Making the Investment in Digital Dentistry
Choosing Planmeca as a partner, one practice pulls the trigger on going digital. Here, in part 1 of a 4-part series, the Wright Dental team discusses their decision to invest in high-level technologies, and their strategies and goals for the future.
Jumping into the ever-evolving world of dental technology can be a scary thought. Which tools and equipment will make the most impact? Will there be too big a learning curve? What if there’s little or no return on investment? These questions certainly crossed the mind of Kenneth Wright, DDS, a clinician with 3 decades of experience under his belt. Making an investment in dental technology is no simple task. But Dr. Wright, who maintains a cosmetic and family dentistry practice in Barrington, IL, felt it was finally time to move to the next level.
“I’ve always been something of a dental technology groupie," he joked. “I’ve been excited about this technology for a long time, but I’ve been sitting on the sidelines waiting for it to mature to a level where it made sense to jump in."
This year, Wright Dental is going all in on technology. But before taking a cannonball into the pool of digital equipment, Dr. Wright, an active member of the AACD who places an emphasis on esthetically driven restorative dentistry, did his homework. While he's always had an interest in continuing education and has used digital treatment planning, Dr. Wright attended conventions, talked to like-minded colleagues, and took hands-on courses on CAD/CAM technology to make sure he could produce a crown in-house that would satisfy his patient base.
Transitioning to a digital workflow calls for a trusted partner, and for that, the practice has chosen Planmeca. For extraoral imaging, the Planmeca ProMax 3D Mid will cover 3D imaging, 3D photo, and digital 2D panoramics. For same-day dentistry, the company offers Planmeca FIT—a complete CAD/CAM system consisting of the Planmeca Emerald S intraoral scanner, Planmeca PlanMill 30 S, and a comprehensive training and coaching program for the doctors and staff. The systems are connected via Planmeca Romexis imaging and design software.
The ability to offer single-visit dentistry to patients is an obvious attraction for Dr. Wright. “I’ve been blessed with great laboratory support over the years and the ability to work very closely with the lab,” he shared. “It's a huge appeal to deliver a high-quality restorative solution to patients in real time, while using a process that gives us greater confidence and control.”
Dr. Wright and his associate, Dr. Robert Wertke, are not alone in their quest to stay ahead of the curve. The entire practice—a team of dental assistants, hygienists, and front-office staff—is on board for this journey into digital dentistry, and each team member is excited to see how it will impact their workflows and patient care.
While Dr. Wertke was in dental school, technology was on the cusp of becoming mainstream, so he was fortunate enough to gain exposure to technologies like digital 3D scanning. In his free time, he helped lab techs design and mill crowns, as well as stain and glaze them. Through his residency program, he was exposed to CBCT and 3D imaging, and learned how to perform guided surgery.
“I think it’s important to provide patients with the highest level of care, and equally important for clinicians to stand behind their work,” Dr. Wertke shared. “Having this new Planmeca technology and the ability to plan out implant surgeries, for example, gives us the opportunity to offer a very predictable experience for our patients."
New Avenues for Treatment
Return on investment is something many practice owners and clinicians weigh heavily before making a new equipment purchase. But Dr. Wright isn’t worried. He anticipates that the addition of this new technology will open up new avenues of treatment for his patients. And with Dr. Wertke on board as a more surgically minded clinician, the sky’s the limit. Services that are typically referred out, such as 3D imaging, implant surgery, and endodontics, can be brought in-house.
“I enjoy the surgical aspect of dentistry quite a bit, so I’m excited to be bringing guided surgery to our patient base and to place implants with a good understanding of how predictable the outcome will be,” shared Dr. Wertke.
Referring patients out for 3D imaging creates lag time when it comes to diagnosing the patient and creating a treatment plan. With the Planmeca ProMax 3D Mid in-house to handle all 2D and 3D imaging needs, patients can be diagnosed immediately so that next steps can be discussed.
“We’ll have the diagnostic tools available to tell patients, ‘Hey, this is a great course of action for your situation.’ Having visual diagnostics also allows us to pursue more conservative treatment approaches; for example, avoiding an aggressive crown procedure and treating the patient in a way that preserves the most healthy tooth structure," added Dr. Wertke.
Seeking Greater Control
Both doctors hope that this technology will have a significant impact on treatment planning.
“Virtual diagnosis is going to be huge,” said Dr. Wright. “I can carry that information around in my head, but to convey it to someone else—whether it’s a patient or a colleague—sometimes gets lost in translation.”
While specialists, labs, and other third parties might be looped into a treatment plan, in-house 3D imaging and digital planning tools will allow the clinicians to play a more active role in calling the shots for their patients so that they can appropriately play quarterback in the collaboration of their patients' care.
“The ability to get everyone on board and communicating in the planning phase is one of the biggest advantages to having this technology. I think it will limit the number of surprises that occur during the treatment process,” said Dr. Wright.
"The ability to get everyone on board and communicating in the planning phase is one of the biggest advantages to having this technology."
-Kenneth Wright, DDS
Finding a Partner in Planmeca
With several manufacturers vying for practitioners' attention in the imaging and CAD/CAM space, what made the Wright Dental team choose Planmeca equipment to outfit their practice and lead them into the next era of dentistry?
“I’ve always been enamored with Planmeca, especially when it comes to their emphasis on image quality and commitment to following ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) principles,” said Dr. Wright. He noted that many patients, when told that an x-ray is needed, express concerns about radiation. The Planmeca Ultra Low Dose imaging protocol is based on a proprietary algorithm that separates the inherent noise in low energy scans, and then removes it without causing a statistical reduction in image quality. “Now, that conversation will be much easier and we’ll be able to stay within ALARA,” he shared.
Another perk of Planmeca technology is the open-architecture design that allows dentists to offer more services by collaborating with labs or integrating additional equipment within their offi ce from Planmeca or another vendor.
“You can nail yourself into a particular technology that’s very proprietary, and while that may be fine for now, it’s better in the long run to use tools that play nice with other technology,” said Dr. Wright.
Drs. Wright and Wertke also took part in a 2-day training session at Planmeca headquarters in Hoffman Estates, IL, followed by an integration day in their practice using the new Planmeca tools and equipment with a Planmeca trainer.
Paving the Way for New Patients
Wright Dental has been serving the Barrington, IL, community for decades, and in that span of time, created an extremely loyal practice following. Patients travel from near and far to be treated by Dr. Wright and his team.
While he thought these existing patients might push back on the changes and assume an influx of technology might mean in increase in the cost of their dental care, it’s been quite the opposite. ”They’ve been able to see the new technology as a positive change and tell me how great it is that they have a dentist who keeps investing in the practice for their benefit.”
Planmeca Technology
The Wright Dental team will outfit their office with (clockwise, from left) the Planmeca ProMax 3D Mid, an all-in-one unit for 3D imaging, 3D photo, and digital 2D panoramics; the Planmeca Emerald S intraoral scanner to capture realistic and accurate 3D digital impressions; the Planmeca PlanMill 30 S milling unit to create crowns, inlays, onlays, veneers, and up to 6-unit bridges; and the Planmeca Romexis imaging software to facilitate virtual diagnosis, smile design, and treatment planning for procedures such as implants and endodontics.
Stay Tuned!
Throughout the year, we'll follow the Wright Dental team along their journey into digital dentistry, Next up, in our April issue, we explore their experience on-boarding and beginning to use the digital workflow.
Marketing a Tech-Savvy Practice
Jeannie Klaassens Office Manager at Wright Dental, shares her ideas for marketing Wright Dental’s new tech-savvy practice to current and prospective patients.
Having this incredible technology and the ability to provide same-day dentistry is huge for the practice. But it’s equally important that we make our patients aware of these new services we’re providing, and the fact that they can have gag-free impressions, get a new crown in a couple of hours, or have an implant placed—all by their family dentist who they know and trust.
We would love to hold an open house for our current patients where they can come into the office, get a quick tour, and see how all of our new Planmeca technology operates. By seeing the tools up close, our hope is that they can visualize how the technology might impact their treatment in the future and cut down on the amount of time they spend in the dental chair.
I’ve also been working on a news letter that will be e-blasted to our patient base, sharing the big news about our transition into digital dentistry. We’ll also write about the new technology and services being offered in our monthly blog post on the website, as well as share information on the Wright Dental Facebook and Instagram social media accounts.
