by Joe Blaes
I know that I am prejudiced because I think every issue of DE® is fresh and exciting, but this issue is packed with exciting ideas. Start off with our second cover featuring an exclusive interview with Danaher Corporation executives, Robert Joyce and Daniel Even. Bob is responsible for Danaher’s dental equipment businesses in the Americas, and Dan is now president of the consumables side. You may not even be aware of this new giant in the dental industry.
Quickly and quietly, Danaher has acquired a number of dental companies that, two years ago, were considered to be untouchable. In terms of assets, they are now the number two dental company in the dental industry, right behind DENTSPLY International. They have become a huge unknown player in the dental industry. I think you will find the interview interesting and insightful, as Bob and Dan give us a look inside the company.
Danaher’s newest platform encompasses technologies that are contributing to a revolution in dentistry. The dental products range from digital panoramic imaging systems to breakthrough devices that replace traditional “drill and fill” approaches with painless, proactive solutions. Danaher is a public company traded on the New York Stock Exchange as DHR. The article begins on page 28.
February is our annual “Focus On” veneers issue. I believe that all dentistry is cosmetic, and the so-called “esthetic revolution” is simply a response to our patients’ desires to lookand feel good. Read three great articles on veneers, each one with an entirely different view on the use and abuse of veneers. I think you will find these to be fascinating reading.
February also marks the beginning of a new column - Implant Dentistry - that will be appearing every other month. This column is being sponsored by the American Academy of Implant Dentistry. It will be written by the members of the Academy to give us all more information on a field of dentistry that I feel is extremely important for general dentists.
My early experience with implants in the late 1980s and early 1990s was disappointing. I was referring patients to specialists, but my patients were comfortable in my practice and with my team.They did not want to go to another office for treatment, and most said they would proceed with treatment if I placed the implants. Many patients would not even go to a specialist for a consultation!
Some of my patients did go to specialists, but did not receive the same special care that they were accustomed to in our office. These patients came back to my practice with stories of how they had been treated by dentists and staff members in the specialty practices. Many refused to return to those practices. I am sure that many of you have had these same types of experiences.
Patient complaints about going to specialists forced me to get busy with continuing-education hours in implant dentistry, so that I could do all but the most extremely complicated cases. It is my hope that the new Implant Dentistry column will inspire you to get involved in this exciting field, so your patients will receive the best of care in your office.
Even though we are in the middle of winter, spring will be here before we know it. Spring brings April showers and May flowers. It also brings the PDA (Professional Dental Assisting) meeting at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown. A terrific meeting has been planned for your dental assistants. Visit the PDA Web site at www.professionaldentalassisting.com. Two of my favorite dental meetings are coming up. I have not missed a Chicago Midwinter Meeting in more than 40 years. This meeting is sponsored by the Chicago Dental Society and runs Feb. 22-25 at McCormick Place. My other favorite is the Hinman Dental Meeting in Atlanta to be held March 15-17 at the Georgia World Congress Center. Both of these meetings would be great places to begin your implant dentistry education.
Thanks for your continued support of the PennWell family of dental magazines. I would like to call your attention to a new member of the family, Dental Office™. This new entry will provide information for all members of the practice. Great articles for dentists, business assistants, dental assistants, and hygienists will be brought to you by an extremely capable editor, Kevin Henry. Look for it in the polybag along with DE in February, March, June, September, and November!
Joe Blaes, DDS, Editor - e-mail: [email protected]
Toll-free phone number: (866) 274-4500
