MN Lab, Renstrom Dental Studio's: The Benefits of Photography

> Article by Jeffrey L. Benson, DDS for Renstrom.com

Renstrom Dental Lab's Radiant Restorations - Spring 2012 Newsletter

Many of the doctors I consult with say that they would like to make dental photography an integral part of their dental practice, but many don’t have a dental camera, and many who do have one are using it only sporadically, if at all.

It's amazing to me that dental practices are investing tens or even hundreds of thousands on new dental technologies while ignoring the single most important practice building technology available, the dental camera.

The photo (side panel) was taken by Dr. Benson and submitted to The Journal of Dental Technology's annual photo Contest. It was one of the select few photos to be printed in the February 2012 Issue.


Digital technology has simplified dental photography to the point that even inexperienced photographers can take excellent dental photos.

Gone are the days of complex camera settings and waiting for the photos to return from the lab while wondering if the photos will even be of acceptable quality.

Today's dental camera systems make dental photography easy, and the benefits to the modern restorative practice are impossible to overestimate. Here are some of the benefits:

Patient Communication

Your patients are constantly bombarded by clever ads promoting the benefits of products and services which compete directly with your treatment recommendations for the discretionary spending of your patients. It's no accident that the most successful ads are highly visual. 


Today's consumer responds enthusiastically to vivid images that show how their life would be better with a particular product or service.


This response is emotional, not rational...a want, not a need. We need be aware of this as we present our treatment plans to our patients. Too often we focus solely on the technical details of treatment while providing the patient with little or no visual information about their problem and the benefits of our recommended treatment.

Most patients need to see their problem in order to "own" it, and see the benefit in order to "want" it. Dental photography is the perfect solution. Many highly successful restorative dentists use pre-op photos to engage the patient in co-diagnosis of treatment needs and follow up with before and after photos of similar cases to allow patients to imagine the benefits of the proposed treatment in their own mouths.

Laboratory Communication

Imagine, for a moment, a laboratory technician attempting to create beautiful and functional smile for your patient. Without photos, the technician never sees the patient, doesn't know where the facial midline is, doesn't know the smile line, skin color, lip support, incisal translucency, etc.

No amount of written instruction on the prescription could possibly communicate this information as well as photos could.

With just a few simple photos you can easily communicate all this information to the technician, greatly improving the function and esthetics of your treatment while reducing stress levels for both youand your technician.

Insurance Communication and Legal Documentation Dental photographs can be very helpful to communicate information about a patien's dental condition which x-rays can't. Cracks, leakage, bad margins, occlusal wear and cervical abrasion/abfraction are just some of the condi- tions that are best documented with photos.

For the same reasons, photos are of great value in showing the patient's pre-treatment condition should a complaint or malpractice suit be filed.

*****

If you are interested making photography an integral part of your practice, I'd love to help you get started in dental photography or simply improve your existing skills.

Also check out our next newsletter (Summer 2012) for my article about dental photographic technique and how to communicate with your lab using photography.

Read Entire: Renstrom Radiant Restorations Newsletter

Written by

Jeff Benson, DDS

Renstrom Technical Consultant

651-407-0491

HOURS: M & W 10AM -4PM

Renstrom Dental Studio (MN LAB) is a NDA Member.

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Story Posted by 

Dick Chwalek, NicheDental.com

Dick is also a member of NDA @ NorthernDentalAlliance.com

Dentists Visit Renstrom Dental - Lab - Studio in St. Paul MN at Star of the North 2012

We are excited to be attending the annual Star of the North Meeting this year!

This will make 44 years for Renstrom Dental Studio. You will find us at a different location this year, booth #427, right next to 3M ESPE.

The Northern Dental Alliance will be giving away an Apple iPad on the last day of the meeting.
You can enter the drawing at Renstrom’s booth or any of the other NDA four members who will also be exhibiting.

New to the meeting this year are product display cases that can be viewed on the meeting room level.

Renstrom will be displaying our Jet Pin System (video) so be sure to take a look as you attend your classes. We look forward to seeing many of you there!

Read Entire: Renstrom Radiant Restorations 2012 Newsletter

Also check out our Summer 2012 newsletter, and Jeff Benson’s article about dental photographic technique and how to communicate with your lab using photography.

Renstrom Dental Studio, Inc
Renstrom.com

Vadnais Heights, MN 

651-407-0491

Renstrom Dental Studio (MN LAB) is a NDA Member.

Also Posted at NorthernDentalAlliance.com

CBA: Latest Addition to The Northern Dental Alliance Team, a firm focused on Retirement Plan Design, Administration

Further Strengthening Their Breadth of Member Expertise, the NDA Welcomes Aboard Cash Balance Actuaries…

Charlie Steingas, owner of Cash Balance Actuaries, LLC, has joined the Northern Dental Alliance (NDA).

A Minnesota-based organization, NDA also advises dentists in the areas of office safety, construction, marketing, laboratory services, banking, practice transition, staffing, retirement plans, and personal financial strategies.

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The Northern Dental Alliance provides a comprehensive platform for dentists to structure highly successful and secure businesses, achieve superior oral health and smile enhancement restorations for their patients as well as protect and improve their financial future through proper retirement, investment, and transition planning. Cash Balance Actuaries, LLC increases the depth of knowledge and resources every NDA member can offer their dentist clients.

Cash Balance Actuaries, LLC, provides as much help with your small 401(k), Profit Sharing, Defined Benefit, or Cash Balance Plan as you need. Explains Steingas, “Our services are priced very competitively and the quality of work and timeliness of service is second-to-none. “We will help you make your retirement plan work for you to meet your goals as a dentist and a business owner.”

Charlie provides complimentary proposals and plan designs at no charge. Please contact him if you are interested in increasing your tax deduction by contributing more to a qualified retirement plan or for him to take a quick look at your current plan to make sure it is meeting all of your goals.

Steingas also says, “Cash Balance Actuaries, LLC does not provide investments or investment advice, nor do we take commissions or asset-based fees of any kind. We charge a flat fee strictly based on our fee schedule which depends only on how much work we provide for your plan.”

CBA Client Testimonial: “Charlie was able to triple my retirement plan contributions without requiring any additional contributions for my staff. He’s also much better at helping me understand my 401(k) plan than my previous TPA.”

As with all Northern Dental Alliance members, Cash Balance Actuaries is an independent firm. Dentists can select individual NDA consultant members and then 'build a team' if desired. Each member is an independent advisor and diligently works in the best interests of the client.

Areas of expertise NDA members represent include business banking, equipment/facility financing, laboratory services, cosmetic/implant dentistry education, OSHA training, infection control, fee-only personal financial/tax planning, retirement strategies, new office building/remodeling, practice purchases/sales, Transitions Mike Haase, Aftco Transition Consultants & dentist transitions, staff recruitment and dental employee placement, and dentists marketing consulting & dental office advertising campaigns.

The Northern Dental Alliance welcomes Charlie Steingas as a member, and is excited to offer his expertise and knowledge to current and future dentist-clients. The professionals of Northern Dental Alliance work with dentists to improve their businesses, enhance their clinical techniques, maintain and improve team skills, protect their practice and personal investments, and increase their personal financial security.

Charlie believes having a niche focus on dental businesses works well for his firm and the dentists he works with. He understands that most dentists have other things to focus on besides their retirement and taxes and his goal is to make everything run as smoothly and cost-effective as possible. Dentists have worked hard to get through school, start or buy into a practice, grow the practice to profitability, and they don’t want taxes and fees eating into their hard-earned assets. With tax rates on the rise, one of the only true opportunities still offered by Uncle Sam is a qualified retirement plan.

The business philosophy of Cash Balance Actuaries, LLC is to exceed the client’s expectations in timeliness and quality, and to never have any surprises with regard to their plan. The success of this philosophy is proven by the satisfaction and loyalty of Charlie’s clients.

The addition of Charlie Steingas and Cash Balance Actuaries, LLC is a sign of a growing industry need for groups like the Northern Dental Alliance.

LEARN more about the qualified retirement plan options:

Visit NorthernDentalAlliance.com or CashBalanceActuaries.com. Or Call Charlie: (952) 500-8696.

NDA Contact Information

• Northern Dental Alliance
• www.NorthernDentalAlliance.com
• c/o NDA Member, Rick Epple

• 1000 Twelve Oaks Center Dr, Suite 101

• Wayzata, MN 55391

• 866-556-6213

PRINT Formatted CBA PressRelease

Photo Slide Show on 1888PressRelease.com

CBA Membership Announcement Posted On 1888PressRelease.com

Story Posted By

Dick Chwalek, President of Niche Dental

@ NicheDental.com

Founder/Member of the Northern Dental Alliance Located in MN

Minnesota Dental Meeting Last Weekend in April

Many dentists. Much to learn. Lots to do. When it is all said and done, they should have the patients to make it all worth it. More consumers should have the dental health they deserve. Dentists can make it happen with Connective communication.

That said, here are the details...

MDA 2010 Star of the North Meeting

Location

• Saint Paul RiverCentre

Date

• APRIL 22-24, 2010

The Star of the North Meeting presented by the Minnesota Dental Association is the Upper Midwest’s main state dental conference. Thousands of dentists and dental professionals from around the region will be able to take in dozens of seminars from clinical to practice management.

Exhibitors representing nearly 300 Twin Cities, Minnesota, regional and national companies will be in attendance as well. The exhibit floor will be open on Friday and Saturday, April 23-24.

• Link to Dental Exhibitors' Schedule.

Many Northern Dental Alliance Members will also be in attendance and some having booths on the exhibition floor.

NDA Member Exhibitors

• Renstrom Dental Studio: Minnesota-based Crown & Bridge Dental Laboratory
• Jennifer Maschke: Banking Services, Equipment/Real Estate Financing
• Heritage Construction Companies, LLC: Dental Office Builder, General Contractor Elk River, MN

NDA Members Attending Meeting

Leanne Mathieu Kramer - OSHA Compliance, Dental Office Infection Control

For More, Click A Link...

• Star of the North Meeting
• Minnesota Dental Association

=====================

Dick Chwalek

• Northern Dental Alliance Member, Founder
• Dental Marketing Consultant & Dentist Communication Coach

Dental Lab Tip: Predictable Results with Digital Photography

Communication between dentist and dental laboratory is a critical element in achieving a desired restorative and esthetic outcome. Visual images are a key part of this communication and provide the dental technician with valuable information about the patient.

Photos not only serve as a practical case tool but also allow the laboratory technician to have a better connection with the patient and a higher level of involvement with the dentistry case. Images of the actual dental patient versus a stone model, especially in an anterior case, are a key component needed in the fabrication process.

The digital camera can sometimes be challenging for some dentists and dental practices, but with the proper training and commitment of the staff, the camera can become a part of the everyday routine. Using a digital camera dedicated to dental photography is recommended, single reflex cameras seem to be preferred for producing high quality images.

Although each type of camera has its own unique features and many guidelines to follow, here are some quick tips to remember:

• It is important that your camera is properly adjusted to the optimal settings suited for dental photography
• Hold selected shade tabs up to incisal edges of teeth so that the tab numbers can be seen in the photo. Photos should be taken of stump shade as well (for all ceramic)
• Along with close up photos, also provide full face natural photos – smiling and resting position (for incisal edge positioning)
• Upload the photos to your computer and store them in a folder that is easily accessible
• Email the photos to Renstrom dental lab by attaching them as a file and in the message part include the patient's name and doctor’s name.

Photos can be emailed to randi@renstrom.com

• Lighting is the most important element – There should be an accurate amount of light exposure that displays detail throughout the image. – electronic flash
• Have a good quality lens on your camera –consider the working distance and a close up lens with reproduction numbers for standardization
• Mirrors should be used for intra oral views – the mirror should be stored at room temp and brought to body temp at time of photos, also clean and dry prior to each picture
• Unobtrusive retractors should be used for proper retraction- to avoid a reflection use plastic vs. metal

For more information on digital photography or hands on assistance, contact Renstrom today!

• More technical tips from Renstrom - a MN dental laboratory
• Renstrom • Member Northern Dental Alliance

Collaborate with knowledgeable dental consultants.

Photos Show How Dentistry Transforms Smiles, Health

Is a smile makeover of any kind really worth it? That depends on your oral health and/or your personal preferences about appearance.  But because there is a financial element to the treatment, the planning and execution need to be very refined to get the result everyone is shooting for. 

Of course, the cost of deteriorating dental health can be much more than the dollars invested in making things right again. And while beauty is only skin deep (or in this case a tooth veneer in thickness) - confidence has a value that is a lot harder to measure. 

Photography showcasing the before and after conditions of the teeth and overall smile are an effective way to explain the value it offers. And these photos are also useful for achieving a successful result. The photography helps communicate to the patient, dentist and dental laboratory what is proposed and the result expected.

You might never need or want a smile makeover. But the dentists doing them need all the communication they can get to create a healthy, esthetic and functional result. Dental CE courses and seminars like the one below are what dentists need to get it right, time after time.

Dental Photography Training Hands-On Course

• Presenter: Rick Spaulding, Nationally Recognized Digital Dental Photography Trainer


• Where: Renstrom Dental Studio


• Address: 4225 White Bear Parkway, Ste 1240
  Vadnais Heights, MN 55110


• When: Monday, May 18, 2009
  6:00-9:00PM

Many dental offices have attended seminars on dental photography, and many practices have purchased a dental camera, intending to use photography to better communicate with their patients, dental laboratories and insurance companies. But many offices don’t have a camera, and many that do are using their camera infrequently, or not at all.

For over nine years, Rick Spaulding has given presentations about the benefits of better dentistry photography, and many of you have seen him speak. This hands-on seminar and approved CE course will put a camera (yours or ours) in your hands, and Rick will show you how to take all the photos that are necessary to help Renstrom Dental Studio make the best possible esthetic dental restorations for your patients.

You’ll be amazed how easy it can be once you have a chance to practice your skills without the pressure of working on an actual patient.

This seminar is provided at no charge for current Renstrom Dental Studio Clients. Due to the hands-on nature of this seminar-we are limited to 12 participants (maximum of 2 assistants per dental office).

If you will be bringing your own camera, please let us know the specific Body, Lens, and Flash models so we can be prepared to help you get the best results.

• Three Dentistry CE Credits (DANB Approved) will be provided.

RSVP Renstrom Dental Studio

• CALL 1-800-747-1321


• or EMAIL Jenna@renstrom.com