Investment in the future

01 November 2010
Volume 26 · Issue 10

Vanessa Elwell tells how to find a better way to work.

Do you feel like your life is going round in circles…one more form to fill in, six more check-ups to do, yet another day where you wonder what’s it all about? And now with the current pressures of the economic climate to deal with I am sure many clinicians are wondering why they considered dentistry to be a fulfilling and worthwhile career.

Just getting things done is no way to spend your day. You and your patients deserve more than that. You also need to consider what the practice down the road might be doing to attract ‘your’ patients, so perhaps it’s time to spend quality time considering a better way to work, ways to attract more patients and ultimately run a more profitable and effective practice.

At times like these the old adage ‘investment for the future’ comes to the fore, and with the advancements in digital technology a practice with the latest iTero digital impression scanner can attract patients more easily and benefit significantly in terms of ease of use and choice of restorations and materials.

There are multiple ways a practice benefits from the iTero scanner. The first is the level of efficiency as iTero is easy to use and gives predictable results, no waiting for the impression to set or getting a drag that means a retake of the impression. The second benefit of iTero is the reduction in remakes as iTero is highly accurate and minimises remakes due to restorations not fitting.  How many times a year do you have to reschedule a patient due to a crown that doesn’t fit?  The patient is unhappy they have to come back for another appointment, and you have wasted your valuable chair time.

iTero is very accurate and the digital data is sent directly to the lab of your choice, so remakes are almost eliminated, saving time and money all round. The system offers 100 per cent powder-free scanning and identifies the tooth to be scanned and the angle at which to scan through voice and visual commands.  A digital scan from iTero is designed to be digitally perfect and allows for the fabrication of numerous types of restorations: veneers, crowns, bridges, inlays, onlays, and implant abutments, from single units to full arches. iTero models are precision milled at Straumann`s state-of-the-art facility in Leipzig.

 

Marketing

There are many advantages to using the iTero digital impression scanner, and the marketing angle mustn’t be overlooked. There’s no doubt patients perceive this technology as progressive and therefore perceive the practice as progressive.  When patients are given a choice between traditional impressions and digital, they routinely choose digital due to comfort. A popular comment is, ‘so I don’t have to have that goop shoved in my mouth?’

iTero obviously required some financial investment, but many dentists using the system have reported significant increases in profitability and that they have started to enjoy the ‘art’ of dentistry once again.

iTero forms part of the Straumann CARES Digital Solutions portfolio that offers a complete dental solution, from digital impression-taking using intra-oral scanning to the computerised production of prosthetics using state-of-the-art CAM processing. Each individual step is well-coordinated, seamlessly interlocking and is designed for high quality. Digitalisation will impact all aspects of dentistry. Straumann is committed to bringing the new technologies to all dental professionals in various markets around the world to connect them across disciplines. Straumann is one of the leading manufacturers in implant, restorative and regenerative dentistry to offer all these services.

For more information about iTero digital impression system and Straumann CARES Digital Solutions contact Straumann on 01293 6511230 or visit www.straumann-cares-digital-solutions.com