Embracing Technology

Impressions vs. Intraoral Scanner

THIS IS THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF TECHNOLOGY THAT SHOULD BE INCORPORATED IN YOUR PRACTICE

20% of dentists today are using an intraoral scanner. This means 80% of practicing dentists are still TAKING IMPRESSIONS. We can blame the dental schools since they don't teach this technique, but more importantly we have to put the responsibility on our profession. The way I see it most dentists even those who open up their own practices buy impression material because that is what they are used to. Apparently we are afraid of change, or are just comfortable with the status quo. The average dentist goes to continuing education course gets all excited and comes back to the office Monday morning WITHOUT changing anything. What is your personality, are you open to change or does it take years to decide on something? In order to run a business, give your patients the best care and be most successful you have to embrace change. You have to be open to change, not be stuck doing the same thing because everyone else is doing it.

Costs: I never really did this in my practice but what does it cost you in materials and time to take an impression. According to my research here is what I have found

1. Impression material an average cartridge costs 300-400 dollars and takes around 20 impressions.
2. Then of course you need to purchase the mixing machine which is around $1500.00 (which is a one time cost but you will need two or more of these depending on how many dentists and operatories you have
3. Then of course need triple trays, mixing tips for the machine and probably a light base with syringes which add to the cost. When figuring the costs I used three impressions a day for at least 4 days. How much do you use. This is a low end and it would mean you would spend around 500-1000 a month or more depending on how busy you are. Time: How much time does it cost your practice. Waiting for the impression to set. Disinfecting the impression, Writing up the lab script, Wrapping it up, putting into a box, sealing the box labeling it and leaving it up front to be picked up by UPS or Fedex, Hopefully this goes out the same day but what if it is Thursday evening and you are closed the rest of the week. It will sit there and go out some time Monday. Now you sit and wait around two weeks for your crown. You are spending a minimum of 500-1000 per month in impression material Plus 10-15 minutes that your assistant has to work to get the case out. Multiply that by 3-5 crowns a day and it all adds up. SCANNER You do all the same steps prep and temp the difference is it takes about 3 minutes to scan a crown, you pick a shade press a button and three days later you receive the crown. Time saving, Doctors do not factor in the time it takes to complete a procedure from start to finish. Not to mention accuracy. No one talks about the expansion and contraction of the impression material. There are inaccuracies built into this technique. The average lab today takes your impression and makes a digital scan of it to create the crown virtually. So you are making extra work for the lab. With the time saved from each procedure you can comfortably add an additional crown to your daily production. PATIENT PERCEPTION: I finally convinced my client to purchase a scanner and he told me "Doc you can't believe the reaction of the patients to the scanner." What is that worth in his/her practice. How many people will they tell since 80% of our profession is doing an impression that I did in 1985.WHAT WOULD THAT DO TO YOUR BOTTOM LINE. Not to mention with improved accuracy you will experience less remakes, more patient satisfaction, and more referrals Costs there is a cost associated with the scanner. The scanner we recommend costs less than a cartridge of impression material and has all the bells and whistles of the most expensive units. Lastly, this is the first technology you need to bring to your office. Not only does this allow you to do crown and bridge but it is a stepping stone to other procedures including clear braces. Reach out to me for more information