Top Technologies Explained

There is no group of products quite like the “Best of Class” honorees, in large part because it would be almost impossible to recreate the process by which they were selected. Chosen by a distinguished panel comprised of some of the most forward looking dentists in the industry, this year’s winners were narrowed down through lively debate and discernment.

In each issue between now and October we will highlight a handful of the 18 honorees. You’ll find both general information about the product as well as feedback from one of the panelists on what helps the product stand out in its competitive set.

Interviews, education and hands-on demonstrations at the “Best of Class” Technology Fair at this year’s ADA Annual Session in San Francisco will allow you to experience each product on your own and decide if it’s a good fit for your practice.

Lighthouse 360

The Product

Lighthouse 360 is a comprehensive automated patient communications system written exclusively for dental practices, designed to take the best features available in competitive systems and go a step beyond.

Able to integrate seamlessly with Dentrix, Eaglesoft, PracticeWorks, and 17 other practice management systems using TrueTime™ Data synchronization, Lighthouse 360 highlights include: AutoConfirm™ to confirm appointments automatically, rather than require a manual step for each appointment; Perfect Recall™ to totally automate any schedule of recall messages the practice desires-something no other competitor can do; the ability to send families a single, combined message for all family members; four Facebook apps and Twitter integration with RateADentist.com reviews; a mobile app for data access from your smartphone; and the ability to post patient reviews to Google, Yelp, Yahoo!, Dr. Oogle, RateADentist.com, and any other review site the practice thinks is valuable.

Better than any one feature, Lighthouse 360 is able to reach 100% of patients with email, text messages, automated phone calls, postcards and letters.

For more information, visit LH360.com or follow them @LighthousePMG on Twitter.

The Panelist Perspective: Dr. John Flucke

Q: How did you first find out about this product?

A: I learned about Lighthouse about four years ago while wandering the exhibit floor at the California Dental Association meeting in Anaheim. I had heard some buzz around this company before the meeting and had decided to check them out for myself. After some discussions with them and a brief demo, I became a client.

Q: Describe the situations in which you’ve seen the product in use.

A: I have been using Lighthouse since that time and have been impressed with the ease of integration/installation as well as the services provided. Lighthouse performs our confirmations via email, text and even postcard. The company also provides patient satisfaction surveys that allow us to fine-tune our systems by giving patients a chance to let us know what we are doing right, as well as where we could improve. This type of feedback has proven invaluable to our practice.

Q: In light of the product’s performance in these situations, what, in your opinion, sets it apart in the industry?

A: The key feature that has made a tremendous difference for us is integration with Eaglesoft. Lighthouse sends confirmation emails to our patients. These emails contain a link that a patient clicks to confirm his or her appointment. When this link is clicked, Lighthouse is alerted that the patient has confirmed. Once this happens, Lighthouse comes in over the Internet and changes the Eaglesoft schedule to indicate the patient is confirmed. This is all done seamlessly with no staff time or intervention needed.

Q: If you had to summarize why a dentist should purchase this product or switch to this product, what would you highlight?

A: The fact that the product does so much with so little time or effort required of the staff or doctor makes it a winner in the panel’s eyes.

Glidewell Laboratories' BruxZir Restorations

The Product

BruxZir® Solid Zirconia is a monolithic zirconia restoration with no porcelain overlay. More brawn than beauty, you’ll be impressed by the esthetics of BruxZir crowns and bridges when prescribed instead of metal occlusal PFMs and full-cast metal restorations. BruxZir restorations are virtually chip proof, making them the optimal restorations for bruxers, implant restorations and areas with limited occlusal space.

BruxZir Solid Zirconia crowns and bridges are made from the highest quality zirconia powder from Japan. Glidewell chemically and physically reprocesses the powder to further reduce the zirconia particle sizes. BruxZir milling blanks are then created through a unique patent-pending process. Unlike conventional high-pressure milling blank manufacturers, Glidewell’s processing gives BruxZir restorations improved light transmission, which provides a lower, more natural shade value.

Patients benefit from a chip-resistant, natural-looking restoration with no porcelain overlay that is glazed to a smooth surface to reduce plaque accumulation.

For more information, visit glidewelldental.com or bruxzir.com. 

The Panelist Perspective: Dr. Marty Jablow

Q: How did you first find out about this product?

A: I first found out about BruxZir crowns from advertisements sent to me by Glidewell Laboratories.

Q: Describe the situations in which you’ve seen the product in use.

A: I have been using BruxZir crowns in my office as a cosmetic replacement where previously I was using full gold or metal occlusals because of concern for porcelain fracture. This is especially true in the region of second molars, where the occlusal stress is greatest.

Q: In light of the product’s performance in these situations, what, in your opinion, sets it apart in the industry?

A: BruxZir restorations started the monolithic zirconia restoration revolution. The ability to place a full coverage ceramic restoration in high stress bearing areas allows for the dentist to feel confident that the restoration will last, and the patients love the improved cosmetics.

Q: If you had to summarize why a dentist should purchase this product or switch to this product, what would you highlight?

A: The first reason is strength-BruxZir crowns can be used in any area of the mouth along with fabricating bridges because the material is that strong. Second is wear-although we would normally think the stronger material would wear the opposing dentition more than regular dental porcelains, the studies show that zirconia crowns are kinder to enamel. The final reason is BruxZir crowns require no special preparations, you can even prep a shoulder with a bevel as the material is that strong, along with a reduced cost compared to gold and improved fit.

Reality Engineering's GURU

The Product

The patient communication suite Guru5 was created with the lofty goal of redefining patient education. A recent study conducted by the Wharton School of Business revealed that audiences found visual presentations to be 70% more persuasive. Working on this principle, Guru’s redesigned user interface sets a new benchmark in usability and user experience while greatly reducing the learning curve.

Loaded with hundreds of state-of-the-art animations, Guru5 now features predefined case presentations and one-click operation, making it more simple than ever to present compelling treatment plans in seconds. Guru5 also includes new billable procedures, informed consent forms and a customizable look and feel.

For more information, visit thehouseofguru.com

The Panelist Perspective: Dr. Lou Shuman

Q: How did you first find out about this product?

A: I heard about Guru 7 to 8 years ago. When I first saw the product in action I knew the team at Reality Engineering (makers of Guru) was on to something. It was completely different than any patient education product I had seen. It was customizable, interactive, flexible, and focused on visual teaching and interactive learning.

Q: Describe the situations in which you’ve seen the product in use.

A: In supporting our clients at Pride, we are fully aware that conversion of elective procedures can be challenging. Roughly 70% of all proposed treatment plans never get completed. Guru is one of very few tools that can increase patient acceptance significantly.

Q: In light of the product’s performance in these situations, what, in your opinion, sets it apart in the industry?

A: Guru is made up of hundreds of small educational video clips that can be shown independently or stitched together for a more exhaustive presentation and treatment plan. It is not a “one size fits all” approach. You can simply pull in the patient’s very own x-rays, intraoral camera shots and digital photos, making it unique to every patient. It has the ability to play a voiceover explanation, or you can turn off the volume and speak to each video yourself.

It allows you to stop each video, draw using the system’s easy-to-use drawing tools and save each additional note or comment. When completed, you can easily print a brochure, have them sign an informed consent form, and email exactly what you discussed, so your patients can discuss their situation in the comfort of their own homes, with all the information available both visually and verbally by your own voice. There is truly nothing like it in the industry.

Q: If you had to summarize why a dentist should purchase this product or switch to this product, what three reasons would you highlight?

A: There is no better way to teach than visually-83% of all human learning is visual. Guru, with its Pixar-quality 3D animations, creates a compelling story using intuitive, simple-to-use software.

In addition to that, dentists do not like the idea of “selling.” Guru is an educational tool that helps take the pressure off selling dentistry and shifts the relationship to teaching as a “trusted advisor/educator.” Guru is a state-of-the-art tool that not only enhances patient conversion through education, but reflects on the practitioner as a provider of the latest in technology. Using this teaching tool-never seen before by most patients-will absolutely translate to increased referrals.