Is Dental Technology Really Worth the Investment?
Dental technology is not meant to replace human interaction - but a tool that efficiently enhances it. Perseverance and committment are mandatory and not an option. But, do the benefits far exceed the work?
Of couse they do! Because technology increases efficiency and enhances patient communications. Each and every time you use a computer workstation, your tasks should be easier and faster to perform. Equally important is that each piece of dental technology attached to the computer has its own ROI (digital x-ray/pano, intraoral cameras). This equipment increases IQ and awareness by educating and communicating with your patients. If you find this isn’t the case, then something has gone terribly wrong.
The introduction of chair-side scheduling, electronic charts & digital imaging devices (digital x-ray/pano, intraoral cameras), has turned a single computer system into a sophisticated efficiency machine. The dental profession’s implementation of computers is unique and like no other industry – particularly in the treatment room. But if all of this super technology isn’t integrated properly, it can in fact lessen efficiency.
For example, the intraoral camera offers an incredible ROI...if used properly and consistently. The numbers speak for themselves, intraoral cameras yields astounding results: 85% of users paid their cameras off in one single year, with the remaining 15% completing payment within two. Not surprisingly, this was the $35,000 Fuji Dentacam back in the late 1980′s. This success rate was directly related to ease of use, proper training, and the camera’s ability to confirm treatment.
Since 1998, Ted Takahashi has helped more than 750 dentists successfully integrate technology solutions. Ted is the owner of T2 Consulting Inc., a planning and design firm exclusively dedicated to the dental profession. T2 Consulting, one of the most trusted names in the dental industry, chooses not to sell dental technology products, opting, instead, to provide objective and unbiased information that can be trusted. You can reach Ted at 952-891-5177 or ted@t2consulting.com.