by Joe Blaes, Editor
I hope your summer has been more relaxing than mine. July and August were extremely busy travel months, even for me! I have attended meetings in Denver, San Diego, Orlando, Hartford and Wallingford, Conn.; Hatfield, Pa.; Wilmington, Del.; Milford, Del.; Chicago; Orlando (again); Charlotte, N.C.; Phoenix; Minneapolis and Brainerd, Minn.; Tulsa, and Baltimore! Lots of airline miles this month.
The AGD meeting in Orlando was another great experience and a chance to see many old friends and make some new ones. We have a great relationship with the leaders of the AGD, and will continue to make things happen together.
I attended my favorite Key Opinion Leader meeting, the Kerr Roundtable. It was held at the beautiful new Grand Del Mar Hotel in Del Mar, Calif. We learned about the research that Kerr is doing to bring innovative new products to our dental practices. I think you will be amazed in the next couple of years!
I stopped in to meet with the leaders at Imaging Sciences International, the makers of the i-CAT® Cone Beam 3-D Dental Imaging System. They gave us a demonstration of the system.
I had an excellent visit with the people at Pelton & Crane. I can remember when the only mode to set up a treatment room was with a DentalEZ J chair, an A-dec cart, and a Pelton & Crane Light Fantastic. This is certainly not so today. I have seen the new P&C light, and you will be amazed at the innovations they have in store for you. Change the light to a noncuring wavelength at the touch of a button, and it's great for shade-taking. These are just a couple of the light's innovative features. I will be doing a "Pearl" on this light next month.
I cannot tell you about a number of the great new products that will be coming out over the next year because they are still confidential. Pelton & Crane has used the Danaher Business System (DBS) to restructure the company. Central to DBS is "kaizen" or continuous improvement. Everyone within P&C gets involved in kaizen. It starts by identifying a customer issue and then gathering a team that will fix that issue in less than a week. Keep your eye on this company for many innovative products in 2008 and 2009.
While in Charlotte, I stopped in at Sirona to visit with my good friends there. The GALILEOS is now available in two versions. I saw demonstrations of both versions and was quite impressed by them. I also got an update on the CEREC system and all that is new.
I am very proud of the group of columnists who we have assembled to provide you with the very best information available. Every month, you can read about how to build your retirement, how to handle — or better yet — avoid human resource problems, and receive practice-management and product tips from wet-gloved dentists and consultants who work with dentists every day. In every issue, you'll find great practical information on marketing your practice, interviews with dental leaders sharing their secrets, tips for keeping your body pain-free, the latest information on what is new in dental technology, and much more.
The American Dental Association meets Oct. 16-19 in San Antonio. I hope to see you there! I have talked to many exhibitors, and have come up with a list of new products for you to look at on the ADA exhibit floor. I think that every one of them is a winner and worthy of your consideration. Be sure to check them out beginning on page 24! Take advantage of the many great courses during the meeting, and enjoy the River Walk in the evening!
Another great cone beam article by Dr. Matt Lark begins on page 142. In the last few weeks, I have had two cone beam companies demonstrate how their software manipulates the images that are produced. I think that cone beam images for the placement of implants will become the standard of care in the near future. This technology clearly allows us to be better dentists by providing our patients with a higher standard of care. It is the patient who benefits the most from the advancement of dental technology!
Joe Blaes, DDS, Editor — e-mail: [email protected]
Toll-free phone number: (866) 274-4500
