Reliable Imaging for Comprehensive Dentistry
The DEXIS™ Ti2 Sensor offers enhanced diagnostic capabilities with one-size-fits-all convenience
Paresh Shah, DMD, MS
Paresh Shah, DMD, MS, watched during the COVID-19 quarantine as many of his dentist friends decided to retire and sell their practices rather than weather the business challenges that the pandemic presented. Shah, however, did what many would have thought unimaginable: he started a brand-new dental practice. "I have been practicing dentistry for 33 years," he says, "but I built this practice, which is focused on comprehensive care and esthetics, to be my dream practice."
After completing dental school and a general practice residency in a hospital, Shah served as an associate for 3 years before he bought his first practice. At that practice, he worked as a general dentist, mostly performing single tooth restorations, but after 8 years, he was struggling to find fulfillment in the work. "I was just getting tired of single tooth dentistry," he says. "I decided to pursue an esthetic continuum at the University of Minnesota, and from there, the world of dentistry really opened up to me." Returning to his practice with a new eye toward patients' full mouths and health, Shah's passion returned, and he has loved his work ever since. "Being a general dentist may not be a trendy thing, but it is not all drill and fill," he says. "My primary focus is to look at the entire oral care of my patients and collaborate with specialists to optimize their long-term health, so I need to understand the underlying reasons behind any conditions or symptoms and be able to focus on prevention and long-term stability rather than just fixing teeth that are broken and decayed."
Shah's new practice, which is located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, enables him to do just that. With the help of a couple of part-time associates, a part-time periodontist, and three hygienists, Shah focuses on improving his patients' overall health and esthetics. "Revive Dental's mission is to revive patients' smiles and improve their self-confidence and ability to eat, which can really impact their quality of life."
Knowing the difference that mentorship and continuing education made early in his career inspired Shah to become more involved in education as well. He has since completed courses through the Kois Center and Spear Education as well as written a textbook, Beyond the Single Tooth, and started a Winnipeg chapter of the Seattle Study Club with his best friend, who is an orthodontist. For Shah, it was so important to elevate his own diagnostic skills and learn about new treatments, materials, and technologies so that he could collaborate with specialists at a higher level and be the primary dentist supervising the entirety of his patients' treatment plans.
In addition to furthering his education, Shah has also improved his ability to collaborate with specialists through his investment in imaging technology. When he first converted from analog to digital radiography, he began using DEXIS sensors at the recommendation of the manager of his distribution company and has not looked back. "I trusted our manager, and he told me that these were the sensors that his other clients were getting and were happy with," he says. "And truthfully, in the 20 years we've been using DEXIS, we've hardly had any issues. The maybe three times when we did have an issue with a sensor, they were either able to fix it online with tech support, or they were able to replace the sensor within about 48 hours, which is pretty great considering everything takes a little longer to get to Canada when it's coming from the United States." That's where the company's proactive monitoring and support comes in. With the DEXIS Complete Warranty package, users get the newly launched DEXIS Connect Pro, which ensures peak performance by proactively monitoring the health of sensors and automatically scheduling support calls or next-day replacements when necessary. Furthermore, unlimited telephone support and remote online technical assistance are available.
Since adopting DEXIS sensors, adopting the DTX Studio™ Clinic software has been a game changer for Shah's workflow. With DTX Studio Clinic, he is able to maintain a variety of diagnostic information in one secure portal, including patient photographs, intraoral scans, radiographs, and cone-beam computed tomography scans. "When you collaborate with a lot of specialists, it is so important to be able to easily share patient information and imaging between providers in an encrypted manner," says Shah. "DTX Studio Clinic allows information to be sent both conveniently and securely."
Recently, DEXIS released a new digital intraoral sensor, the DEXIS™ Ti2 Sensor, which Shah has added to his armamentarium. "The thing that I really like about these sensors is their size and the fact that they have rounded corners. I believe that they are a lot less intrusive than other sensors," he says. "In my practice, the PerfectSize™ design of the DEXIS Ti2 sensor allows us to use it as our workhorse for 95% of our patients, even pediatric patients, so we rarely need a pediatric sensor. When we have a busy day and have four or five providers working, it is so convenient to just have one sensor that is almost universal." According to DEXIS, the Ti2 sensor is two times more durable than previous DEXIS sensor models and seamlessly integrates with the DTX Studio Clinic.
Another feature that Shah appreciates is DTX Studio Clinic's DTXassist solution, which delivers newly enhanced AI-powered capabilities that, alongside the high-resolution images, support a more standardized diagnostic threshold. The solution uses AI to detect up to six findings, including caries, calculus, bone loss, periapical radiolucency, root canal filling deficiency, and discrepancy at margin of an existing restoration, on newly captured and existing 2D radiographs. With DTXassist, Shah receives excellent clinical decision-making support. "When my hygienists take radiographs, they have the DTXassist 2D AI dental findings up and activated in DTX Studio Clinic, so there are findings shown immediately," he says. "They are then able to let the patient know that there were some dental findings that I will address. I don't always agree with all the findings, but when they pop up, I do have to look at that radiograph more carefully to determine if I want to dismiss or acknowledge them. So, it raises the threshold of what I have to at least address."
Shah has been impressed with how much the DEXIS technology has evolved over the years to become a system of sensors and software that flow well together and incorporate all of the diagnostic information needed. Having used DEXIS imaging technology for more than 20 years, he trusts its reliability to support his comprehensive practice and his patients' outcomes.
High-clarity images. Increase confidence in diagnosis with CleanCapture™ technology, improved signal performance, and expanded dynamic range.
Proactive monitoring and support. Enjoy peace of mind knowing that you have proactive monitoring and automatic sensor replacement under warranty.
AI-Powered Diagnosis. DTXassist provides clinicians with excellent clinical decision-making support by detecting six different dental findings on 2D radiographs.
CONTACT INFORMATION
DEXIS • dexis.com • 888-88-DEXIS
