Blog Category: Dental Health Tips

The Importance of Dental X-Rays

The Importance of Dental X-Rays From Digital Doc

A visual examination of your mouth isn’t enough for dentists to start the necessary treatment. Consequently, dentists utilize an array of diagnostic tools, such as radiographic images. Dentists rely on these x-rays to look at what lies beneath your gum-line, such as the roots of your teeth and the surrounding bone. So, when you see your dentist using the XTG Handheld X-Ray machine from Digital Doc, you’ll know that they’re doing everything they can to provide the best treatment possible. In this article, you’ll learn the importance of dental x-rays, how often you should have them taken, and their level of safety.

X-Rays Are Invaluable During Diagnosis

As already mentioned, dental x-rays allow your dentist to take a look at what is within and between your teeth, something that isn’t possible with just the naked eye.

Dental x-rays aren’t only useful during routine dental checkups to ensure that you don’t have any dental disease; they are also immensely helpful during the diagnosis of various diseases. For example, HD x-rays taken using the XTG X-Ray device can be instrumental in helping your dentist see impacted wisdom teeth, abscesses, cysts, and many other issues.

Many people rarely see their doctor, but they visit the dentist regularly. This situation has made dental x-rays important aids in diagnosing overall health problems, such as osteoporosis. Digital Doc’s handheld digital x-ray will show whether or not you are losing bone dentistry in your jaw or other surrounding areas.

Dental x-rays also play an important role when dentists, orthodontists, and other dental care professionals are creating a treatment plan. For example, when you are due to undergo dental implant surgery, the dentist will use the x-ray images to plan the surgery and select the best placement for the implant.

How Often Should X-Rays Be Taken?

No two patients are alike, so it isn’t easy to make a blanket statement regarding how often you should undergo dental x-rays. For that reason, it is prudent for you to talk to your dentist so that he or she can assess your dental health and recommend how often you may need dental x-rays.

For most patients, several types of dental x-rays, such as panoramic x-rays, periapical x-rays, and bitewing x-rays will be taken if you are a new patient at a dental office so that your first exam can give the dentist a clear picture of where you stand in terms of your dental health. Thereafter, the x-rays will not be as comprehensive as the first set since there will be a baseline upon which future exams and treatment will be based.

Dental X-Ray Safety

Every patient and parent is concerned about x-ray safety. After all, radiation exposure carries some risks, and that is why patients are given lead aprons and lead collars to protect delicate body organs from radiation. Most modern equipment is designed to limit radiation exposure, and dentists only order x-rays when the situation warrants such images, so you should have no worries on those few times when these images are required.

Nevertheless, some dentists have taken patient safety a degree higher by switching to handheld digital x-rays, such as the XTG. This device hugely reduces the radiation to which you are exposed, so you have nothing to fear if your dentist uses this chairside device. The odds of getting the best diagnostic and routine checkup images increase significantly if your dentist is using the XTG Handheld X-Ray from Digital Doc since the images captured will be crystal-clear. So, the next time you visit your dentist, ask him or her to use this digital device for reliable x-rays upon which your dental health can be determined.

The Remarkable Story of Dr. Tuyen Nguyen

When you visit Dr. Tuyen Nguyen’s state-of-the-art dental practice in Rush City, Minnesota, you cannot help but be inspired by his story. Dr. Nguyen migrated from Vietnam to start his version of The American Dream. Dr. Nguyen’s story inspires anyone to believe that if they dream big, put in long hours of work and never give up, they too can live the life they’ve always hoped for.

Born towards the end of the Vietnam War, Dr. Nguyen, grew up when the Communists took over the country. They rigorously enforced their system upon the people and punished anyone who got in their way. Any form of money or power was considered a sin. People went so far as to throw money in the river so that they could avoid being punished.

Dr. Nguyen came from a family who valued skills and education. His parents worked very hard to become schoolteachers to earn a good living. After the Communists took over, his parents were only making ends meet. To increase their income, Dr. Nguyen’s mom ran many businesses from their home. She purchased peanuts in bulk, processed them, added value, and then sold them. She did the same with other items like oil, sugar, and rice. Later, she started a sewing business to make clothing for exporting companies.

Dr. Nguyen helped out in the family businesses. But he was a determined young man who had the desire to better his circumstances in life. Dr. Nguyen rode a bicycle 20 miles three times a week in order to complete a preparatory course for a Vietnam college entrance exam. Later, he found out that he did not qualify to get into medical school. Dr. Nguyen did, however, get into a physician assistant program. After three long years of training, he qualified for a physician assistant job, which paid $25 a month. Dr. Nguyen could of qualified for a job that paid $50-100 a month if he went to medical school. He decided to go back to Biên Hòaorked to work for his mother’s at-home banking business. Dr. Nguyen told himself that he would one day board a plane and leave for a foreign country where he would get a better education.

His dreams of a better education finally became a reality when Dr. Nguyen found a way to migrate to the United States. He left Vietnam, traveled to the Philippines in 1992 and moved to the United States in 1993. He started his education in the U.S. at a community college. Dr. Nguyen considered nursing, teaching, business, and being a hygienist as possible career paths. Eventually, he decided he wanted to be an electrical technician. He made his way to Saint Paul College to gain the knowledge and skills he needed. Then one of his prime supporters convinced him that he was capable of doing more than engineering. Dr. Nguyen was encouraged by his peers to aim higher in the career field several times.

Dr. Nguyen completed dental school in 2002 and embarked on acquiring his own dental practice, a dream he had in 2005. Dr. Nguyen didn’t just want any regular dental practice. He wanted a comprehensive dental practice with the latest technology, such as 3D cone beam x-ray, hard and soft tissue laser and intraoral cameras. With the latest technology, he could leverage his newly acquired professional skills in order to offer the best service to his patients. That dream of a state-of-the-art dental practice saw the light of day in 2009 when he organized a grand opening for the revamped dental practice he bought years earlier.

Where is Dr. Nguyen now?

Today, Dr. Nguyen’s dental practice has 12 dental chairs, each with its own intraoral camera. He credits a combination of many investments such as the IRIS 2.0 Cameras made by Digital Doc, the facility, the proper number of team members to additional training. Training courses to better serve his patients with Implants, for example, IV sedation, sleep apnea. If you want to grow your production to over $1000 per hour, this list is a great place to start.

How can that be? Dr. Nguyen, explains that the cameras, for example, enable him to SHOW his patients that his dental practice is more thorough in its work when compared to the other dental offices. A new patient who comes in knowing that he or she has four cavities discovers from the images captured by the intraoral cameras that there are seven or eight cavities! By SHOWING the patients the extent of their dental problems instead of merely TELLING them, Dr. Nguyen proves the superiority of his services. Consequently, case acceptance rates have soared, along with his income.

Looking back to the $25 per month at a physician’s assistant back in Vietnam to $1,000 an hour. Dr. Nguyen is truly thankful for how far he has come and he encourages those in his field to go after what they want in life. If he could make it, you can make it too!

Things to Remember About Intraoral Camera Maintenance

Intraoral Camera Maintenance - Digital Doc

Things to Remember About Intraoral Camera Maintenance

All dental offices know how important it is to take every step necessary to ensure infection control. That same zeal also needs to be devoted to taking care of and preserving the condition of the costly dental equipment which facilitates accurate diagnosis and treatment. The IRIS HD USB 3.0 Dental Camera, the XRay2Go or XTG Handheld X-Ray machine and the LUM sub-enamel illumination devices are examples of diagnostic equipment that every dental office should take care of properly. This article discusses some of the crucial disinfecting measures that will help you to not only maintain but increase the longevity of your equipment.

Step #1: Sheaths for Asepsis and Fogging

The IRIS camera sheaths are specifically designed for IRIS cameras only. The optically clear side is on the bottom so you want to put the camera light towards the white paper. The Sheath is not required to be used with the cameras since you can wipe the camera down with a disinfectant wipe; however, you will prevent fogging by adding the sheath. We all have those patients when we ask them to breath out of their nose and they do the opposite.

Step #2: Refer to the User Manual

No two manufacturers make intraoral cameras the same way. It is therefore prudent for you to read the user manual of your IRIS intraoral camera and find out what the manufacturer recommends as the right way to clean or maintain this particular piece of dental equipment.

For example, one manufacturer may recommend that you use an alcohol wipe to clean the lens of the camera while another might forbid it. Follow the specific recommendations provided in the manual so that your camera isn’t damaged during the cleaning process. The advice of following the manufacturer’s instructions also applies to any other dental equipment that you may have, such as the LUM sub-enamel illumination device and the XTG Handheld X-Ray machine.

Step #3: Place Your Intraoral Camera on a Surface You Can Disinfect

The third step that you should take is to place the IRIS Intraoral camera on a sterile surface or on a disposable liner. Once the camera is on that surface, dispose of the gloves that you wore while taking intraoral images of the patient.

After taking the gloves off, proceed to wash your hands thoroughly. This added precaution is necessary because there’s a possibility that you came in contact with the patient’s fluids. After washing and drying your hands, wear fresh gloves and proceed with the next steps of the process.

Step #4: Wipe the Camera Down

You should always wipe down the entire camera using Digi Wipes, which are scientifically proven to have superior disinfection properties compared to other medical wipes on the market. Don’t use the wipes picked from the grocery store! The wipes used to clean your camera must be specifically designed for this role.

Step #5: Connect the Cable and Store the IRIS Intraoral Camera

Once the camera is dry, reconnect its USB cable and place the camera in a fresh sheath. Thereafter, place the camera in its storage place or on a sterile surface, such as a tray, if you intend to use it again. Discard the gloves you wore while cleaning the IRIS 2.0 Dental Camera for Windows.

The steps above should be mastered by every member of your staff. Insist that they follow those steps every single time without any exceptions. That way, your equipment will not be an instrument of cross-contamination or provision of inaccurate images.

Making Decisions as a Dental Practice Owner

Making decisions as a practice owner - digital doc

Making Decisions as a Dental Practice Owner

One of the key attributes that distinguish successful dental practice owners from those who struggle is the ability to make decisions and take action. Unless you have years of experience as a practice owner, decision making may not come naturally to you. Making decisions as a practice owner requires you to focus on three major areas as discussed below. The good thing is that even those who are poor at decision making can learn this skill and perfect it over time.

Making Clinical Decisions in Your Dental Practice

One of the many responsibilities of being a dentist is diagnosing and treating patients. Therefore, your decision-making abilities will be called upon to make clinical decisions for your patients overall oral health.

One mistake you should never make is delegating your clinical decision-making role to your patients. You are the expert, so they expect you to guide them on their journey to better oral health. For example, don’t ask a patient which diagnostic tests they would like to undergo. Again, you are the expert, you know the best test to confirm or rule out a given condition, such as caries. It is your responsibility to use proper diagnostic aid like LUM to ascertain what the problem is.

Similarly, you are expected to take charge of designing an appropriate treatment plan for your patients. You can only discuss the different options and make it possible for the patient to make an informed decision in case several techniques can be used to attain the same desired outcome.

Decisions Related to Running and Growing the Practice

The fist step to growing your dental practice is to first decide your practice’s goals. Having a clear mission will help you make the decision process easier. Every possible option must be weighed to fit your overall mission.

For example, it will be easy for you to abandon traditional x-ray machines in favor of the XTG Handheld X-Ray if your mission is to continually improve the level of patient care. Thanks to the evolution of dental technology, new digital x-rays will improve patient safety and reduce the time needed for diagnostic tests, in addition to providing other benefits. So, the decision to upgrade your practice’s dental equipment will be easy to make.

Furthermore, you should not hesitate when it is time to make unpleasant decisions, such as letting an unfit team member go. You should terminate them if they have consistently shown a lack of professionalism, level of respect, ability to work well with others or fulfill their job duties.

In short, it will be easier for you to become effective at decision making as you manage the day-to-day affairs of your dental practice if you have a clear mission to act as a guidepost on this journey.

Overall Leadership in Your Dental Practice

Your dental patients, team members, and community want you to succeed as a dental practice. An important part of being a successful practice owner is the level of leadership and culture you obtain. A good leader also gains more respect from their peers. However, if you fall short of being a good leader, you may face some consequences. Some key principles to becoming a better leader are the ability to make the right decisions at the right time.

For example, you would benefit more by acquiring an IRIS USB 2.0 Dental Camera for Windows this year instead of waiting 10 years before making the upgrade. Always make your decision based on the data, stats, and analysis so that you truly know you’re making the right decision. For instance, you can work with Digital DOC to generate models showing how the acquisition of an IRIS LTE USB 2.0 Dental Camera will pay for itself within a given duration rather than just guessing how soon you will break even after making the purchase.

Decide to become an effective decision maker in your dental practice so you can have a successful career and help your patients. This will not happen overnight. As long as you accept that the buck starts and stops with you, then you will take the necessary baby steps and grow into making decisions as a practice owner. That pinnacle will also be reflected in what your dental practice grows to become since each decision you make will propel the practice forward.