Last updated 27 days ago
The flurry of debates and primaries are capturing the attention of voters for the 2012 presidential election. In 2011, dental practitioners elected to show their clear approval for DEXIS products with their votes for the Townie Choice Awards (TCA). In December 2011, DEXIS received the Townie Choice Awards® for “Best Digital X-ray Sensor,” “Best Digital Image Management Software” in the X-ray Equipment category, and “Best Camera” in the Intra-oral category.
The Townie Choice Awards reflect the positive opinions of practitioners who use our product in the office every day. The criteria are explained best by the editors of Dentaltown, who explain, “Each year, Townies vote for their favorite products and equipment. We tally the votes, crunch the numbers and present you with the facts in December.”
DEXIS is proud to continue its reputation as a long-standing winner of the TSAs. We have won in the Best Digital Sensor category three times in the past (Hygiene TCA) and continue to be the clear choice for dental radiography. Dentists lauded DEXIS intra-oral sensors’ direct USB connection, new image capture technology and enhanced ergonomic design for providing the best image quality, comfort for their patients and fast workflow. The user-friendly DEXIS software was singled out for its easy integration with major practice management programs, digital panoramic systems and cameras to create a truly productive “imaging Hub.” The DEXcam 3, a direct-USB intra-oral video camera, clicked with practitioners for its clinical diagnostics, patient education and communication.
It’s a great feeling to win a competition such as the Townie Choice Awards, so we want to spread the luck around! Visit our website to enter to win all three of our award winners—a trio of practice improving products!
DEXIS appreciates the show of support—when the TCA votes were tallied, the results are as clear as the images on monitors all over the nation.
Last updated 1 month ago
DEXIS always admires teamwork--whether it is our training force working with dentists and assistants to integrate digital technology into the office, or dentists viewing X-rays side-by-side with patients in the spirit of co-diagnosis. We are always pleased to hear when someone we work with has good news to share.
Over the years, our digital dental sensors have been teamed up with the Aribex Nomad handheld intraoral X-ray units during humanitarian efforts such as Missions of Mercy and recent dental health efforts in Haiti. That’s why we were happy to read a new study in the February issue of Health Physics magazine said that dental care providers and their patients need not worry about radiation exposure when using the Nomad. The article described the system as “designed to minimize the user's radiation dose. It includes specially designed shielding of the X-ray tube housing and an integral radiation shield to minimize backscatter.” Because of their portability, these handy X-ray units are becoming more popular for office use.
Portability and durability are also reasons that DEXIS Platinum sensors are valued in the field, and in the office. With the direct USB connection, these sensors can be easily transported between operatories, whether they are in an upscale big city office or on a rugged rural mountain make-shift clinic. Without card readers or docking stations, all the dentist has to do is “plug ‘n ray.” The gold plating on the sensor’s USB connector gives it extra durability.
Having the ability to utilize digital X-rays on humanitarian missions is vital to providing effective treatment for those who have little access to dental care. Digital X-rays can even be easily stored for future practitioners’ visits. We look forward to more teamwork with Nomad in the future as our dentists travel with the radiography that has become trusted part of their team.
Last updated 1 month ago
While Dr. Mehmet Oz is a featured health expert, advice from a guest on dental X-rays may cause undue fear of a much needed dental diagnostic tool and definitely sparked some controversy in the dental community. The show discussed thyroid cancer, and cited “harmful effects of radiation from sources like dental X-rays and mammograms.” Dr. Oz rightfully recommended the precautionary use of a thyroid color and lead apron while getting dental X-rays or mammograms. One of Dr. Oz’s guests on the program, Dr. Carolyn Runowicz, a gynecological cancer specialist, said she would not get dental X-rays if the only reason was to check her teeth. Many dentists, including some of our DEXIS owners, expressed surprise and concern at this statement, since dental radiography’s primary function is to diagnose and treat dental issues that cannot be seen by visual inspection. Most agree that waiting until a condition gets bad enough to be painful can be unsafe and, in some cases, more expensive.
New York Times Personal Health columnist Jane E. Brody acknowledges in her article entitled “Thyroid Fears Aside, That X-ray’s Worth It” that people are easily frightened about possible cancer risks. Her article points out that this controversy could pose hazards to dental health. Brody writes, “Don’t let irrational fear get the better of you: It is simply not possible to detect all dental decay without X-rays, and missing hidden decay could result in the need for a root canal or extraction of the tooth.”
Brody adds that for dental checkups, “Find a dentist who uses digital X-rays, which deliver much less radiation.” She quotes Washington, DC-based thyroid cancer specialist Dr. Leonard Wartofsky who notes, “We’ve said for years that the amount of radiation from dental X-rays is not enough to cause cancer.”
While digital X-ray is recommended here, the DEXIS Platinum sensor goes a step further: It allows clinicians to consistently capture highly diagnostic images at the lowest range of radiation exposure. With DEXIS, dentists have another tool to help meet their ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) goals.
While Dr. Oz has good intentions of protecting his viewers from unnecessary radiation, in this case, the results of not allowing a dentist to use an X-ray for proper diagnosis may become an unhealthy decision for the patient. We welcome your comments on this ongoing debate.
Last updated 2 months ago
The dates for Christmas and Hanukkah celebrations overlap this year, giving everyone the opportunity to savor the joy of the season at the same time. Cooks across the world give the gift of food made with long-held traditions, each country producing its own special flavors in honor of the holidays.
In France, the traditional foods vary according to the region—with dishes including goose, chicken, capon, turkey stuffed with chestnuts, oysters, and a white pudding called boudin blanc . For dessert in the Périgord region, revelers will be munching on some bûche de Noël, a log-shaped chocolate and chestnut cake that represents the special wood log burned from Christmas Eve to New Year's Day. In the Provence region, a hearty Christmas dinner is followed by Les Treize Desserts, a collection of 13 desserts that commemorate Jesus and the 12 Apostles. Four of the desserts, called les quatre mendicants, honor monastic communities: walnuts for the Augustinians, almonds for the Carmelites, raisins for the Dominicans, and dried figs for the Franciscans; then, there are trays of fresh fruits and of course, pastries, chocolates and sweets.
In the Philippines, native Christmas feasts begin with puto bumbong, rice steamed inside a small bamboo tube. Also on the menu is rice cakes with salted eggs and fresh coconut called bibingka, and suman, steamed rice wrapped in banana leaves. Ham or roast pig is usually the main course, washed down with the popular beverages of hot chocolate, called tsokolate and ginger tea known as salabat. Of course with more than 30 ethnic groups in the country, traditions vary by region, city and even by family.
Traditional foods also vary across the world for the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, however, there is a common theme—foods that are fried in oil remind celebrants of the miracle that occurred in the Holy Temple when a cruze of oil that was supposed to last only one night allowed the menorah to burn for eight days, enough time to prepare more pure oil and supplies for the rededication of the Temple. Favorite foods are fried potato pancakes called latkes topped with apple sauce or sour cream and jelly donuts called sufganiyot.
No matter what we eat, the true gift of the holidays is the time that we get to talk and laugh with those we care about all year round. The DEXIS team extends warm wishes to our owners, friends, and colleagues for all of the blessings of the season.
Last updated 2 months ago
Sometimes you just have to have patience and wait until the mail arrives—for things like a letter from the kids at camp or a Christmas present from Grandma. But, in the dental office, waiting for records and X-rays to arrive in the “snail mail” can delay treatment, prolong patient anxiety, and interfere with case acceptance. Practices with digital X-ray technology can use email to send patient records instantly to referring dentists, insurance companies and even patients themselves electronically and securely.
Electronic medical records reach their destination faster, and my software lets me send the forms and the images together,” says Dr. Justin Moody. “With email, the files get to their destination in one neat, electronic package. There are no excuses about lost or delayed mail, or the packet ending up under a pile of other files on someone’s desk.”
As part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery act of 2009, some medical offices received stimulus money this year to adopt electronic medical record systems (EMR) so that they could achieve a “meaningful use” standard. For those who do not meet deadlines EMR implementation by 2015, the government will start to reduce their Medicare reimbursements by 1 percent and continue to increase that percentage incrementally over time. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius noted in her blog, “Electronic health records will provide major technological innovation to our current health care system by allowing doctors to work together to make sure patients get the right care at the right time.”
Sending traditional X-rays by mail takes extra time and effort—to duplicate the film, complete the paper form, find the correct address, make out the envelope, and then, wait for the letter carrier or send a staff member to the post office. Electronic files are sent with the click of a mouse and received instantly and directly. Here’s how simple the function is in DEXIS when sending an FMX as one image (you can send individual images, too):
So remember, it’s ok when that package from Grandma is delayed a few extra days, but when a patient is waiting for information on his/her dental health, there’s just no reason to wait.
Find out more about how DEXIS can create efficiencies in your practice at www.dexis.com.
