CLASS is in SESSION, PART II

Acknowledging the dynamic decision making that comes from bringing great minds and great dentists together, once again this year’s honorees were selected by a distinguished panel of dental professionals.

In each issue between now and October we will highlight four of the 16 honorees. You’ll find both general information about what the product brings to the table 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 Las Vegas will allow you to experience each product on your own and decide if it’s a good fit for your practice.

The Panelist’s Perspective:Dr. Marty Jablow

Q: How did you first find out about this product?
A: I first saw a VELscope many years ago and thought that it had potential to help enhance my oral cancer screenings. I researched the device and it had good science behind it. The only problem was I could not justify the more than $6,000 price tag. Then, when the new VELscope Vx was introduced for $2,500, it became an easy decision to purchase this technology.

Q: Describe the situations in which you’ve seen the product in use.
A: VELscope Vx is an adjunctive oral cancer screening technology that assists in visualizing dysplasia in the oral cavity. The device should be used at all examination appointments to help screen for areas of dysplasia or cancer that may be less visible when using your standard white light examination. I have personally found areas of dysplasia sooner than before or that I would have possibly missed. This allows the patients to get appropriate treatment at the earliest stages of dysplasia when the lesions can be destroyed and cancer can be averted.

Q: In light of the product’s performance in these situations, what, in your opinion, sets it apart in the industry?
A: VELscope is “Best in Class” because it is the most researched oral cancer screening tool and it is the device that all other similar devices compare themselves to.

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: Dentists should purchase a VELscope Vx because it’s portable and has become much more affordable. It is easy to use with a short learning curve, but most importantly, you can save lives by screening for oral cancer with this device.

The Panelist’s Perspective: Dr. John Flucke

Q: How did you first find out about this product?
A: I first saw the Cadent iTero system at the ADA meeting in Las Vegas, October 2006. I had heard about it for the previous 6 months, but that was my first chance to actually see it in action.

Q: Describe the situations in which you’ve seen the product in use.
A: We brought the iTero system on board in our practice in January of 2010. Since then we have probably taken less than 30-40 traditional crown and bridge impressions. It has been used for everyday fixed prosthetics, study models and surgical guides for implant surgery. Because the software is open architecture, it’s being tested in even more applications and will continue to grow as more bright people figure out ways to use the amazingly accurate digital data.

Q: In light of the product’s performance in these situations, what, in your opinion, sets it apart in the industry?
A: The device is easy to use, doesn’t require powder as a contrast medium, improves workflow and is open architecture, which allows it to work with a variety of devices that I get to chose from.

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: Office efficiency-we are providing more care with lower stress. Accuracy-seating of crowns and bridges made with iTero is easier and faster because the capturing of data digitally is more accurate than with impression materials. Ease of use-patients hate impressions. They may tell you they don’t…until you do away with them. Using the iTero system allows us to have all the benefits of a digital workflow while also keeping the human element of lab fabrication in our fixed prosthetics.

The Panelist’s Perspective: Dr. Parag Kachalia

Q: How did you first find out about this product?
A: I first learned about Spectra about 18 months ago at the California Dental Association North convention, just walking by the booth. I decided to sit down and test the caries detection unit, at which point I was immediately intrigued.

Q: Describe the situations in which you’ve seen the product in use.
A: I have personally used the product in my own office for about 6 months. We use it on almost every patient after the hygiene appointment as a caries detection screening aid. When I come into the operatory the images are already on the screen and we make a decision to monitor a given carious lesion or to treat it.

Q: In light of the product’s performance in these situations, what, in your opinion, sets it apart in the industry?
A: The greatest benefit of Spectra is that it blends a numerical readout with a visual color scale. This is giving the practitioner a way to track changes in a lesion that may be monitored over time. Patients can take ownership of their own health. Patients do not really understand a “stick”of an explorer, but they do understand an area on a photo that shows up bright red or orange as being bad.

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: First, the color blended with numerical readout allows for great patient education. Second, you can’t beat the ease of use. No calibration is needed as the system is literally a click-and-go type system. Third, integration into existing practice management software allows long-term objective monitoring of lesions.

The Panelist’s Perspective: Dr. Larry Emmott

Q: Describe the situations in which you’ve seen the product in use.
A: Dental R.A.T. is really a simple idea that solves several technology issues in the dental office. The dentist or hygienist can make computer data entries, especially perio pocket depths, using a foot control instead of a mouse and keyboard. It makes data entry faster, it allows the hygienist to stay focused in the mouth instead of looking up and moving, and it maintains asepsis.
One other big plus: In my office we have tried out a lot of new technology. Dental R.A.T. had one important feature that was too often missing from other new products-it worked. It’s that simple.

Q: In light of the product’s performance in these situations, what, in your opinion, sets it apart in the industry?
A: In dentistry we are used to using foot controls for our handpieces, cameras, chairs, ultrasonics and so on. Using a foot control for computer entry seems like an obvious next step. It allows the user to enter data in an aseptic manner without taking his or her eyes off the teeth, or employing another team member to type in the data.
Computers in the treatment room used for clinical purposes have been a major, even revolutionary, change in dentistry. Now, with products like Dental R.A.T. we are seeing the next phase of that revolution with hardware and other computer components designed specifically for use in a dental treatment room.

Q: If you had to summarize why a dentist should purchase this product or switch to this product, what reasons would you highlight?
A: One of the reasons I like Dental R.A.T. is that I like the people behind it. The hygienist inventor, Becky Logue, was faced with a problem-that is recording perio charting information on a computer in an efficient, cost-effective and aseptic way. Instead of complaining about it, she invented a clever device to solve the problem.