Dr. Joe Blaes, St. Louis, Mo.

 is probably the best new dental product on the market today.

Actually, NOMAD™ has been around for a little more than 10 years, and the NOMAD Pro 2 is an entirely new version. As far back as I can remember, one of the first questions asked about a new office was where to place the X-ray. This was crucial to the setup of the treatment room as the X-ray head had to be able to reach the chair. How many times have you had to change the position of the chair or sit the patient upright because the X-ray arm would not reach far enough? How many radiographs were ruined because the equipment or the patient moved after you left the room to expose the film?

The NOMAD Pro 2 solves all of these problems because it is totally portable! It is a handheld unit so users do not have to change the patient’s position to take an X-ray. NOMAD allows you to stay with your patient through the entire X-ray process-no need to position the sensor, walk out, expose, walk back and repeat. That’s just wasted motion.

Free checklist: Why mobile imaging might be right for your dental practice

NOMAD is able to provide this more efficient process through its lightweight design and patented shielding. If you held it, you would notice most of the weight is in the head and that it is lightweight-only 5.5 pounds. Most women’s handbags weigh more than that. There is no radiation leakage because the X-ray tube and power supply is entirely encapsulated in silicone bismuth with earth metals that block radiation as effectively, but lighter than, as lead. Radiation is never leaking from the body. The bismuth also pulls heat from the X-ray tube so there is no oil around the tube. That means you never have to worry about a leaking X-ray tube head. Of course, there is radiation coming out of the front of the NOMAD, but when you take the X-ray, the backscatter shield protects you from any scatter radiation. The dose is very low, and most of it will be absorbed by the patient in order to take the image. Anything that could bounce back off of bone is absorbed by the lead-embedded polymer shied; the lead is what gives the shield the orange tint.

Now, imagine how the entire X-ray process changes. You are probably used to pulling the entire wall mount out from the wall or from a pass-through, positioning it, then walking out of the room hoping that neither the wall mount or the patient moves, but you will never know until you look at the radiograph. With NOMAD, all you have to do is pick this up off your counter and-using whatever position the patient is in-you can come right in shoot the radiograph and you are done. The procedure moves right along, and you are not interrupted at all. You grab it, take the image, reposition, take the image and reposition. For hard-to-reach shots, you don’t have to do acrobatics. Simply keep the NOMAD 90 degrees to you for maximum protection, and tilt the patient’s head to the angle you need.

Related reading: Learn how the NOMAD Pro 2™ can save both time and money

Is it really safe? There are more than 30 independent studies done on the NOMAD showing it far, far below the occupational does limit. In fact, one study showed it as being as safe or safer than a wall mounted X-ray. The military has hundreds of these in each branch. Before purchasing them, each branch had to do its own independent safety study on the NOMAD. They found it safe enough that they ordered a few hundred. In our office, we got a dosimeter badge for everyone and even taped one to the back of the NOMAD. They all showed little or no radiation.

The NOMAD will serve two to three treatment rooms and can go anywhere in the office, making any room an X-ray room. We have even taken X-rays in the reception area. There is no need for installation, reinforcing walls or lead-lined drywall. Just open the box and turn the NOMAD on.

A question I hear a lot is, “What happens if you drop it?” Well, it does not like to be dropped, but dropping is rare. There are more than 17,000 devices out there with only one or two a month being returned because of drop damage.

In a few short years, wall-mounted X-ray units will become a thing of the past. They will be replaced by the NOMAD Pro 2.

Free e-book: Benefits of portable X-rays in the dental office


	Take radiographs up to twice as fast as with conventional X-ray systems, over time saving you dozens of work hours each year.
	


	Capture sharp, high resolution images with a 0.4 mm focal spot.
	High-frequency, 60kV DC X-ray generator produces clear images while
	reducing patient dose.
	


	Spend more time with your patients and reduce patient movement. Never pause a procedure to leave the operatory for progress X-rays.
	


	No more worries of wall-mounted arm drift, reducing the number of retakes.
	


	Lightweight, portable design. Easily share NOMAD across multiple operatories while freeing-up wall space and pass-through cabinets.


	NOMAD Pro 2 is a portable and handheld intraoral X-ray that can be easily carried from one operatory to another, eliminating the need for wall mounted units. It’s shielded, lightweight design also allows the operator to stay chairside with the patient, making it ideal for wiggly children and anxious or special needs patients. Because of its flexibility, NOMAD is able to provide dental practices with the fastest work flow and most uptime of any intraoral X-ray. Most users find they can take X-rays in half the time, with fewer retakes. This allows them to get diagnostic information faster, so they can spend more time with their patients.

To see Dr. Joe Blaes review the NOMAD Pro 2™, watch the video below:

Related reading: NOMAD reaches milestone with 15,000th handheld X-ray system sold

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 The NOMAD Pro 2 is probably the best new dental product on the market today.

Author | Dr. Joe Blaes, St. Louis, Mo.

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