The digital future of dentistry

My father, John Hagen, DDS, came from a family where you practiced a certain trade-blacksmithing. College was generally not the family path in those days, but my father's motivation was to go to college. At the advice of a high school teacher, he took an aptitude test and moved on to dental school, creating a different outlook for his future lineage.

Knowing my family's history, but also seeing my father break away from it, I had always been intrigued by his profession while growing up. Although I didn't know it from the beginning, dentistry would become my lifetime calling after high school.

When you hear about a hometown dentist who has been in practice for over 60 years, you think of someone who is comfortable with the tried-and-true formulas of traditional dentistry. But for my father, this is not the case at all. John is a forward-thinking dental professional who continues to integrate new technologies. Now we practice together and use digital dentistry to push the practice to great heights of productivity and profitability to better serve our patients with the best that dentistry has to offer.

History in the making

With over 95 years of experience between us, we have seen the industry evolve from a focus on materials to one on technologies; very little of the techniques and products that either of us were taught in dental school are still utilized today. Clinical approaches have changed with new techniques and technologies. This in turn affects the patients we see. In fact, patients appreciate that we are trying to provide the best restorative materials in dentistry today.

Opera House Dental has evolved over the years and continues to follow the tech curve. We have progressed from slow-speed belts to electric handpieces, rotary equipment, digital radiography, and computer-operated operatories. John started this practice from the ground up, and has kept current with the technologies of the industry, setting a precedent for Opera House Dental to continue moving toward a digital workflow environment.

While I have always been interested in CAD/CAM technology, cost was a major concern. About one year ago, I went to a Planmeca FIT event and heard Mark Morin, DDS< speak on the technology. It really got me thinking that this is where the future of dentistry lies. When I heard about the superiority of the material and same-day services for patients, I knew that it would fit in with our practice. With that knowledge, I was convinced that it was time to take Opera House Dental to the next level.

Filled with anticipation of this new technique, I came back to John with the proposal. With an open mind, he encouraged me to move forward with this endeavor. We finally took the plunge in December of 2014 and purchased the full Planmeca FIT System (PlanScan, PlanCAD, and PlanMill 40).

The payoff

Integrating this new technology has been a lot more complex than just installing new equipment. Juggling patient schedules with my workflow has been a challenge, especially since this concept is completely different than what we traditionally used. There is also a learning curve, but we have seen our investment pay off. Both staff and patient response to digital dentistry has been amazing and the patient acceptance is high. Our staff is very supportive of our ideas; when either of us believes in a product, they will too. Our patients have been very welcoming and receptive to this new technology. They get more excited about it than we do and it just blows them away.

Digital workflow

As part of the FIT family, we have been well supported by the Support On-Site (SOS) team, the clinical and technical experts who have provided remote support for us throughout this digital transition. In the eight months since going digital, I have sent only one crown restoration to the laboratory. I started my digital journey with onlay cases and have moved on to full-coverage crowns. I really love the idea that I get to be in full control of the restoration; I can be more (or less) conservative when removing tooth structure-a key selling point for me.

I will occasionally cut into John's daily workflow by creating those restorations that he would rather see created digitally in-house, which helps us cut costs and reduce fees. John educates patients on the workflow beforehand. We have set up an area in the practice where John brings his patients to show and explain the digital process. A lot of his patients are in high-tech industries, so they already understand CAD/CAM. This portion of the appointment is then just "icing on the cake" because they are already interested in having same-day restorations with a metal-free mouth.

John's patients are especially happy with these services because the patient expectation for quality and a restoration that fits perfectly is very high-both of which are benefits to owning Planmeca FIT. Older patients value the convenience of having their teeth restored in a single day and the comfort of being able to go about their daily lives without any disruptions.

While John has created a few digital cases himself, he is more comfortable with the traditional methods of dentistry. However, he expects to gradually see fewer gold crowns in his patient base soon. We are both very pleased with the final restorations' strength and esthetics, as well as the results of same-day dentistry. So while we continue to learn more about optimizing our practice to the digital workflow, we see the possibilities and benefits of going completely digital, including less dependency on the lab, more control of the final restoration, and cost reduction. Together, we both continue to work toward all of these goals.

Open mind, endless possibilities

John has always been accepting of new changes within the practice, especially with new materials and technology. While we would not describe our practice as "cutting-edge," we do believe that we are working closer toward that with chairside CAD/CAM dentistry. Patients realize that we are trying to keep up with current technologies, and we pride ourselves on the fact that we do look ahead to what is going to provide our patients with the best experience, restorations, and care.

John is excited to see how digital dentistry will continue to improve for more advanced cases and is eager to take more advanced technique classes at Planmeca University. His advice? Make sure that you and your team all have an open mind and that you are wholeheartedly committed before making the investment. Everything else will fall into place when you have support behind you. We look forward to seeing further innovations from Planmeca to continue our digital journey with the latest and greatest.

So when you hear a dentist tell you that they are too close to retirement to see the value of investing in CAD/CAM technology, or that their practice and team are not ready to take the next step, my father and I can tell you otherwise. The possibilities of digital dentistry are endless and worthwhile, especially when you can create an environment that allows your patients to leave your office able to comfortably eat, talk, and smile. Your patients will love you for it.

Source: http://www.dentaleconomics.com/articles/print/volume-105/issue-9/science-tech/the-digital-future-of-dentistry.html

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