Dreamers & Doers 2022: DentiMax – “Like I Said, They Just Work”

Dental Products Report^®: To start off, can you tell us a little bit about you and your practice?

DeAngelo Webster: My name is Dr DeAngelo Webster, and I own a practice in Belleville, Michigan. It was a scratch start, and I did it pretty much right out of dental school.

I was unique; I applied for my start-up loan when I was still a student. Like most dental students or new graduates, I didn’t have extra money lying around. So I had to be efficient with the way I did things. And I was able to have a start-up practice that went well, and DentiMax was part of that.

DPR^®: How did DentiMax help get your practice up and running, and what appealed to you about working with them at this early stage of your career?

DW: When I was shopping around to do my start-up, I had to be efficient with the way I did things. I was fresh out of school, and every dollar really counted. I looked at lots of different companies, lots of different vendors, and had a couple things in mind.

One was flexibility. I didn’t want to get locked into 1 software. Because I was new; I wasn’t sure about things yet. I liked that DentiMax was flexible. No matter what software I had, I could still use those sensors; I wouldn’t have to switch.

The second thing I had in mind was price. I looked at the price of the sensors from DentiMax and compared them with other name brands out there, and it wasn’t even close. I think it was less than half [the price of] most competitors. I saw some samples of the quality, and it looked like any x-ray image to me. I didn’t see a difference. It was a no-brainer, and it helped me save money in an area that for many dentists is a huge expense.

DPR^®: How do you and your staff like using the DentiMax Dream Sensors in your practice?

DW: I’m 5 years into my practice now, and I’ve had the DentiMax sensors since day 1. I’ve never had to call customer service. I’ve never had a problem with them. In 5 years, I’ve never had one break; I’ve never had one get buggy and the image starts to go bad. On a day-to-day basis, I don’t have to think about that much, which is something we all want from technology. It’s not a distraction. It just works.

DPR^®: What imaging software are you using with the sensors and how is that working for you?

DW: I’m using the DentiMax imaging software as a start-up. I didn’t have any other imaging software preestablished so it was seamless to keep the same brand.

DPR^®:What does DentiMax’s record of reliability mean to a start-up practice?

DW: The reliability [of] the DentiMax sensors has been huge. When I was coming out of school, I was talking to different dentists, and there was a debate [about] phosphor plates [vs] x-ray sensors. Some dentists were trying to scare me away from x-ray sensors.

One [dentist] opened up this drawer in her office, and it was full of broken sensors. And I [thought], If I’m going to deal with broken sensors, I’d better get ones that are less expensive. So I got the cheaper ones expecting I might have problems, but I never did. The reliability has been great. I’ve never had any downtime because I couldn’t take an image. I’ve never had an issue with the sensors, and that’s been really great.

DPR^®: What interactions have you had with DentiMax as a customer over the past 5 years?

DW: As far as customer service, I’ve got no complaints. I’ve never had to contact DentiMax with a problem. My only contact with the DentiMax support team has been to refer other dentists to them.

DPR^®: If a colleague is starting a new practice or looking to get new sensors, what do you advise?

DW: If you are thinking about buying x-ray sensors, I can’t recommend any x-ray sensors out there more than DentiMax. I haven’t found a better combination [of] price and quality. I don’t think anything else comes close.