Digital Pan-Ceph

Just got our new Digital Pan-Ceph (Kodak) installed this last week!
Wow, it is nice. The Kodak unit included "one shot" ceph which is just a quick exposure like a film. In other words, there is no scanning required for the ceph portion.
It is impressive to watch the instant scan of the pano onto the computer screen.
The most important part is not for me being impressed, but each patient comments or notes how impressive it is!
I have to admit humbly I way underestimated the marketing and confidence in technology factor of digital radiographs.
We have been using intra oral for a couple of months and, after staff and patients getting used to the larger sensors, it has been a great time (and money) saver for the practice, and once again, I underestimated how much the patients LOVE interacting with the alterable xrays of themselves!
Compared to static film that cannot get contrasts, coloration, and negative views, I can diagnose with more confidence AND they see it clearly themselves and ASK for what treatment they need.
Now we can't forget that having a good relationship of trust is still paramount and valid, but the xrays do truly add value to the visit.
I use the ceph a lot (I had a regular planmeca ceph before) for orthodontics, but also for planning implant cases, especially anterior placement and sinus evaluation.
I also use it to evaluate facial type such as long faced (dolicofacial) which usually has weaker muscles and less critical in placement of vertical dimension or short faced, square brachyfacial which usually cannot tolerate much, if at all, increase in vertical and are more likely to fracture restorations.
Digital also allows me to directly place the ceph in my POSoft program (from Progressive Orthodontics Seminars software) directly and place ceph points and it auto traces.
More exciting was that EACH AND EVERY ceph I have taken this week is SUPERIOR to any film version in contrast and hard and soft tissue differentiation.
I have a colleague, Dave Eslinger, DDS., who is helping all the Heartland Offices install their digital radiography. He used to work as an independent consultant and worked for Kodak and is very familialiar with how the software from Kodak works, but, more valuable is his knowledge of how Kodak (and others) use some of the features that windows has in their software.
In otherwords, he understand windows and how some of it's little known features help use the software. this has helped us in directly adding photos for instance onto the Kodak file. It has a very easy direct bridge to Dentrix (our software) so that we just open up the patient's clinical file and open the Kodak from them and easily transfer data back and forth (the easy part thanks to Dave's knowledge of integrating Dentrix/Windows/kodak software.
It has been very refreshing learning from someone who understands the technology AND dentistry of course!
I hope to have him post regularly on digital technology both on this blog and our future All Things Dental 2.0 website as it develops.
thanks for your commitment to the profession and people we call patients.
regards to all
FMN