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April 6, 2009 | Web Exclusive
Educational mandate
Such is the case for anyone planning to add the E4D chairside CAD/CAM system from D4D Technologies (d4dtech.com) to their practice. Expenses for travel, accommodations and two days of training at the company’s Richardson, Texas headquarters for the dentist and an assistant are built into the price of the system which is available in the U.S. exclusively from Henry Schein Dental (henryschein.com). The unit is not shipped to practice until after the training has been completed. Gary Severance, DDS, VP of marketing and clinical affairs for D4D said this mandatory training trip lines up with the company’s philosophy of not compromising on any aspect of the system, including training. By making the training a requirement, the company eliminates potential excuses for avoiding training and helps ensure practices using the E4D can make the most of their investment. “It’s not an ‘I don’t want to do it,’ or ‘I’ll learn it on my own time,’ or ‘Send it to me and I’ll go through it,’” Dr. Severance said.
Dr. Severance and D4D view the mandatory nature of their training program as a part of their commitment to their customers. Practices spending the money to add the chairside CAD/CAM capabilities to their operations need to be ready to maximize their use of the technology to help drive the return on their investment, and D4D believes the best way to do this is through first using the system in a supervised setting. The program of lectures, demonstrations and hands-on practice with the system is conducted at their E4D University by trainers who work closely with the system designers. CE credits are available, and topics range from the basic operation of the system, to materials, practice integration strategies and patient marketing. Dr. Severance said a total immersion into the system is required because users who only understand part of it will not get the most from their investment.
Of course, it’s not just the dentists who receive the training, a chairside assistant or other auxiliary staff member is required to attend the training with the doctor. E4D University includes a “Chairside Dental Designer” program that gives assistants the chance to become experts in using the software to design restorations. Dr. Severance said this extra specialization can be a key to success with the system because the dentist doesn’t have to feel like the only person who knows the ins and outs of the system, and the assistant gains unique new skills and responsibilities to be proud of. “When facing new technology for the first time, they may feel they are just thrown into the deep end, and they may be apprehensive because of the technology,” he said. “We try to instill that it’s just a logical choice, the computer is doing the majority of the work, but the assistant is guiding it and the dentist is directing it. It is a very effective, reassuring and reinforcing educational process.” The training doesn’t have to stop with just the dentist and one assistant, but because of the hands-on nature of the two-day sessions, D4D requires anyone bringing additional team members for initial training register for another system set up in the University. “We need to maximize the learning experience for everyone and make sure everyone has ample hands-on time, so we never exceed two people per system in training,” Dr. Severance said. Still, that doesn’t mean additional staff aren’t encouraged to come to E4D University for some training. There is an audit-style course available for a reduced fee that allows non-clinical staff to learn about the system’s capabilities and how to market around it. While this part of the training isn’t mandatory, Dr. Severance said it can help a practice capture every opportunity to provide a chairside CAD/CAM service to a patient. “We’re seeing that it’s very critical that the front office knows what the back office is doing,” he said. “The receptionist should realize all the potential of what using chairside CAD/CAM dentistry can do and be able to communicate all the benefits it offers to new and existing patients.”
The company also provides a marketing kit to help sell the new services a practice will be offering and conducts a day of on-site training when the system is delivered to a practice. If a practice encounters a problem, instant access to an online support network is always available to answer questions and, if asked, take control of a practice’s E4D computer to help with the design of a restoration. While the training is a requirement, it certainly isn’t monolithic, and Dr. Severance said every E4D practice will use the system in slightly different ways to fit their specific needs. Still, the goal is to make sure practices make the most of their E4D investment and use the system to provide the best possible care for their patients, and D4D believes their approach can accomplish this. When practices are ready for the next step they offer advanced training for assistants (CAD CAMp) and clinical teams (Good to Great with E4D, Mastering Digital Designs) that allow E4D dentists and assistants to maximize their capabilities. “There’s a learning curve with every high technology, but by having mandatory education rather than choosing if you want to do it, and then having that support system there when you want it, is really lowering the learning curve on this type of technology,” Dr. Severance said.
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