progress to the point where they are eventually diagnosed in the later stages of tooth decay or periodontal diseases. This new position also acts as a liaison to both the hygienist and dentist so a plan can be created and implemented based on The Canary System’s findings and each patient’s needs.
The patient reaction has been so overwhelming within our existing clientele that we have started implementing many of our concepts into local advertising and informative meetings. The Canary System offers a unique marketing opportunity allowing an office to be differentiated from traditional practices. Offering patients a uniquely different standard of care that is interceptive and perhaps less invasive is something all patients would like to receive.
I didn’t expect to completely rethink my practice when I added The Canary System to my technology portfolio, but I have no doubt that the new approach it led me to create is providing my patients with the highest level of dental care possible.
Staying up to date on new technologies such as this also has allowed me to set my practice apart from others and being flexible to adapt my practice to maximize my use of new tools such as The Canary System has benefited my patients, my staff and me.