the DPR Editorial Team

	There are several obstacles that can discourage general dentists from integrating implant placement into their practices. Chief among these are time and money.

	For those who lack the proper resources and understanding of how and when to properly invest in the necessary resources, the road to complete implant dentistry can be fraught with hazard, but an Illinois startup is out to change all that.

Related reading: Quick Tip: How implants can be a source of increased profitability for the dental practice 

	ImplantWide™ is a teaching implant surgicenter which, according to its website, “provides quality continuing education in an open and mentoring environment for general dentists for the placement and restoration of dental implants.”

	“What makes the ImplantWide concept truly revolutionary is that the only costs the partner dentist incurs are variable,” says Daniel A. “Danny” Bobrow, MBA, president of 

 and ImplantWide’s director of marketing.

More in implants: 10 Questions - New innovations and implant solutions from Nobel Biocare

	“Other training centers require a huge up-front investment, and then the dentist must also invest in costly equipment and inventory. That’s simply not the case with ImplantWide,” Bobrow says.

ImplantWide has opened its first location

 in Schaumburg, Ill., not far from O’Hare International Airport, and is offering four different ways for dentists and team members to acquire the skills necessary to confidently place implants:
	Scan-only - The patient is scanned, and then the scan is returned to the partner dentist to interpret and prepare the treatment plan.

	Scan and report - Utilizing its best-in-class analysis treatment presentation protocol, ImplantWide scans the patient and shares a comprehensive treatment recommendation with the partner dentist on how best to place the implant.

	Team - The dentist works with an ImplantWide surgeon to perform the implant procedure. The partner dentist then bills his or her patient whatever he or she wants and keeps the difference.

	Solo - When the partner dentist is sufficiently competent and confident, he/she uses the surgicenter and simply pays a modest facility fee, as well as for any implants that are used (unless the partner dentist brings his or her own implants in which case there is no extra cost. This is termed their “no-corkage-fee” policy).
	Whichever approach is chosen, partner dentists earn AGD Pace CE for every hour they are at the facility.

	“The idea occurred to me in speaking with an orthopedic surgeon,” says ImplantWide founder James Chapko, DDS. “Surgeons never tell their patient to ‘meet me at my office for your knee replacement.’ Instead, the patient meets the surgeon at a hospital or surgicenter where the surgeon has privileges. It’s the same with ImplantWide except the partner dentist need not know how to actually place the implant. Simply being present and willing to participate and learn means, as a partner dentist, you earn while you learn.”

	ImplantWide plans, following its successful Illinois launch, to expand throughout the nation. 

Articles

A game-changer for placing implants

Now in its sixth year of recognizing exceptional women in the dental industry, Dental Products Report is thrilled to present the Top 25 Women in Dentistry for 2015.

Related reading: The significance of Dental Products Report's Top 25 Women in Dentistry award

	The Top 25 Women in Dentistry award was designed to recognize women who excel in their fields. The honorees come from across the dental industry, including dental professionals, industry leaders and practitioners.

	“We are honored to announce this year’s 25 extraordinary women,” said Kevin Henry, group editorial director for 

Dental Products Report, Modern Hygienist, Dental Lab Products and Dental Practice Management

. “I was very excited to see this year’s impressive pool of nominations; these women have accomplished impressive things, and we are honored to give them recognition for those accomplishments.”

Related reading: Why women dentists in the current generation are indeed pioneers

	Click through the following pages, or on a name above, to read about these impressive women and their contributions to the industry. 

More on the Top 25 Women in Dentistry: How the role of women in dentistry has come a long way

Wearing many hats, Naomi Cooper is a president, CEO, chief marketing consultant, educator and founder every day, and she has stepped into each role with ease. As the chief marketing consultant for the Pride Institute, she works one-on-one with dentists to craft customized marketing plans and also teaches Pride’s marketing courses. She is the founder and president of Minoa Marketing, a consulting firm that works with dental companies in the virtual space to create strategies to help increase the effectiveness of a company’s marketing and awareness of her clients across the industry. As if that isn’t a full enough plate, Cooper is also the CEO and cofounder of Doctor Distillery, an inbound marketing lead generation company that aims to help dental companies connect with dentists who are interested in their products and services. That’s clearly a lot of responsibility.

	“I definitely look forward to hitting an objective metric or achieving a meaningful milestone; it’s an opportunity to show how real and tangible our progress is,” she said. “Plus, reaching a previously stated goal is incredibly gratifying, and when my clients get excited about the fruits of our labor, I can tell they’re happy, which is a highlight. I am privileged to work with people across the country and get to know them personally and professionally.”

	While very successful, Cooper does face challenges. Her role as a marketing consultant and business advisor has her on the phone almost all day every day. That means some tasks have to come second in between calls and consultations. However, Cooper knows it means her businesses are successful and that she’s contributed, in large part, to that success. 

	“It’s hard to be successful if you don’t have the raw materials, knowledge and skills to succeed,” she says. “But it’s impossible unless you believe in yourself.”

	To Cooper, every boss, employee and client is an inspiration and a driving force to succeed. “I’m truly inspired by my employees because they keep raising the bar and I have to keep up,” she said. 

	“I never want to be the smartest person in the room,” she says. “I like hiring people who have unique and incredible strengths and abilities that stretch me and that I can leverage to accomplish things that I couldn’t possibly do all on my own.”

	Whether she’s consulting, managing or teaching, she strives to inspire greatness in others. 

	“Keep your humility,” she says. “Remember that you don’t know what you don’t know and always be looking for people who can teach you. Teachers come in surprising packages, patients, employees, vendors and advisors, and finding the right ones is invaluable. At the end of the day, you can’t possibly be an expert in everything.”

When Laura Howerton started down the path to success, she definitely had a number of ups and downs ahead of her, but, throughout her journey, she’s taken every bump in the road in stride. Today, she has nearly 30 years of dental hygiene education under her belt, and she is proud to be a part of the dental community.

	Her path to dental hygiene education started as more of a requirement and less as a choice, but it’s one she is thankful for. When she started at Ohio State University, dental hygiene was only a certificate program, so to receive her bachelor’s degree, she had to choose an alternate major. She chose education, but after she finished, she didn’t pass the state board exam for licensure in dental hygiene. 

	Contrary to popular belief, success isn’t linear. It ebbs and flows, but it is always a learning experience. “Although I don’t advocate for it, failure has been a part of my life in different ways,” she said. “I enjoy working with students, especially when I see this same determination and desire to succeed. Although roadblocks inevitably arise, I feel a sense of gratification knowing that I played a small role in preparing them for a career in dental hygiene.”

	The teachers and mentors she has had throughout the years all had several things in common: They knew their subject matter extremely well, pushed and encouraged excellence, had a sense of humor, always made themselves available as a resource and always had a positive attitude. 

	“I always hope to be the same type of instructor, looking for the best in people,” she said.

	Howerton also derives a lot of inspiration from her family. She sees her parents as role models, and she is grateful to them for teaching her humility, the importance of helping others, faith, strength and kindness. To her, they taught more meaningful lessons solely based on their actions and the way they lived their lives than anyone could have with words. She is also thankful to her brothers, who instilled in her a competitive nature while also offering her guidance when she needed it. Today her biggest influence is her husband, who has had to overcome a number of life changing challenges. 

	“More than anyone I have ever known, he has taken adversity and turned it into achievement,” she said. “In his mid 30s, he went overnight from a healthy, active man to a quadriplegic. Instead of cursing life and floundering in self-pity, he looks to help others. He gets up every day with a smile and attitude to get it done. He spreads hope and optimism to strangers, and he inspires me to be a better person by the mental and physical strength he displays every day.”

	Howerton strives to pay his optimism forward and instill the things he has taught her in others, especially her students. 

	“I hope the failures that might come down their road open new paths and even better experiences in the long run, just as it’s done for me,” she said. 

Denise Burris, CDT, wears many hats so walking in to work every day is hardly ever the same as the day before. Some days she may be managing Oral Arts Georgia while the next day she’s on QC and shipping/receiving. The following day, the lab may be short-staffed so she will sit at the bench and keep her skills sharp as a ceramist. She also serves on the SCDL Board of Directors as current president and the NBC as fiscal officer. 

	With so many responsibilities to juggle, Burris has learned it is important to understand people’s personalities and accept they are constantly different and that everyone has their own story and is fighting their own battles.

	“It’s so complex yet I feel like reaching people based on their personality rather than my own is the only way to truly see things from their point of view,” she said. “I’m not saying I do a great job of it, but I work hard every day to be conscious of it.”

	Obviously, it isn’t always easy for Burris to be in the right place at the right time, but she has had a number of inspirational individuals throughout her career who have helped her overcome challenges and inspired her to always work hard and be at her best.

	“I’ve only worked at two labs my whole career, but, in both, I worked for a couple of the hardest-working, most dedicated, encouraging and committed people I know,” Burris said. “Johnny Fisher at Trippe Porcelain Lab gave me my start and a foundation to grow limitlessly as I had no idea a love for dentistry was in store for me. Currently, at Oral Arts Georgia, Phillip Gold has been the most significant driver in how broadly my career has expanded.”

	She attributes her knowledge of business and the value of being a relationship-driven partner to clients to the lessons she’s learned from Gold. He taught her how important it is to be a resource lab to clients as opposed to a commodity lab. 

	“He taught me that you are only as good as your last piece of work and that we should never compromise a client relationship over a dollar,” she noted.

	The network of professionals she’s come in contact with throughout her journey to success have influenced her immensely. She even claims they saw her potential before she was able to.

	“They never let me doubt if I was ‘ready for the next step,’” she said. “They just helped me simplify the process, which cultivated a confidence that we don’t have to have all the answers before we move forward.”

	For anyone looking to follow in her footsteps, Burris believes it’s important to first seek as much education as possible whether through formal means, certification or apprenticeship. It’s important not to limit oneself based on their current position. 

	“It is our responsibility to humanity to spend more time building one another up than contributing to the self-doubt that we are all trying to overcome,” she said.

As a crown and bridge dental lab owner, Carol Pilmer provides fixed restorations to her patients, but, to her, the job is so much more than its textbook definition. 

	“My passion is to share my time and talents to create a spirit of cooperation and harmony across all dental disciplines,” she observed. “When we do, we learn we have so much more in common than we have differences. It is important to take the time to learn about each other and work together.”

	Pilmer began her dental career chairside as a dental assistant, and, since then, she has become involved in both the clinical and technical areas of dentistry. Along her path, she learned a lot about the industry and where she could make a difference. 

	Throughout her journey, she volunteered with the Dental Lab Owners Association of California, where she served on the board and eventually held the positions of president and event and publication manager. Through this organization, Pilmer found many occasions to create synergy through educational and social opportunities. She was a member of the CDA ADHP Membership task force and later became the ADHP guest member of the CDA Board of Trustees, ADHP delegate to the CDA House of Delegates and, finally, her current position as lab tech lead with the CDA Cares program. She says the best part of what she does is the heartwarming experiences that come from knowing she had a part in making a new smile happen for a CDA Cares.

	“To me, there is an importance in forming symbiotic relationships with all those I serve whether it is our client dentist, their patients, the members of the organizations of which I am a part, the dental lab tech students for whom I advocate or the predental students with whom I work every day,” she said. 

	Pilmer also loves having the opportunity to work with great people every day. Whether she is interacting with the staff of the dental offices she serves or connecting with her own team, she is constantly learning from the experiences she has and treats every challenge like an opportunity to make things better for someone.

	“The number one driving force that keeps me going is my belief that everyone is entitled to have a beautiful smile,” she said. “Smiles change lives. Sometimes that is the only thing we have to give another person, and what a difference it can make.”

	She derives much of her drive and inspiration from her parents, her husband of 47 years and her two children, who have always supported and pushed her to be the best in everything she does. She is proud to be able to share that drive with her colleagues, team and students she mentors.

	“Whether my children, family, friends, professional relationships, spiritual teachers or casual acquaintances, each has taught me things I didn’t know but needed to learn,” Pilmer noted. “By doing so, they have helped make my life more meaningful, perhaps more difficult or maybe easier. Each has shared their knowledge and experiences with me, and, in the end, it all has made me a better person.” 

Dental Products Report's Top 25 Women in Dentistry for 2015

	We sit down with Dayna Johnson of Rae Dental Management to talk about what dental practice should expect from this important piece of technology.

With all of the technology options that dental practices have to choose from and trying to decide which of those options will make the biggest impact on the practice on a daily basis, none reigns more supreme than your practice management software.

	It may not be the piece of technology that comes to mind the quickest, but it’s one that makes your practice hum and keeps your profitability (as well as billing, appointments, reminders, and so much more) front and center in the mind of the dentist and dental team.

 does for you now … but what will it do for you in the future? How will it change? How will it impact the way you do business? Those are some of the questions that we posed to 

. After working in a dental practice for more than 20 years and now owning her own consulting company, she has seen a lot of changes in the ways that dental practices do business … and she believes more are just on the horizon.

More from Dayna:	5 critical things to consider when purchasing technology for the practice

American Association of Dental Office Managers

 meeting in Nashville, we sat down with Dayna to talk about where she sees software heading and the impact it will have on the dental team. Click below to watch our interview with her. 

It may not be the piece of technology that comes to mind the quickest, but it’s one that makes your practice hum and keeps your profitability (as well as billing, appointments, reminders, and so much more) front and center in the mind of the dentist and dental team.

The future of dental practice management software and how it will impact your business [VIDEO]

	On the picture-focused social media site, we found 10 of the most interesting comments posted by dental patients (and one dental team member).

Have you ever wanted to tell the world what you were thinking without anyone knowing who you were? Well, that’s the premise behind a Web site called 

	In short comments, you can tell the world what you think about everything from politics to the gross things best friends do together (yes, that’s an actual category on the site). Of course, we wanted to know what people were saying about their trips to the dental office, so we looked around and found 10 of the most interesting comments. They range from the fearful to the funny.

July's top 20 tweets about dental hygienists

	One thing we’ve learned from being on Whisper, not only do people need to be educated more about their oral health … they also need some basic English lessons. Read on to see some of the wild and wacky Whisper quotes we found.

In short comments, you can tell the world what you think about everything from politics to the gross things best friends do together (yes, that’s an actual category on the site).

The top 10 things your dental patients are saying about you on Whisper

, chatted with Jen Post, RDH, an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Minnesota, about how fluoride varnish and the impact it can have on patients.

“We have a great vehicle to deliver fluoride now in fluoride varnish,” Post said. “It’s painted on teeth and sets up in the saliva.”

who recently talked about 3M ESPE's Clinpro 5000

) also discussed the role of dental professionals in educating the public about prescription-level fluoride products.

RELATED: Anastasia's five hot dental hygiene topics for 2015

“A lot of patients don’t realize that these prescription-level products exist so it’s really important for dental providers to share this information and let them know how important these levels of fluoride are for them,” Post said.

RELATED: The 6 things every dental hygienist should be doing to grow professionally

You can learn more about the Vanish line of varnish from 3M ESPE (mentioned in the video) 

. To see the entire interview between Turchetta and Post, please click below.

On a recent Google Hangout, Anastasia Turchetta, RDH, chatted with Jen Post, RDH, an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Minnesota, about how fluoride varnish and the impact it can have on patients. “We have a great vehicle to deliver fluoride now in fluoride varnish,” Post said. “It’s painted on teeth and sets up in the saliva.”

Straight talk: The importance of fluoride varnish for pediatric patients

	In the latest installment of Straight Talk, Anastasia Turchetta, RDH, continues her discussion with Jen Post about how to help children get the fluoride they need.

	“We have a great vehicle to deliver fluoride now in fluoride varnish,” Post said. “It’s painted on teeth and sets up in the saliva.”

	“A lot of patients don’t realize that these prescription-level products exist so it’s really important for dental providers to share this information and let them know how important these levels of fluoride are for them,” Post said.

	You can learn more about the Vanish line of varnish from 3M ESPE (mentioned in the video) 

Get support and assistance in developing a caries management protocol that works for you, your office, and your patients.

On a recent Google Hangout, Anastasia Turchetta, RDH, chatted with Jen Post, RDH, an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Minnesota, about how fluoride varnish and the impact it can have on patients.

	Being a dental hygienist can sometimes be a thankless job. You’re doing your best to improve your patient’s oral health … but they don’t always see it that way. They see you as the person with the sharp pointy thing who 

We went out and looked for some tweets that were sent out by 

 after visiting their dental office and seeing the hygienist. Some were funny and some made us shake our head. 

Read on to see what 15 dental patients said about their visit with their hygienist … and see if any of these patients might be yours. 

Then check out these other things we found from patients on social media.

the dental hygienist gave me the mirror to watch how she was flossing my teeth but all i looked at was how good my makeup is today

Hygienist: Ooh, we have a new yellow cake flavor of fluoride! Me: I'll pass on the weapons-grade uranium thanks Hygienist: *blank stare*

Note to bros: never call a dental hygienist a dental assistant

The dental hygienist told me my home care was 'excellent' and the proceeded to brutalize my gum line for 30 minutes to punish me for it.

That thing where the hygienist has cleaned all the crap off your teeth so you can actually feel what a weird shape they are.

Me and this dental hygienist are going to have words. 'Achrrarghargh', mainly. And then, 'thank you'.

You know you're getting old when your dental hygienist no longer asks you what flavor of toothpaste you want.

Emerson called his beloved philosophy Transcendentalism. Sounds like the label one would pin on a nomadic dental hygienist.

Blatt's pep talks have all the urgency of a dental hygienist reminding you to floss more.

Today my dental hygienist was gushing over how I've only had 1 cavity...didn't have the heart to tell her I had one with my previous dentist

Avg dentist appointment: hygienist stabs my gums for an hour then my dentist comes in and talks football for 5 minutes and I leave

I wonder if my dental hygienist spent so much time on her eyebrows because she knew I would be staring at them for 35 minutes.

My dental hygienist switched out the usual mint finish post cleaning for cinnamon. 

Just as I was laying there thinking how odd it is to have my teeth brushed by another adult, the dental hygienist called it "polishing."

Dentist's office is playing Coldplay & I can hear dudebro in the next room trying to hit on his hygienist & I'm pretty sure this is hell.

 Being a dental hygienist can sometimes be a thankless job. You’re doing your best to improve your patient’s oral health … but they don’t always see it that way. They see you as the person with the sharp pointy thing who makes their gums bleed. Sigh. It’s a tough gig.

15 tweets about dental hygienists you have to see

	This much is clear: Laser dentistry is here to stay. And according to many observers, that’s a very good thing-lasers have enabled dentists to do new kinds of procedures and improve the healing time and efficiency of current procedures.

) is an international professional membership association dedicated to improving the health and well-being of patients through the proper use of lasers and light technology. One of the major objectives of the ALD is the implementation of educational and clinical standards in laser dentistry in order to help promote safe and efficacious laser use on patients. Successful completion of the dental laser certification program is a way to formally demonstrate advanced knowledge and clinical proficiency in laser dentistry.

Webinar: How all-tissue lasers enhance the traditional dental model

That’s why we recently asked six ALD spokespeople to share their dental laser experiences. We wanted to know: Where is laser dentistry-and where’s it going? Read on for comments from Drs. Ed Kusek, Arun Darbar, Sam Low, Charles Hoopingarner, Larry Kotlow and Grace Sun.

What has been the biggest development in laser dentistry over the last five years?
	Ed Kusek, DDS, General Dentist, Sioux Falls, S.D.: 

That would be availability of lasers in dentistry and education. It seems as though laser dentistry has hit mainstream dentistry and is accepted in virtually every aspect of dentistry. Dentists have all kinds of different avenues to learn laser dentistry from online education to classroom setting to a number of hands-on courses. Education has gone from sales rep show-and-tell to tried-and-true techniques with scientific backing and long-term results.    

Larry Kotlow, DDS, Pediatric Dentist, Albany N.Y.

: I would say from my experience the development of a new wavelength for hard and soft tissue lasers. The use of the 9300 nm wavelength gives dentists the best of two worlds: the closest laser that can do almost everything in restorative and surgical care of our patients.

Related reading: How technology can help your practice's young patients

Charles Hoopingarner, DDS, General Dentist, Houston, Tex.: 

That is a hard question because I see two things that have and will have a large and long-lasting impact on the practice of dentistry using lasers. One is the development of a system that controls and harnesses the energy of the 9300 nm CO2 laser. It gives us the ability to treat both hard and soft tissue at speeds comparable to traditional instrumentation. The other, even more industry-shifting event, has been the development of economical and versatile diode lasers that can readily be a part of every dental practice. The lower investment cost has made owning lasers within reach of nearly all dental practices. This opens the door for developing a much larger skill base and offering more services to the patients we serve. There are many soft tissue procedures that easily become valuable services to benefit the patients we treat. Some are even adaptable to Low Level Laser Therapy or photobiomodulation.

Sam Low, DDS, Periodontist, Palm Coast, Fla.: 

Educating dentists as to the benefit of lasers resulting in a wider range of acceptance in all phases of dentistry. The vast improvement in consistent training [has helped] to develop consistent protocols with predictable results. Companies continue to create products that are user-friendly and affordable with service after the sale.
	
	

Arun A. Darbar, BDS, General Dentist, Lighten Buzzard, U.K.:

 The acceptance of Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT and now formally to be addressed as photobiomodulation PBM) by ALD as a science-based modality and its importance in laser dentistry. Several new lasers are now been designed and manufactured.
	
	

Grace Sun, DDS, General Dentist, Los Angeles, Calif.:

 The biggest development over the past five years in laser dentistry is rapid growth of various clinical applications for laser energy, including more wavelengths for hard tissues and healing.

VIDEO: Check out our look at the Epic X from Biolase at IDS 2015

What is the one procedure that you depend on your laser the most?
	Dr. Kusek

: I would not do a soft tissue procedure without the use of a dental laser: Frenectomies, tissue removal for biopsies, tissue troughing, pontic site development, orthodontic exposure of impacted teeth, flap reflection of tissues, gingevectomies, treatment of apthous ulcers, Laser Assisted Periodontal Therapies, pocket surgery, crown lengthening, implant uncovering, treatment of peri-implantitis, lip tuck procedures and use of photobiomodulation for wound healing. The ability to heal quickly with less bleeding than with the use of traditional methods separates the need to use a laser in the soft tissue realm.
	
	

I am not sure that can be answered since I use my laser for all of my patient restorative as well as surgical treatments.
	
	

I use my laser most often in the preparation of the tissues prior to taking impressions. Obtaining a dry and open area below the margin of the tooth preparation prior to the taking of an impression is imperative to successful indirect dental restorations. The use of lasers enables me to do this faster, better and with less trauma than with the use of retraction cord packed in layers deep into the gingival sulcus.
	
	

 Managing periodontitis with micro invasive laser techniques resulting with comparable clinical results to traditional surgery and, moreover, excellent patient acceptance.
	
	

 Use of PBM laser therapy as preconditioning and post conditioning after most hard or soft tissue laser surgery for accelerated healing, pain management and better outcomes for the patient with minimum post-operative complications.
	
	

 I rely on laser energy to do my soft tissue surgery and management.

Video: 5 products making pediatric dentistry better while delivering better results

What is the one procedure that most dentists should be using a laser but aren’t?
	Dr. Kusek:

 The ability to use for a number of soft tissue procedures that they refer out to specialist that end up treating the patient in traditional methods as I discussed previously. The use of photobiomodulation to aid in healing and repair. To use simple light energy to treat erosive lichen planus. I have had several patients come to my office with a burning sensation in their mouth. The use of laser energy to make the areas heal in a short period of time when no other medical remedies were given to these patients. Untreatable neuroapathies. Two cases come to mind: The first patient came to our office because he heard we used light therapy to aid in nerve damage relief. On the left side, the patient’s ear had a ringing sensation, and he felt like his ear needed to pop after in-air flight. Use of CBCT showed no abnormal pathologies, thus use of light energy has alleviated the symptoms in a few visits. The second patient came to our office with numbness in her tongue-she could not speak correctly and felt as though the tongue had overgrown in her mouth (which it had not). A physician told this patient to always be within five minutes of a emergency room so if her tongue got too swollen she could have someone inject epinephrine to prevent a severe allergic reaction. All medical tests on this patient were negative; thus, the use of light energy got rid of all her symptoms and she now lives a normal life.
	
	

 The CO2 laser at 9300 nm can do all soft and hard tissue treatment and therefore all dental procedures can be completed using a laser.

Related reading: Researchers discover lasers can regenerate dentin

Any procedure that they would do with a laser that they are not comfortable doing with conventional techniques. The ease and patient comfort levels that come with frenectomies, fibroma removal or crown lengthening procedures come to mind, but I think the procedure that would benefit patients the most that is most often overlooked is preprosthetic surgery before the fabrication of removable restorations. It is so helpful to be able to easily remove the closely attached frenum or remove loose redundant tissue or even to do vestibuloplasty procedures that will make the utilization of removal appliances much more comfortable and efficient for the patient. There a very few prosthetic patients that will not significantly benefit from these procedures.
	
	

 Manipulating soft tissue as crown length to achieve an excellent environment and complement a restorative procedure.
	
	

 PBM laser therapy for pain management and enhanced healing after any surgical conventional treatment.
	
	

 Healing or biostimulation, biomodulationor or low level laser therapy should be used more often.

More on lasers in dentistry: 5 ways dental lasers are used to treat patients

Looking into your crystal ball, where do you see laser dentistry heading over the next five years?
	Dr. Kusek: 

The use of photomodulation therapy and the amount of research being done is phenomenal. They are working on the amount of energy needed for certain procedures to get the desired healing results after tissue damage. There [is also] research on the use of placing agents into the sulcus and then applying laser energy to a periodontally involved mouth and diminishing the amount of bacterial and thus decreasing inflammation in the patient mouth, by doing a simple non-invasive treatment. [There will also be] an increase in understanding on the use of hard tissue laser to remove decay without the use of local anesthetic agents. Or the same laser to fuse enamel surface to prevent decay from forming.
	
	

 Consumer demand will drive more dentists to invest in laser technology since the vast majority of operative dentistry can now be completed without the need for local anesthetics and numbing.
	
	

 The next major accomplishment is the inclusion of the use of lasers in dentistry into the undergraduate curriculum in our dental schools. There is currently a special interest group active in the American Dental Education Association and laser education is already included in curriculum of several dental schools across the country. I see it becoming commonplace in the dental practice shortly thereafter.

 Acceptance as an everyday practical adjunct to the practice of dentistry for periodontal and restorative patient management. As a component of dental education curriculums, laser dentistry will be a staple for providing quality patient care. Laser characteristics of biostimulation will continue to foster especially in the area of intraoral wound healing.
	 

Related reading: The dentist's guide to attracting and retaining patients with technology

 Becoming more mainstream and patients will be seeking practitioners that provide laser dentistry and walking away if the practice does not. It’s already started-patients are looking for it.
	
	

 Lower price and smaller laser units allow more users and more applications.

What is the one thing you would tell your colleagues about why they should have a laser in their practice?
	Dr. Kusek:

 The use of laser dentistry will change the way they practice dentistry. It makes procedures faster and very predictable for both the dentist and patient. It helps dentists  increase the number of procedures that can be done in the office, when before they needed to be referred out. It makes procedures a win-win for both the patient (faster healing, less pain, less post-op treatment and complication) and for the doctor (less chair time for the doctor, fewer post-op visits and complications and higher profit margins by decreasing chair time).
	
	

It makes common sense to invest in your patients by using lasers since it will reduce patient anxiety and stress at going to the dentist, reduce the number of appointments to complete some dental care, reduce time lost from school for children and reduce time lost from work for parents and adults. In addition, dentists who learn how to safely and correctly use their lasers will see an increase in income and productivity.
	
	

They will be able to recognize and treat conditions they do not treat now in a manner that is more comfortable and desirable for their patients.
	
	

 All healthcare is moving towards micro invasive procedures and patients will expect [it]. This is a primary characteristic of dental lasers. Moreover, patients will expect not only clinical results but convenience as relates to time and minimal discomfort with speedy recovery. To be competitive and attract a quality patient base, dentists must consider the addition of a laser as a technological advancement to their practice.
	
	

 If 10 potential new patients approach your practice seeking laser dentistry and if three or five walk away because you do not, what would you do? It’s not a question of whether lasers work or do not or you can afford it or not, but: Can you afford to lose these patients on a regular basis? Its like implants when they came out the first time around and went and now came back; if you do not offer them to your patients, you are doing them a disservice and [it’s] ethically wrong. That’s the way lasers are going; like it or not, they are here to stay, and the laser learning curve and proper education is the key to implementing its use on daily basis.
	
	

 Patient benefits and clinician self-satisfaction.

Free e-book: How lasers can help you grow your dental practice 

 This much is clear: Laser dentistry is here to stay. And according to many observers, that’s a very good thing-lasers have enabled dentists to do new kinds of procedures and improve the healing time and efficiency of current procedures.

5 things you need to know about laser dentistry

	We recently sat down with New Jersey’s Dr. John Graeber and talked with him about his experience with CariVu from DEXIS. 

The CariVu caries detection system features proprietary infrared transillumination for seeing through the tooth, reportedly highlighting conditions not easily detected by other caries detection technologies. Dentists are said to be able to quickly gain confidence and confirm diagnoses, plus CariVu is an easy-to-use tool that hygienists can incorporate into routine cleanings. Other features include DEXIS software integration and a soft, flexible tip for easy and comfortable positioning.

RELATED: Why CariVu won a Pride Institute Best of Class award

I went to a study club meeting where the CariVu was featured in the presentation. I had worked with transillumination technology before so I understood the value of what was being discussed maybe more than my peers who were there.

After I saw what it could do, I remember commenting that that device could find something every day for me that I had been missing. My prediction has come true. I examine eight to 10 people a day with this device and it’s amazing. CariVu has the capability to examine the structure around metallic fillings and can detect early decay. I can look under composites with this device to see if there is decay. To me, it’s now a part of my everyday examination.

 DEXIS produces excellent digital radiography and intraoral camera devices. This dovetails right into that. I can save images and show them to the patient. It’s hard to see many of the nuances on digital radiography that I can see on the 

My patients will look at an image that I take using the CariVu and immediately say, ‘Wow, that’s cool.’ If I have used the technology on them once already, they will remind me to use it the next time they are in the practice. I don’t even want to show people their X-rays any more. CariVu is an excellent patient education tool.

RELATED: Dr. John Flucke's take on the CariVu

 What kind of learning curve was there for you and your team?

 It’s literally a plug and play device. It’s effortless and so fast. Anyone can use it. It’s so easy to use and it’s hard to get a false positive or miss something in the diagnosis. It’s a great piece of technology that is very accurate.

 What would you tell your colleagues about why they should have this in your practice?

 If you can’t get a verification from another device and you can’t find problems in your patients that you couldn’t see before, it’s not going to provide the clinical or financial results you were hoping to see.

With CariVu, it’s easy for me to spot fractures. It penetrates deeper and even transilluminates through the root of the tooth. It works even better than I expected.

I will even say that it’s so accurate that it could replace bitewing X-rays in my practice one day. That’s how strongly I feel about what CariVu can do for my patients.

 We recently sat down with New Jersey’s Dr. John Graeber and talked with him about his experience with CariVu from DEXIS. 

Dr. John Graeber discusses how CariVu has impacted his dental practice and patients

	When it comes to ROI, there are few technology stories more compelling than digital radiography.

	If the typical sole practitioner takes an average of 800 x-rays a month, considering a four-day work-week, based on the 2012 average materials costs of $0.61 per x-ray*, the monthly cost is $488. Compare that to the DEXIS Mobile Solution** at $307 per month.

	Interested in what your actual costs are? Consult your practice management software for the number of films your team took last month, and then “Do The Math.” You can find the DEXIS “Do The Math” calculator at 

* $0.37 film, $0.07 mounts, $0.11 chemistry, $0.06 disposal per film

** 60-month lease, 5.69% with $1.00 buyout.

	I have used the DEXIS system so long, I can hardly remember using film-based radiography. Here’s what I learned:

	When I do the math, my system paid for itself in the savings in film, chemicals and processor costs in less than 2 years. When you add in the savings in labor costs, it’s even faster.

	But consider the “uncalculated intangibles” that are much more valuable:

	With its large images, digital x-ray increases patient understanding so treatment plans are more likely to be accepted. The result is that you are doing more dentistry, the dentistry you like to do! Saving on expenses is good; more income is better!






When it comes to ROI, there are few technology stories more compelling than digital radiography.When it comes to ROI, there are few technology stories more compelling than digital radiography.