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We mentally distinguish between two image types, radiographs and photographs. However in many ways there is really no difference as far as the computer is concerned. Just as a 35mm color slide and an x-ray transparency are different versions of the same photographic technology a digital color image and a digital x-ray are different versions of the same digital technology. The primary difference is the wavelength of the EM energy and in how the image is acquired. Yet once it is digitized the computer software needed to work with either an x-ray or visible light image is really the same.

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2000 Patients
1/5 get a pano each year = 400
Every new patient, 2 a week gets a pano = 100
500 panos @ $80 ea. = $42,500  In the first Year!

Good digital panos like the Kodak 8000 can be purchased for less than $30,000. There is no cost for film or developing. Once you have paid for the machine it is almost all profit. That’s over $210,000 over five years.
If you do not have a digital panoramic x-ray machine….why not?

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Myth: The price will be coming down soon.

Fact: Prices have been going up. The economies of scale which have driven down the price of many high tech products simply do not apply to digital x-rays. There is no general consumer demand outside of dentistry. The market is limited, and the cost of development, service and support is very high.

Myth: The staff won’t like it.

Fact: 40,000 plus dental offices are successfully using digital radiography. If the staff doesn’t like it, the problem may be the staff not the system. Most staff resistance problems are really training problems.

Myth: I need a sensor in every room.

Fact: Most general dental offices can start quite well with just one sensor. The sensor is not only a film substitute it is also a processor substitute. If you can run your dental practice with one film processor you can run the office with one sensor. Multiple doctor offices or offices with lots of pediatric patients may need a second sensor.

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Clik Tech makes the digital sensor holder ClickRay. The company recently received ISO 9001:2000 certification. This is the internationally recognized standard for Quality Management Systems. ClikTech received certification for the design, development, provisioning, maintenance and support of design operations and services.

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I posted a short message regarding CADI last year. I have just learned that CADI has been ordered to stop selling their system in the US based on copyright issues. If you already purchased CADI this may leave you in a vulnerable position regarding future service and support.

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In the last few years and especially the last few months there have been several major acquisitions of digital radiography technology. Gendex and Dexis were purchased by Danaher. Schick was purchased by Sirona and Kodak was purchased by Onex. As an industry observer and information resource for dentists none of these changes concerned me. They did nothing to change my opinion of any of these products.
The reason I didn’t change my opinion is that in each case the brand was continued, the management and support teams were kept in place and the business philosophy behind each product appeared to be staying the same.
Based on the information in the press release it does appear the same thing is happening with the acquisition of the Dentrix image products by Danaher under the Dexis brand. It is impossible to know how these two quite different products will be blended together. It may result in a much better product than either Dentrix or Dexis was offering in the past. However since it is not possible to know what will happen and since my loyalty is to dentistry not to vendors I would be a cautious buyer of these products at this time.

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Lightyear [1] has ceased doing business as a dental radiography company. If you have a lightyear system you will need to find alternative sources of support. Suni may support the sensors but has not yet made that commitment. More to come. There is nothing at all on the web site regarding this development and the future of users???

[1] http://www.lightyeardirect.com/products/dsm_index.html

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Onex Healthcare Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of Onex Corporation, has signed an agreement with Eastman Kodak Company to acquire Kodak’s Health Group. Kodak’s Health Group includes the dental, medical, molecular imaging and non-destructive testing businesses. Onex, headquartered in Toronto, is one of Canada’s largest corporations with approximately C$20 billion in annual consolidated revenues and approximately C$20 billion in consolidated assets.

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Myth: The thinnest sensors are the most comfortable.

Fact: This seems to make sense but on examination it is just silly. With this logic pressing a knife blade into your hand would be more comfortable than pressing a pencil. After all, the knife is thinner. Within the range of all sensors on the market, that is 2-4mm thick, the patient acceptance is the same.

 
Myth: The cord is a problem.
 

Fact: The cord simply needs to come out of the mouth it can’t go down the throat. If you can master a saliva ejector you can handle the cord on the sensor. 

Myth: It will cost $40,000 for a digital x-ray system.
 

Fact: It is quite possible to get a digital x-ray system for $12,000 or less. A good name brand sensor will cost about $8,000 and good software around $4,000. If you want to shop price you could get a system for under $10,000.

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A major advantage of digital x-rays is the speed of acquisition. Once the sensor is exposed the image is produced within seconds. This of course saves the time of going to the processor, opening the film packs waiting for the chemical processing then labeling and mounting the films. However there is another advantage to fast image acquisition which is rarely appreciated. The operator does not need to remove the sensor in order to see the image.
This creates a tremendous clinical advantage. For example if the doctor takes an x-ray and inadvertently misses the apex, he or she will see the error within seconds. The tube head or sensor (which has not moved) can be re-arranged as needed and another image taken immediately. In this way the operator can insure that hard to see structures can be captured for proper diagnosis.
With a film pack or a phosphor storage system the film or plate must leave the mouth and be processed. The operator will not see the image for several minutes. If there is an error the operator will need to re-position the tube and film with no reference to the previous orientation.

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