Dental Imaging

Conversion from conventional film to digital radiography in the dental office has evolved from an “if” question to a “when” question over the last few years.

Recently, I had the pleasure of conducting a national teleseminar with Vicki McManus, RDH and Dr. Bruce Baird of The Productive Dentist Academy. During the event, Bruce shared with our 200+ listeners that although the average dentist produces about $300/hour, by developing a more productive “mindset,” production of $1,240/hour is achievable without sacrificing the quality of the patient’s dental care.

My winning streak started in early 2007 when I filled out a postcard in a dental magazine.

For years, we begrudgingly used our older, film-based pan machine. It was a pain to use, and then there were the processing problems.

There are many reasons for dentists to convert from film to digital radiography, including improved diagnostic capability, greater patient acceptance of treatment recommendations, and increased efficiency.

I remember the days of searching through a chart to find X-rays in mounts and envelopes, and also printed intraoral and facial shots. It took time to search for just the right X-ray, for the right date, the best angulation.

An Interview With Dr. Jeffrey Dalin, DDS

A decade ago when I told my wife, Debra, that I wanted to sell the practice we had built in Rhode Island for 22 years and move to Maine, she was stunned. Since the economy in our area had stagnated, it was becoming harder to have the kind of practice that I found rewarding.

Running a dental practice in a modern world carries many responsibilities-from caring for patients and staff to protecting the world around us.