Where Compassion Meets Technology

Dr. Dee Dee Meevasin always knew she wanted to work in healthcare—but she also wanted a career that would allow her to balance professional fulfillment with family life. After earning her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Irvine, she pursued her dream of becoming a dentist at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine.

At Dee for Dentist, a patient-centered practice with 2 locations in Las Vegas, Dr. Meevasin leverages advanced, connected technologies like CEREC and DS Core from Dentsply Sirona to deliver efficient, high-quality care. A speaker at events such as DS World, Dr. Meevasin sat down with us recently to discuss her passion for dentistry and the latest technologies.

What drew you to dentistry early on in life?

When I was 15, my dentist asked me to come in for a summer job. I had no experience in dentistry—nobody in my family was a dentist—but I went to work at his office and saw how he connected with patients, how they were like his friends and family. He had a really cool, fun working environment, and I even thought the procedures he did were cool. So, considering my desire to help people and give back, and to balance that with having time to be with my family, dentistry was the perfect fit for me.

What was your vision for the kind of practice you wanted to create?

I wanted the patient experience to play a really large role in my practice. Normally, people come into a dental office and they're scared—it's white everywhere and just very clinical. I wanted it to feel more comfortable and inviting, and I wanted to do it with technology but still have that human touch and that compassion for the patient when they come in.

So, in 2011, my husband Mike and I came up with a vision for our practice and it's evolved a little bit, but it's always been a place where we’re able to improve patients' lives. We envision a world where people live longer and smile more, and we exist to make that a reality. We center everything we do around that vision.

After 2 years, you brought CEREC into the practice. How did that impact your patient care?

Same-day dentistry made it more convenient for the patient. You’re getting a high-quality restoration that is beautiful, durable, and done in one day. A lot of our patients are younger professionals who are busy. They don’t want to take time off from work to come back for a second visit. So, this really does enhance their experience. It really changed the way we practice dentistry in our office.

How do you decide what types of technology to invest in?

I don't want the latest and greatest technology just to say I have it, so when we are going to make a decision, we put the technology through our filter: Will it improve our patients’ lives? Will it fit in with our vision of helping people live longer and smile more? Does it help me and the team deliver a better patient experience? If it satisfies those questions, then we’re going to bring it in.

What are the biggest misconceptions about adopting advanced technology?

I think the biggest misconception is that the technology has to be perfect—that it can't mess up. But you shouldn’t wait until it’s perfect. It's never going to be. This is the practice of dentistry. We're practicing and we're constantly refining our skills. If the workflow doesn't work out for you, tweak it so it does. The technology may never be perfect, but as long as it enhances the care you deliver, it's going to be a good one.

What are 3 technologies that you could not practice without?

My 3 would be my Primescan 2 intraoral scanner, my Primemill chairside mill, and the DS Core cloud platform. Digital impressions are more accurate, easier, and more comfortable for the patient—nobody likes impression material. Even if you don’t have the best, as long as you have a scanner, that makes a big difference in the practice. And then there’s my chairside mill, which allows me to offer single-visit crowns and a better patient experience.

DS Core has made us more efficient. For one, it allows me to work remotely. My team can design a surgical guide and I can approve it from wherever I am. Whether I’m home or on vacation spending time with my children, if I'm able to help the office move cases along through DS Core, that really makes a difference. DS Core is also great for showing patients their x-rays, scans, and photos so they can see what I see and understand what’s going on in their mouths and why they need the treatment.  So, case acceptance has improved. And it just keeps getting better and better—DS Core is now connected with CEREC, and we can receive AI-powered margin and design proposals for crowns, inlays, and onlays directly within the platform. It just makes our lives easier.

Do you see AI playing a transformative role in dentistry?

In the practice, we use AI for so many things, and there are still many other AI applications that we haven't implemented in the office yet. From a clinical perspective, we use AI for margin finding and crown design. I use Pearl with my radiographs to help show the patient caries, calculus, open margins, periodical lesions, etc. Patients don't know how to read an x-ray, but if it's labeled for them and colorized, it makes it easier for them to understand what I'm talking about. We also use AI for treatment planning and showing patients the treatment in DS Core’s Communication Canvas.

We are using AI for insurance verification and for payment posting from insurance providers. That really helps take away a lot of busy work from my admin team so they can focus on the patient experience and building relationships with our patients. It's been transformative, but you still have to make sure it’s correct and utilize it responsibly.