dentalblogs.com

Today Dell announced its new Vostro line of desktop and laptop PCs for small business. Vostro, from the Latin for “yours,” revolves around the needs of the small-business owner. The new systems are more business-oriented than Dell’s Inspiron consumer PCs, yet more personalized than the enterprise-class Dell Optiplex and Latitude PCs.
Dell Announces Small-Biz Desktops and Laptops – News and Analysis by PC Magazine [1].
Check the link for all the details from PC Magazine

[1] http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2156362,00.asp

[Read more →]

ClikTech, Inc. announces a new line of dental sensor barrier bags. Designed by a dentist, the barrier bags present a significant improvement over existing products. Each bag features soft rounded edges, an exposed lip for easy access and a tear resistant polyethylene plastic.
The barrier bags are fully FDA approved and come in three sizes to fit any size 0 through size 3 sensor.  The revolutionary intermediate size 1+2 bag fits such sensors as Dexis, Kodak RVG size 1 and Schick size 2.  Each cover is individually marked with its size. ClikRay™ barrier bags are sold in dispenser boxes of 500 each and are available through your local dealers in August, 2007.
visit their website at www.clikray.com [1]

[1] http://www.clikray.com/

[Read more →]

Today’s LCDs are bigger and better than any we’ve seen before, and they can handle virtually any office or multimedia task you throw at them. Not long ago, desktop LCD monitors were designed almost exclusively with an eye toward business, targeting users with space constraints and those who generally worked with office applications and didn’t require a high-performance display. Not to mention that they were quite expensive. Think about it: Five years ago an 18-inch NEC MultiSync LCD monitor had a street price of $1,800. Things have changed. Widescreen models in particular are becoming the popular choice for businesses and consumers alike, enabling users to view multiple document pages at the same time or watch a DVD movie in its native aspect ratio on a big, bright panel. If you’re running Windows Vista, widescreen displays let you run the sidebar pane and gadget applications without sacrificing valuable screen space. Perhaps most important is the affordability factor: You can find a basic 22-inch widescreen display for around $300, if you shop around. As is the case with most electronics, however, the more features you add, the more you’ll wind up paying.
Buying Guide: 22-Inch LCDs – Buying Guide: 22-Inch LCDs – Reviews by PC Magazine [1].

[1] http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2149279,00.asp

[Read more →]

Here is a teaser from Bob Maccario:

It’s time to stop treating patients- turn them into guests, don’t just build a practice, build an independent business, and think beyond the next level, focus on the future of clinical excellence on a sound business basis. It’s Not a Next Level-it’s a New EraA new era of dentistry has arrived, and continues to evolve. Leading-edge practices understand this evolution, and see these changes as new opportunities for success, opportunities that have never before existed.
I am working with Bob on something called the IPRN (Independent Practice Resource Network). Bob has brought together a network of exceptional resources that will be available online to help develop a successful entrepreneurial practice. I am very excited about this and will be following up soon with lots more.

[Read more →]

Nearly six months after it launched, gripes over what doesn’t work with Vista continue, eclipsing positive buzz over the program’s improved desktop search, graphics and security.With Vista now shipping on most new computers, it’s all but guaranteed to become the world’s dominant PC operating system — eventually. For now, some users are either learning to live with workarounds or sticking with Vista’s predecessor, Windows
Six months on, Vista users still griping – Tech News & Reviews – MSNBC.com [1].
Click above to read the whole thing. The article predicts that Vista will dominate the market soon despite flaws just because Microsoft is so dominant; some form of Windows is used in 93% of personal computers worlwide.
For now it is a good idea not to try and use Vista in the dental office.

[1] http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19747743/

[Read more →]

This is not the Twilight Zone or Ripley’s Believe It or Not.  Sometimes, however, our experiences tell us otherwise. We’ve all experienced technical conundrums—bizarre behavior exhibited by our computers, or MP3 players, our phones, or some other piece of electronic wizardry. By all rights, technical stuff is rooted in logic, so strange things shouldn’t happen, but they do. We’re not talking about stuff that happens to everyone; a bad device driver, for instance, can ruin life for every user who ownsthe affected part. We mean stuff that only happens to the few, the ones who call tech support and baffle everyone to whom they speak from the lowly key puncher to the senior geek in charge.
We’re here to tell you that you’re not alone. We’ve been baffled, too. Read on, to delve into times when the armies of ExtremeTech and Ziff-Davis itself—known the world over for technical proficiency—thought they woke up in the Bermuda Triangle.
The Black Holes of Tech [1].
Check the link above to read the whole thing

[1] http://www.extremetech.com/article2/0,1697,2154190,00.asp

[Read more →]

[Read more →]

Going paperless is a process not an event. At first you will need the paper charts on all your patients as you will be referring to the previous paper entries. As time goes on you will need to refer less and less to the old paper records. After a year all the current x-rays will be digital and all the patients recent entries and treatment plans should be digital. It is now possible to stop pulling charts. However at first you will need to refer to the old charts fairly often for entries or x-rays more than a year old. Eventually you will rarely ever need to pull a chart.

[Read more →]

A very simplified version of laser mechanics, the laser produces a beam of light energy that is coherent and collimated. That means the light is all the same wavelength and it is focused into a fine beam.
The various lasers used in dentistry are usually identified by the resonating material such as Yag, diode, chromium, CO2 or Alexandrite. This material is what determines the wavelength of the laser.
Different wavelengths of light energy are absorbed by different substances. For example some wavelengths are absorbed by water and some wavelengths pass right through water. If a substance absorbs the laser energy it will immediately take on the energy of the laser, usually as heat. The rapid heating of the tissue is what causes the changes we see with a laser.
Each wavelength will effect the tissues in quite different ways. For example a diode laser is absorbed by dark colors such as hemoglobin. That makes it ideal for cutting soft tissue but it will have no effect on tooth structure.
It is possible to focus the laser energy into a very narrow band so that it affects the tissue practically on a cellular level.

[Read more →]

Digital cameras have evolved to the point that they should be used in dentistry in place of traditional 35mm film cameras. They can be used for documentation, imaging, teaching, marketing and just about anything else you could think to use a camera for. And they will do it faster, more effectively and usually easier than a traditional camera. The only problem is that digital cameras are everywhere. They range in price from a few hundred dollars to many thousands. How do you choose a camera for use in the dental office?
To effectively use digital photography in the dental office the dentist will not only need the proper camera but he/she will need lens adaptors, a remote ring flash or diffuser, memory media, a media reader, batteries, possibly a battery charger and most importantly instructions. Finding the right camera and putting all the accessories together can be an expensive time consuming process. Most dentists should consider a kit from Photo-Med [1], Norman Camera [2].

[1] http://www.photomed.net/
[2] http://www.normancamera.com/index-exec/

[Read more →]