THE LOWDOWN ON DIGITAL

None of us can deny the digital days that we live in.

This blog wasn't written on a scroll. 

As far as the dental industry is concerned, what does this mean for us?

As a lab, there are a couple things that we can say for sure:

1) DIGITAL DOESN'T MAKE MAGIC

Yes, wands work wonders!  They eliminate impression material expense, mess, and fluids. However, the general skill required in capturing tissue detail is still needed.  In crown prep, you still have to pack cord.  If not enough of the opposing and adjacent teeth are captured in the scan, we'll still call you for another impression as the integrity of the final product will most likely be compromised. 

Scanning software won’t work for you if you expect it to work for you.

2) DIGITAL IS EXPENSIVE

On top of the initial buying price of up to $49,000, you've got data package subscriptions and software updates ranging from $500 to $4000 per year.  Those numbers can be quite an investment for a business of any size.  Does expensive mean out of range? Not necessarily. The pros and cons for your practice just need to be evaluated.  

How many of your patients are already inquiring about this via word of mouth? How much do you spend on trays and impression material/stone per year? How much chair time are you losing due to re-makes/re-impressions from errors with the conventional method? 

Does your lab offer model-less at a lower price to help kick back some of that expense? Are you comfortable working without a model?

It boils down to this: Is the possibility for a consistent look, better fit, and quicker turn-around time enough to justify 50K?  Even if those 3 things generate happy patients, how long will that R.O.I take?

3) DIGITAL CAN'T BE AVOIDED

So... Now that we've got that out of the way, who's ready to buy? 

Hey, we never claimed to be the best salespeople on the block.  But the truth is, we don't gain anything either way.  We just believe that in a time where toddlers scroll through iPhones, and the average business professional grew up with a remote, video game controller, or computer mouse in their hand, digital can't be avoided.  So, to answer the earlier question of, 'does it justify the cost?'

YES! 

We’ve seen remake percentages go from 7% to 3% in a quarter.  We’ve seen practices expand to ortho trays just because they can with a scanning ad-on.  We’ve seen hand-waxers learn to operate the stylus as a means of skill transfer. How many other professions can you say that about as machines come along?

We support the growth of digital, but embrace both methods of practice for what they bring to the table. 

Our CAD techs love downloading the digital files just as much as our model-room techs love pouring and grinding the models.

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In the event that you're already the proud owner of a shiny new scanning system, check out the PRODUCTS page of our website. There may be a few helpful links under the DIGITAL section on how to get those new scans over to yours truly!