As the day continues…

…you’ll find more posts about all the great product launches happening outside the walls of the Technology Fair, including products from Discus, Midmark and GlaxoSmithKline.

“Best of Class” Recognition

The 11 companies participating in the Technology Fair are actually part of a group of 13 technologies recognized for excellence by the Pride Institute. Two companies were unable to participate in the fair itself, but should be noted here:

3M ESPE’s Lava Chairside Oral Scanner (C.O.S.)

Magnified Video Dentistry’s MagnaVu

Winners Circle | Part III

Here is your deeper dive on the final three “Best of Class” honorees.

Henry Schein Practice Solutions | Dentrix

• Video from the floor

• Q&A with Tammy McHood, Practice Diagnostics Manager
• Don’t be paranoid. Be protected.
• Team of experts

Imaging Sciences Int’l | i-CAT

• Demo video

• Does cone beam see too much?
• Blended technology. Better results.
• The cone beam advantage

Henry Schein Practice Solutions | eServices

• Surviving a system crash

What the attendees thought

At the end of any event, the organizers want nothing more than to be able to look at one another and say, “Job well done.” At something like the Technology Fair, that means having a credible process, or having quality CE. However, there is no factor more important in measuring success for this type of venture than the reaction of dentists.

Over the past few days many dentists have sat in on the education sessions but, more importantly, many of them have gone on to ask questions at the booths outside the seminar and actually interact with the “Best of Class” Honorees and have the types of conversations that either moved the doctor a step along in his or her purchasing process, or, in some cases, led to an actual on-site purchase.

Here, we talk to two doctors who did buy from “Best of Class” Honorees

Marketing is a team effort

Dr. Firestone and his team.

Dr. Scott Firestone of Melville, New York, has been practicing dentistry since 1980 and has been utilizing the Pride Institute’s services for the last 17 years. That relationship with Pride was one of the initial things to “get him in the door” so to speak, for the Technology Fair. For him, the Pride “seal of approval” was good enough for him. The question was: Of the 11 products recognized, were any the right fit for his practice right now?

There was at least one emphatic yes. While Dr. Firestone and his team continued to ask probing questions about some of the other technologies on the floor, they were eager to speak with DPR about their decision to definitely integrate Sesame Communications’ suite of patient connection tools into their practice.

For 2010, marketing is going to be a huge effort for the practice and, rightly, Dr. Firestone sees this as something the entire team must push forward, not him alone. One way that plays out is in the team helping make the call on Sesame. “A dentist just can’t buy technology without staff involvement,” Dr. Firestone says. “They don’t like it if I come back from a meeting and say, ‘Look what I bought!’”

It is rare that the entire staff has the opportunity to not just read or hear about a product, but to actually see it in action and be able to ask their own questions. The Sesame booth in the Technology Fair space was able to accommodate all five team members and the doctor as they watched, questioned and imagined how this could be utilized back in Melville.

“It was so valuable to be able to see it in action and be able to ask questions about very specific topics that had caused issues with other similar products in the past,” staff member Cathy Sullivan offered.

“Seeing it here was much more helpful than just reading the literature,” Deborah Wischer, another staff member, agreed.

A traditionalist goes digital

Dr. Joann DeLeonibus

Dr. Joann DeLeonibus has a general practice in Brooklyn Heights, New York. In practice since 1980, Dr. DeLeonibus knew this was the year she wanted to make the move from film to digital radiography. In addition to some of her staff members having positive experiences in other practices with digital sensors, she knew it was time when patients started asking about the technology as well.

“I am very conservative when it comes to new technology,” Dr. DeLeonibus says with a smile. “I’m not the type to just jump on the bandwagon. I need to see that something is tried and true before I commit to it.”

Having spoken with colleagues about their experiences in the transition to digital radiography, Dr. DeLeonibus arrived at the Greater New York Meeting leaning towards a DEXIS sensor, but with two main internal hurdles to jump: First, she had lingering questions about image clarity — “I’m a fanatic about x-rays,” she says. “I need to be able to see incipient decay, not just big carious lesions. This is my tool.” — but also about her personal ability to master the digital process.

“My kids call me techno-amish,” she admits with a laugh, “So I knew that I wanted to walk away confident that if my staff was not in the office one day, I could take a digital radiograph all on my own.”

The cost was never an issue for Dr. DeLeonibus — the practice is doing well and the benefits for the patient and staff offered obvious ROI in her mind. At the end of the day, it was the ability to come in, sit down, watch a demo, have her questions answered regarding image quality and then try for herself was critical to Dr. DeLeonibus making the move from considering to purchasing.

No Sales Pitch Here — Just the Facts

One of the main criteria that sets the Pride Institute Technology Fair apart from the usual tradeshow experience is its focus on hands-on demonstrations and education that is doctor-centered, not sales-centered.

Yesterday, we posted about how one of Pride’s main goals in establishing the Tech Fair was to provide an arena for unbiased product evaluation and CE. Here, we’ll look at the process that went into choosing the 11 Best of Class honorees as well as what this different CE model offers the attendee sitting in.

 

THE SELECTION PROCESS

A photo of the award presented to the "Best of Class" honorees

The Pride Institute partnered with Dr. Larry Emmott, known technology columnist, to cull 11 finalists from a fairly large number of innovative new technologies. As a first step, the selection team identified four categories that would help create a roadmap for finalizing winners: Foundational, Diagnostic, Digital Highway and Emerging.

Each category had certain key factors that pushed certain products over the finish line, but broadly, “we looked at our experience with the products, as practicing clinicians,” Emmott explained, “and from there we looked at who had established trust and reliability with the dentist, the number of users of a given product, and what level of service and support the company was able to provide.:

For the Emerging category, which naturally focused on newer products with as established of a support reputation, the selection team  looked at the potential impact the product could have on the dental industry, as well as what caliber of people were standing behind the product. “It had to go beyond just being good technology,” Emmott said. “It had to be a good solution, and that really speaks to the support aspect of things.”

For other categories, such as Digital Highway (with a focus on products that help dental practices better harness the power of the Internet), the also included the breadth of services available as a key indicator of success. Who is offering the most complete solution?

The 11 products/companies recognized as “Best in Class” are so honored not just because the technology behind them is cool or even the most innovative. What Pride believes sets these companies apart is their ability to help with the integration and support that is necessary to keep great products off the shelves and in the hands of dentists.

 

THE EDUCATIONAL DIFFERENCE

Boaz Munnerlyn, Director of Sales for DEXIS, offers his thoughts on the DEXIS Platinum Sensor as part of the educational presentations.

For someone like Pride CEO Amy Morgan, who spends a lot of time on the podium herself, ensuring quality education as part of the Technology Fair experience was a top priority. Having listened to the various companies’ presentations over the last two days, we asked Morgan what differences she noticed in the way material was presented and the way the audience responded.

“It was focused and it was safe,” she offered. “Very often on the show floor or in a large room panel discussion, many doctors won’t feel comfortable asking questions or confident that answers will be customized to their needs or concerns. This venue was designed to inform, not necessarily to sell, and it gives dentists and teams the opportunity to explore further so that they can go on to make informed decisions about the technology they bring into the practice.”

Tomorrow, we’ll be posting information on what the dentists thought of the Tech Fair, so check back! Also, be sure to revisit the blog throughout the day as we post clips from some of the educational presentations offered at the fair over the last two days.

Winners Circle | Part II

Each day of the meeting we will present several of the “Best of Class” honorees to give you greater insights in to the companies working to change your world.

Sirona Dental Systems | CEREC AC

• Technique using CEREC AC
• A 5-year Review of CEREC
• CAD/CAM Benefits Package
• One-day Dentistry: CAD/CAM
• Q&A with Dr. Joachim Pfeiffer, Sirona’s CTO and VP of CAD/CAM

Aribex | Nomad

• Video from the show floor

• Dentists making house calls
• Forensic dentistry

 

BioRESEARCH Assoc. Inc.

• Video on the show floor

 

Sesame Communications

• Video from the floor

 

What is the Tech Fair about?

Dr. Larry Emmott, Amy Morgan and Dr. Lou Shuman. Together, they helped select the 11 "Best of Class" Honorees and make the idea of the Technology Fair a reality.

It’s easy to ask, “What is all the fuss about?” People have been lecturing about technology at dental conferences for years.

Technology is not a new topic, but it is an ever-evolving topic, and the Pride Institute’s 1st Annual Technology Fair, held here at the Greater New York Dental Meeting (GNYDM), it a direct outgrowth of that evolution. Conceived of by Dr. Lou Shuman, President of Pride, the “event within an event” is meant to provide a more education, less sales-driven approach to technology education with a hands-on component that is difficult to offer from the podium. Shuman knew this was a needed third way in technology education since he had experienced the information disconnect from both the dentist’s and manufacturer’s sides.

“The Technology Fair came out of a clear understanding that there was not a trusted voice for the dental community to go to at a critical time,” Shuman explains. “Manufacturers realized that it was hard to effectively, comprehensively educate dentists. Dentists were fearful of many new technologies — will it last? is it right for my practice? etc.

“I already had a wonderful relationship with the Greater New York Dental Meeting and knew they were progressive in visionary in their organization of the show,” he continues. “So I proposed offering true, hands-on technology education that is unbiased and without sales pressure.”

Dr. Robert R. Edwab, Executive Director for GNYDM and Dr. Joseph Schachner, the Sponsorship and Advertising Manager for GNYDM, felt something like this was necessary—it hadn’t been done before—and what better place to do that then GNYDM? According to Shuman, GNYDM felt the time was right and, even as the first year starts small, the organizers see how its impact will grow. The see this as an ongoing initiative, not a one-time event, which is the mindset that allows concepts such as these to truly benefit the dental team.

 

WHY PRIDE?

With all parties agreeing that a new approach to technology education was needed, the Pride Institute was not necessarily the obvious choice as the group to deliver it. But, along with Shuman, Pride CEO Amy Morgan realized early on that this was a perfect fit.

“The Pride Institute’s goal is to create in each dental practice a culture that supports the dentist’s vision, values and strategy. There is no question that new technology plays a significant role in creating that culture. It is not uncommon for us to meet dentists who have purchased technology without thinking through to how it will actually integrate into the practice. That leads to a lot of good technology gathering dust,” Morgan explaina. “Pride has nothing to gain from this other than the satisfaction of avoiding the pain of disenchanted dentists using resources for what they consider to be nothing in return.”

“The technology can be terrific, but if it’s not integrated into the practice—through staff training, ROI, marketing and as a true enhancement to the diagnosis and treatment planning—then it will only be a toy,” Shuman adds. “Pride offers the ability to help dentists integrate, not just purchase. Moving forward, we believe all technology should have a practice management component built into its approach for integration—regardless of Pride’s involvement.”

Pride also brings an unbiased, credible approach to its selection of the “Best of Class” Honorees. Check back for more on the selection process tomorrow.

 

WHY YOU?

The average dentist has not been shy about voicing his or her desire for product evaluation and, in general, greater direction and credible advice in how to make the best purchasing decisions. No where is that more true than with technology products.

“Technology right now is a bullet train exploding out of the station,” Shuman says. “I was concerned that it was leaving without dentists on board.”

With so much change happening so quickly, it can feel as though innovation is surpassing integration in such a way that no one benefits — not the dentist, not the manufacturer. Is the Technology Fair the answer? Only time will tell. But in the meantime, no one can dispute the benefits of hands-on demonstrations, quality education and the ability to learn without fear of being oversold.

We’ll have interviews with dentists participating in the Technology Fair later this week, so keep checking for more information.

Winners Circle | Part I

Each day we’ll be covering a few of the “Best of Class” winners to give you greater insights in to the companies working to change your world.

Novalar Pharmaceuticals Inc. | OraVerse

• Interview with CEO Donna Jansen
• Interview with COO Laura A. Navalta
• RELATED: 5 Reasons to Buy — OraVerse

DEXIS Platinum Sensor

• Video from the floor

• RELATED: 5 Reasons to Buy — DEXIS Platinum
• RELATED: Avoid the hidden costs of digital radiography

Cubex

• Video from the floor…

• RELATED: Tech Brief

Henry Schein OATS

[check back for video on Tuesday]

Technology Fair Refresher

For those of you who may have missed our pre-show coverage of the Pride Institute’s 1st Annual Technology Fair, you can get caught up to speed here:

Technology You Can Touch, Part 1

Technology You Can Touch, Part 2

We also interviewed Pride President, Dr. Lou Shuman, earlier this year on his hopes for the tech fair. For the complete Q&A, click here.

Welcome to Greater New York

Still recovering from a tryptophan-induced haze, the dental masses descended on the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City to participate in one of the year’s most exciting dental meetings. In addition to first-class continuing education (click here for the full schedule), the exhibit hall offers a wide array of interesting products—new and old. This year, the meeting directors have worked hand in hand with the Pride Institute to offer a new show floor attraction: the 1st Annual Technology Fair.

The fair features 11 technologies recognized as “Best of Class” for 2009/2010. Most of our show coverage will focus on these 11 companies, but rest assured, we will also do our part to bring you updates and video on new product launches and other happenings here at the conference.

Check in regularly!