Clinical Chat: Preparing for Dentistry

Don Gallo, DMD

Chief Clinical Officer

As we approach the end of the year, I thought it would be a good time to look at what we have accomplished clinically in 2019, and what we see on the horizon for 2020.

UNLEASH POTENTIAL

This year, Dental Care Alliance added another 30 iTero scanners across the business. As an organization, we believe scanning is the future in dentistry. To date, DCA has been using iTero scanners exclusively, but given our size and growth, are currently exploring other scanning options for both existing and future offices. Primescan, a Dentsply Sirona product, is one of the scanners we are considering. Dentsply has added a component to Primescan similar to the orthodontic simulation in the iTero. Look for a number of these Primscan scanners entering into DCA practices to be evaluated in 2020.

SERVE FIRST

Your clinical leadership team is committed to innovation and thinking beyond the traditional ways of practicing dentistry. Creative solutions and strategic partnerships will allow each of our practices to offer the best technology and a unique, lasting experience to our patients. To that end, DCA plans to implement a 3D printer into the Virginia Beach market. 3D printers are capable of directly printing night guards and surgical guides. That’s not all. Given the vast number of labs varied pricing tiers, DCA plans to pilot a regional lab in the Massachusetts and Connecticut markets. The lab will allow us to mill single unit ceramic restorations directly in the market and with a reduced turnaround time of just 3 - 4 days. We anticipate testing this “spoke and hub” lab model in 2020.

MOVE FORWARD

With the addition of Dr. Bryan Laskin as our Chief Innovation Officer from Lake Minnetonka Dental in Minnesota, DCA will continue to evaluate emerging technology in our space. Some of the technology we are looking at includes artificial intelligence for both Q&A and diagnosis, and virtual reality googles to be used during treatment. Dr. Laskin is also developing the DCA DR app, which will provide direct access to important practice management and communication tools, and will be available in early 2020.

IMPROVE LIVES

Sleep apnea continues to be an attractive addition for our procedural mix. The challenge in 2019 was finding a billing service that could obtain payment through medical insurance. DCA is currently working with two outside services for medical billing, and we’ll keep you updated on the results. If we are unable to find an adequate service to manage the bill, we will set a fee and bill the patient directly. Sleep apnea treatment is a valuable service and should be a procedure we offer to our patients. With increased awareness of the medical risk of untreated sleep apnea, a large percentage of the population continue to suffer because they are unable to tolerate a CPAP machine. Dental Care Alliance practices can offer less intrusive, effective alternatives for these patients.

Clear aligners continue to be in high demand from patients, and we will continue to explore options to ensure the best product and cost for our patients and doctors. If DCA can reduce the lab cost significantly, it will allow us to offer a more competitive price point in this evolving market. In addition, plans are in place to add a number of CBCT scanners into all markets.

LEAD TOGETHER

This past October saw the inaugural class of dentists who went through DCA’s Implant Training Course. This course was held in conjunction with BioHorizons at the Brighter Way Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Six DCA doctors attended a three-day, hands-on course in implant placement. Each participant had the opportunity to place 8 – 10 implants on live patients. The course was a combination of didactic and hands-on, in addition to implant placement, extraction and grafting. The design of cases and splint utilizing CBCT imaging was also provided. Dental Care Alliance will offer four more Implant Training Courses in 2020. Dates, locations, and other details will be communicated as soon as they are confirmed. If you or any of your providers are interested in being trained on implant placement, please contact your dental director to discuss.

EXPECT EXCELLENCE

The inaugural Dental Care Alliance Orthodontic Summit also took place in October. Twenty of our orthodontists, along with senior leadership gathered for a two-day meeting at the Dentsply Sirona training facility in Charlotte, North Carolina. DCA’s clinical orthodontic leadership team, Dr. Matt Freedman and Eduardo Laventman, were formally introduced and welcomed into their new roles by the doctors. The goal of the program was to review emerging trends in the clear aligner market, discuss orthodontic KPI’s to help our doctor partners manage their businesses, and a deep dive on marketing strategies for orthodontics. A special thanks to Dr. Neal Klar, who did a presentation on the marketing success they’ve achieved at Klar Voorhees Orthodontics (KVO), and Dr. Amy Jackson who shared her “Retainers for Life” program from South Texas Orthodontics (STO). Attendees also heard from two orthodontic software platforms, as DCA endeavors to migrate to one orthodontic software program. The Summit ended with an evening of fun and networking at Top Golf.

It’s certainly been an exciting 2019… and, on behalf of the entire clinical leadership team, we can’t wait for 2020!