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June 2009 | Dental Products Report Why I chose Mac A dentist’s first-hand account of using Macs for (almost) all of his practice’s computing needs.
As a loyal Apple Computer user for nearly 30 years, and owner of a collection that could be the basis of a Mac Museum, I have always been surprised at the relatively small number of dentists using Macs in their practice. I migrated my office from my own database to DentalMac many years ago and ultimately to MacPractice. I combine a busy private practice, a faculty position at New York University College of Dentistry and an active lecture schedule. My continued Mac enthusiasm has included switching from slides to digital presentations using a Mac laptop. Lecturers in the lead During the last 10 years, I’ve noticed more and more dental lecturers switching. Even though most have PC business systems, they are drawn to Mac for presentations for reasons that include outstanding color, easy use and presentation software stability. In fact, most of my friends who lecture using Macs have switched from PowerPoint to Apple’s Keynote, as have I. Presentations have progressed from stressful to predictable with awesome graphics and high-definition, easy-to-operate video. Even though Apple’s market share continued to increase, it looked like there might never be a Mac OS X dental application until MacPractice was introduced four years ago. Since then, I have noticed numerous people switch to Macs for their practice management as a result of their introduction to the computers as presenters. My practice set up I have a network of 15 Macs running MacPractice and one PC that runs Nobel Biocare Procera. We are hopeful one day there will be a Mac version of Procera. Our MacPractice system is fast, extremely stable and very easy to navigate. I especially like the ability to view instantaneous real-time reports and analyses. In the last few months, we incorporated digital radiography using SuniRay intraoral sensors (suni.com) and a Planmeca digital panoramic machine (planmeca.com). These digital x-rays systems take advantage of Mac native drivers for use with MacPractice and work amazingly well. We are well on our way to becoming paperless as we digitize our old analog films and scan all the paper reports and forms in our patients’ charts. In addition, MacPractice’s restorative charting helps us communicate treatment plans to patients graphically. Graphic advantages The the new Apple display’s vivid color is really impressive as patients can truly see what I see with my magnifying loupes. The speed with which I can get a clinical image in front of them along with a digital x-ray also subtly tells patients they are in a state-of-the-art practice. If the treatment plan calls for complex procedures, I frequently take the patient into my office and open a Keynote presentation explaining the clinical procedures effectively. Even in this current financial environment, I have found these methods effective in motivating patients to accept treatment. Couldn’t do it without them Jonathan L. Ferencz, DDS, is a Diplomate of the American Board of Prosthodontics and a Clinical Professor of Prosthodontics at New York University College of Dentistry. He has given more than 200 invited lectures and presentations to dentists and post-graduate dental students throughout the United States, Europe and the Middle East.
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