My personal experience is my Expasyl users (about 30% of my customers) are very satisfied using their current product and were not ready to switch to Traxodent. About 20% of my doctors use a diode laser or a combination of techniques. Another approximately 25% of my doctors who decided to try the Traxodent kit have decided they like it. Like anything new, there is a bit of technique – and its’ not a perfect product However, it does make life a little easier – a nice application and less frustration than packing cord…
From The Dental Advisor…
“This material seemed to work well following a gingivectomy, where cord could not be placed, I would not recommend it if osseous surgery were performed”
From one of my customers…
“I really like Traxodent – it is relatively easy to apply and rinses off leaving a nice clean field to imp or cement”
Traxodent offers a great trial kit for $29.95 Cdn Mnfr #9007097 – if you are still packing cord, this product is worth a try!
Ever “perf’d?? Do you say….Oops ‘scuse me, I perfe’d….probably not! Well if you happen to perf – there is an answer….
Here is another product most every office wishes they had when the time is right….
Diaroot
With many endo uses – here is a brief description from the manufacturer
DiaRoot BioAggregate is a radiopaque, root canal repair material composed of biocompatible, white ceramic nano-particles. The material is indicated for the repair of root perforation, repair of root resorption, root end filling, apexification, and pulp capping
Review brief from The Dental Advisor…
“DiaRoot BioAggregate has a working time of about five minutes with a complete setting time between four and 72 hours. The material can be placed directly into the preparation with a carrier of the dentist’s choice. Nineteen consultants used DiaRoot BioAggregate in over 100 procedures. This product received a 92% clinical rating”
Canadian $62.50 for the intro kit
Full kit $224.23 Canadian with about 6 applications.
The only way to get more for yourself is to give something away.
I am on an airplane right now, and was about to take a nap when this revelation came to me. I was reading some articles about successful people and how they have what I call “Richie Rich” syndrome – the more they give the more they seem to get.
We all have needs.
No matter what you are doing in this life, the only way to have more of what we want in life is by working hard giving more of ourselves to others. Sure, in the short term we can have people kiss our butts that really only want something out of us. But the true and long term valuable relationships are based on win-win situations.
If I want to be happier in my relationships – I need to make sure I am giving my relationships what they need – not what I need. In the short term I may be able to have people do what I want them to – but if I am not giving them something back, there is no real incentive for this to keep happening. And it has to be genuine as well…..
If I want my customers to want to use my services, I need to help them make build a more successful business….not try to sell them stuff. So what if I walk out with a one time sale for that gizmo. If it truly didn’t help my customer improve their life, they won’t welcome me back again. So my goal is to work hard at making my customers more of what they want. The only way I can learn this is by listening. More money, more time, more production, office harmony, another valuable team member….I can do that! If its’ something I can’t do – I find someone that can help them.
When they win – I win….and it just grows and gets better and better.
The same goes for you as a dentist. If you are truly listening to what your patient wants and really needs – you will be able to provide them and their family with a lifetime of health. If you try to ‘sell’ them services or perform dentistry based only on what you want to do you will find yourself with a short term gain and looking for new patients.
How about you – the staff member. You want more benefits – but what are you doing in order to earn this? In order to get that raise, you need to produce more for the business. Its’ all relative – help draw in the patients, provide a higher level of service, look for opportunities in the practice to increase efficiency and work hard to get every person in the office functioning and the result will be win-win.
I was just reviewing an article that seems to be a hot topic on Dentaltown about lasers. This debate was about the laser wavelength – Its’ interesting to note that most agree that any laser will do ‘the job’. I have sold several brands of diode lasers and they all have unique qualities – butat the diode laser level, they all seem to have mostly the same indications. I wrote a while ago about the Periolase – which seems to be in a category by itself with some unique qualities, but for general everyday dentistry the majority of dentists on Dentaltown who have a wide range of lasers seem to agree that most diode lasers have added value to their practice.
An exciting thing is the pricing has dropped on mainstream lasers by several thousand dollars – with very popular models such as the EZ lase and the Navigator now selling under $10,000! Even fully supported base models are now in the $6000 range….
Check out the article and make a judgement for yourself.
Lasers have come a long way – and are now priced to become more mainstream. My docs find they sometimes work slower than their electrosurge – but the benefits should outweigh the speed in this case. A nice, clean way to design a smile and has so many other applications you can use this product most every day – periodontal therapies, fibroma recoveries, gingivectomies, implant recovery, tooth exposures, gingival troughing, and frenectomies…
So pick your laser by the company and the support you will recieve – get training and make the most use of this excellent technology!
Life is a big canvas, throw all the paint on it you can. – Danny Kaye
We have some great places that review small equipment and sundry items – but where are the independent equipment reviews?
I came across a website called Rate Dental Equipment Rate Dental Equipment – but this needs your support – so far you will notice I am one of the few who has taken time to review equipment here. I know its’ a pain, but the long term goal would be worthwhile. I hope manufacturers will link here, refer to this site as well as suppliers. Its’ a great idea and keeping it independent is a great way to keep it honest.
I challenge you to help build up a much needed independent review of dental equipment – further I could see this website set up a little ‘sexier’ to make it more attractive to use.
In the meantime, you can follow and get my advice on equipment starting today on Dental Lights – here are my favorite brands….
#1 – Midmark builds an excellent light. Built like a tank – heavy arm that seems to stay put when you place your light (no more annoying springs that drift) The bulbs are reasonable to replace and the light pattern is in the right spot. Easy to clean and maintain with replaceable shields that are also reasonable.
#2 – Belmont Lights – I have been a long time fan of Belmont lights, they just seem to last and last. Replacement parts are reasonable and maintenance is minimal. Several models are available
#3 – Pelton LED – I will give this a limited approval. I like the LED idea with some excellent features – I just am not a fan of the price yet. I think as this gets to be more mainstream we will see more competition in this area which will drive the prices to a point that they will be in line with current lighting equipment. The argument could be the life of the LED itself – but until I see this light in 10 or 15 years, it would be impossible to know what other service issues would arise and the overall cost. Still, if I were to build an office today – I would consider this for the sexy factor as well as the useful factor.
Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be….
This is a real quick rave….I realized today that many of you didn’t realize there is a product called Temp-Bond Unidose. Its’ a perfect product that will help you to avoid those temp crowns that fall off in between visits. What does re-cementing a crown cost you? Operatory time, infection control costs, staff time – at $5 per minute in an operatory, I would bet its’ about $50 to re-temp.
How about giving your patient an .85 cent package to take with them in case the temp falls off? Tell them to bring it back with them on the cement appointment if they don’t use it (most won’t have to).
Check out Temp Bond Unidose and save yourself some hassle…
Is this the life of a Dentist, or just you and me?
Some of my most inspiredwriting comes at 2:30 am. I have woken up many times and the things that keep me up at night are my inspiration for writing this blog and for the music I write.
I lie awake tonight thinking about a couple of my customers. As usual, I will play with analogies here (drives Andree, my wife crazy)– so back and forth I may talk about my ‘patients’ as customers.
I know some of the things that keep you up at night. My best friends are Dentists – and I have had many heart to heart discussions. This blog is here to let others know we are all the same, and sometimes we need to wear each others shoes to feel some empathy.
The Staff…
Co-workers keep us up at night. One of the biggest issues I see in an office is lack of leadership, which leads to a lack of team harmony. Consider your boss and how they feel.
Some of the most difficult situations we deal with in life is how we work with others. Dentists are trained in school to perform dentistry – not how to handle Human Resources. You may be frustrated with situations that arise at work, but I know that many bosses take these issues home and lose sleep. I have always personally found that finding ways to work well with others is much better than putting the onus on the boss. Instead of confronting the boss with problems, find your own solutions to work better as a team.
I know this type of team work in an office would help everyone sleep better.
The Overhead…
Overhead keeps us all up at night. We all have bills to pay – rent,mortgage, car payments. In the case of a business owner a day off or a holiday are huge expenses because even when you have no production your expenses keep rolling along.
The investment made in a dental practice is huge. First the many years of education can cost upwards of $200,000. After that, you have several years of ‘associating’ and honing your skills. During this time a dentist will have to build their client base and again make some financial sacrifices in earnings.
If and when you decide to open your own business – the costs add up very quickly. If you buy an established practice you can be in for 6 months to a years gross of the business and maybe add in the cost of capital expenditures. I am finding the average new practice is costing anywhere from $600,000 to $1.5 Million. This is stressful because you are not only committing to a large amount of money – but you are committing to keeping people employed, committing to a landlord for rent, committing to several business to supply you. All this money going out the door and you have no guarantee that a patient will even come in tomorrow….that is stressful – kinda like buying a big house and hoping your new job is going to work out!
As a business owner – you need to make sure your business is profitable and costs are kept in line. As a staff member, please understand that the largest portion of money earned in a practice is already spent on wages. Becoming a very efficient employee is key to a successful business and successful businesses treat their team members very well.
The Patient….
Besides all the staff and overhead – the reason we were all here was for the customer (patient). We truly care and are proud of what we do. We want to offer our highest level of skill and give the patient a great experience.
The most rewarding day is when a customer (patient) accepts our treatment plan and brings back friends and family to see us. We know we have done a good job. It hurts our feelings when our patient walks out the door questioning our skills and perhaps goes across the street to get a second opinion.
Ummm…..we are all the same.
Apply the ‘we are all the same’ analogy here for someone in my shoes…or for a staff member providing their highest skill level.
We all like the appreciation our patients show us by accepting our treatment and rewarding us by paying the bill. Not only that but telling others about what a great job we did.
We are all the same.
What keeps you up at night? Are you worried about the sensitivity your patient was experiencing? Are you worried about how long that extraction took, or how traumatic the experience was? Are you concerned about the crying child in the chair? How about the patient that you know will question everything you are telling them – when you know for sure they will have major oral health issues if they are not treated soon….
This is what keeps us all up at night.
We all want to do our best.
We all hope to gain loyalty and be rewarded.
We all love to be thanked for a good job.
We all lose sleep over our patients, our overhead and our co-workers.
I sincerely believe that by always performing at my highest level, continuing to improve that I will gain loyalty and be rewarded. I sincerely believe that by giving back as much as I get – not being greedy – that the rewards become much richer than just financial gain. I sincerely believe that by appreciating others, that they will learn to appreciate me.
When I give all that I can –I am confident that I get it back, and I can now go back to sleep…….
I thank my higher power every day not only for the gifts I have been given, but for the challenges that make me a better person. Warren Bobinski
Every office needs one of these simple to install devices to increase bond strengths up to 400%. The multiple use device is mostly used for etching all metals and composties to increase bond strength and clean out and prep your surfaces.
As per the manufacturer…
The MicroEtcher IIA is recognized as one of the most valuable tools for dentistry. The MicroEtcher provides precise surface micro-roughening, improving bond strength up to 400%. Surface area and surface reactivity is dramatically increased for maximum bond. Sandblasting is fast and easy with most surface roughening procedures requiring only a few seconds. It offers all stainless construction and replaceable carbide tip. Now with a permanently affixed jar lid and spill resistant abrasive filter.
FEATURES
MicroEtcher Uses:
Etching all metals, composites & amalgam for maximum bond strength
Intraoral porcelain repair
Pit & fissure prep
Cleaning darked grooves to reveal decay
Prepping incipient lesions and minor Class I & V
Debriding bur preps for best esthetics & bonds
Almost every office I work with has one of the devices and would not live without it – another tool that has so many uses, you will wonder why you haven’t had this for so long! Priced at about $299 Canadian.
