At Digital Smile Design, we are proud of our ever-growing international network of DSD clinics. All the clinicians which form part of the DSD Clinic family do excellent work delivering our innovative concept for patients in many cities around the world, improving results and changing their perception of modern dentistry. Together we want to celebrate these clinicians, all of whom are making a mark in their respective cities. In addition, we use every opportunity to share insights from these top-level clinics, giving implementation tips and advice to DSD dentists.
One such DSD clinician, Dr Jesús Creagh Zorrilla, Director of the dental clinic Dentoral Centros Odontológicos and his own Training Center in Seville, Spain, was recently recognized in Gaceta Dental, a popular Spanish dentistry magazine. In the article, he speaks of the digital transition of his clinics over the last 20 years as well as the importance of training and the human touch.
Comprehensive dentistry requires an interdisciplinary approach
“After graduating in 2000, I knew that I wanted to do comprehensive dentistry and work in an interdisciplinary way, as I have always taken a holistic view of patients. The first thing I was sure about was that I shouldn’t focus on just one specialty, as in order to be able to deliver multidisciplinary treatments I needed to acquire knowledge of all areas and, in this way, choose the steps to follow in a logical way which enabled the simplification of protocols,” Jesús explains.
In the article, Jesús continues on to say how in his opinion, emerging technologies are marking the difference right now between traditional and modern clinics. Over the years, he and his team have both adapted to market demands to meet patient needs, and adopted new technologies which changed how the team worked and resulted in improvements in terms of patient numbers, treatments, and predictable results. For Jesús, the start of this digital transformation and adaptation in his clinic is closely linked to the introduction of 3D in dentistry.
Limitations of earlier technology
“There were many limitations and frustrations I had with the early technology and innovations in dentistry. For example, Nobel Guide completely changed the way I carry out dental implant treatment, as being able to arrange the implants in the position planned in the software enabled me to work in a much more predictable way. As the years went on, and I gained experience, I found that, despite planning the cases for guided surgery, and having fitted them using splints, I sometimes faced limitations when it came to doing the prostheses. This was due to the fact that I always used the bone for guidance, without having a reference for the final restoration, nor of facial features, which could cause setbacks when it comes to restoring these implants prosthetically and achieving an optimal result. If I had had an initial reference for the ideal position of the crown before starting the surgery I, without a doubt, would have handled the positioning of the implant much better and reduced the time taken to execute it.
I encountered similar problems with wax ups. Every time we did our diagnostic wax-ups in order to have an initial project, I observed that the final restorations were often not exactly the same as the initial project that we had designed with the laboratory technician and which I had accepted to follow as a guide in carrying out this case. My question in these cases was: ‘If I can’t make the final restoration the same as the project designed with the diagnostic wax-up, then why did we do the wax-up?’ It was one of the most significant factors which came up daily and which is now resolved thanks to the use of digital technology.”
Stepping into Digital Dentistry
“My first point of contact with digital dentistry was in 2002, when I obtained my Invisalign certification. It was a big change to be able to show patients a virtual model of their teeth in 3D, which we could move randomly to show different perspectives and the evolution of the planned movement. This was an important step in the evolution of my clinic, but the only drawback was that you couldn’t precisely integrate this ClinCheck with the patient’s face. As a result, the models were left ‘up in the air’ -- the teeth were aligned well, but we wouldn’t know the final result until the end, which meant we had to make more refinements than we do nowadays.
It wasn’t until 2014 that I started to investigate and better understand Digital Smile Design (DSD), a concept which I initially thought was all about clinic marketing and veneers (I quickly realized I was completely wrong.). The first thing I had to eliminate from my mind was that in order to follow a digital workflow, I first needed to make an investment in equipment for the clinic. More than having new equipment, what is truly important is to understand digital workflows. This has been the key piece that was missing from my clinic puzzle, which has enabled me to link all the specialties with predictable results. This has facilitated treatment planning by being able to visually discuss each and every case with my multidisciplinary team. It also enabled me to explain to patients, in a simpler and more understandable way, the plan designed for their specific case, turning them into co-authors of their treatments and achieving, in this way, the desired optimal esthetic result. As a result, there were no more surprises, everything began to be predictable, and the financial results began to grow exponentially.”
The most significant advance has been transforming my clinic into a ‘DSD Clinic’ (clinic certified in the use of the Digital Smile Design concept), one of the only four existing clinics in Spain and the 45 currently in the world. Here, patients are treated using specific protocols which is changing their perception of dentistry for the better.”
Surprising your patients
“What was traditionally associated with discomfort, pain, anesthesia, and annoyance has been replaced with patients being pleasantly surprised by this new way of approaching dentistry. One of the best features of this concept is the ability to show the patient the final result right in their mouth, in a completely reversible way, before beginning the treatment. This emotional presentation through the use of the motivational mock-up is something very similar to what architects and engineers have done for years; first they make plans, then a model, and finally they build the project. This work methodology sounds obvious, but it wasn’t until just a few years ago that the technique was incorporated into dentistry.”
If we don’t, our competition will
Finally, Jesús spoke of how dental clinics should be able to transform and reinvent themselves as health professionals to succeed in the future, improving communication with patients and ensuring that ethics are present throughout the treatment process. In his opinion, the key to succeeding in the future will be in differentiating yourself from the rest, and in following different strategies to those which may have brought success five years ago. He states it will be vital to get out of our comfort zones and generate new ideas, because if we don’t, our competition will.
“There is a fracture in Dentistry which will soon establish a noticeable difference between a traditional clinic and a modern clinic. I have experienced a part of this evolution in my own clinics, so I have had to adapt to new market demands and try to keep up and satisfy the needs of my patients. Adapting to these new technologies has changed how the entire team works. It has been a steep learning curve but, undoubtedly, has brought huge benefits (not only financially) which has enabled the increase in patient numbers, treatments and, most importantly, predictable results in a shorter time frame.
I believe we should reinvent ourselves as healthcare providers and, in this way, reinforce our technical, clinical, marketing, and business knowledge to achieve a greater impact in our communication with patients, always maintaining our ethics when it comes to treating them, above all, and thinking that everything we do for them is the same as we would do for our children, siblings, or parents. What makes us successful nowadays is a consequence of the strategies we have followed in previous years, even though it doesn’t guarantee that we will maintain this success in the future, given that there is a great deal of competition in the market and our patients’ demands vary along with the rapid evolution of society.”
Always thinking ahead
“If we want to know the recipe for surviving in the future, apart from the changes which are taking place, the key is in differentiating ourselves from the rest, in order to be more efficient. Every dental clinic that wants to stand out in the next five years must follow strategies different to those put into practice five years ago, from a clinical perspective, business perspective, communication perspective. It will be vital to leave our comfort zone because when we do so, we will begin to generate different ideas quickly, and if we don’t, the competition will take our place. Which should be asking ourselves every day: ‘What should I do today to reach where I would like to be in five years’ time?’.”
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