Orthophos CBCT Lets Dentist Treatment Plan With Confidence

Like many other dentists in 2008, Steven Hernandez, DDS, was feeling the effects of a tough economy. "I graduated from the University of Southern California School of Dentistry in 2005, and then worked for a DSO for about 2 years. I went into private practice in year three by purchasing an existing office from a dentist," he says. "From 2008 through 2010, my monthly production numbers were stagnant."

That's when Hernandez made a technology purchase that he says changed everything. "I added CEREC technology at the end of 2010. In calendar year 2011, I saw a 40% growth in production. We didn't add an associate, hygiene, days of the week, or another procedure. By simply adding same-day services, our production skyrocketed," the Nashville, Tennessee, practitioner says.

Dentsply Sirona's CEREC chairside system uses CAD/CAM to design crowns, dental implants, fixed bridges, inlays, onlays, veneers, dentures, and even orthodontic appliances. By 2018 Hernandez had incorporated an Orthophos CBCT unit (Dentsply Sirona), increasing his treatment offerings to include restricted airways and more. And as he puts it, "I haven't looked back."

Dentsply Sirona's CBCT solutions, including Axeos and Orthophos, provide a range of features that allow practitioners to image, diagnose, and treat for higher case acceptance, and to expand treatment services into implantology, endodontics, obstructive sleep apnea therapy, and orthodontics.

"My cone-beam seamlessly integrates with my CEREC unit and allows me to confidently and precisely plan my implant cases," Hernandez exclaims. "The benefits are quite numerous: peace of mind, accuracy, minimal invasiveness when appropriate, and ease of explaining procedures to the patient. You can ‘perform' entire procedures digitally and know what to expect before initiating treatment."

Hernandez's team loves the Orthophos as well, he says, and can easily notice the benefits over standard 2D imaging. "I hired an associate at the end of last year, and she did not have a cone-beam unit in her office. Now, she can't imagine ever going back."

Regarding instruction and resources for the Axeos/Orthophos systems, Hernandez believes the best training comes from in-person courses. He is an instructor at CDOCS, where various tracks of cone-beam education are available for practitioners to increase their competency in guided surgery. "My advice would be to get the training. Why wouldn't you want to shorten your learning curve and be able to utilize the technology to its fullest?"

While Hernandez knows the transition to digital dentistry is not always simple, it is, he suggests, time well spent. "Coming out of dental school I never thought I'd incorporate technology as heavily as I have," he says. "Now, I couldn't imagine practicing without it. It helps me solve complex problems and brings an immense amount of joy and satisfaction to my workday."

Steven Hernandez, DDS
Private Practice,
Nashville, Tennessee

Dentsply Sirona
844-848-0137
dentsplysirona.com