I missed this at the ADA but heard about it from Lorne Lavine. It is an interesting idea, The web site is linked below. I don’t find the web site very impressive I hope the product is better than the site.

ThirdEye - a unique dental camera !Intra oral cameras there are plenty on the market. They are useful for documentation of findings and for patient education and patient motivation. But, what if you want to document a whole treatment with audio ? Extensive prosthodontic, orthodontic or surgical treatments, patients´ educations or to proof valid evidence in possible cases of recourse. What if you want to to demonstrate your skills to your audience in live transmissions during educational courses Intra oral cameras are not suited for shooting and recording complete examinations, prophylaxis sessions, or whole treatments. Though being video cameras intra oral cameras are only suitable to grab still images. Believe us, today there are better ways to take still images than with video cameras
camera [1].

[1] http://www.dental-cameras.com/English/us-camera.htm

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Look here Aribex NOMAD Portable X-Ray [1] for the whole story

True Portability Unlike other “portable” x-ray instruments, the battery powered NOMAD™ offers true portability with cordless operation and freedom from line voltage fluctuation. With more than 100 exposures on one battery charge and a weight of under 4 kg, NOMAD™ is optimal for remote use and confined spaces as well as operatory functions.

Operator Protection The external backscatter shield and internal radiation shielding protect the operator from radiation exposure.
Constant Potential Performance The high-frequency, constant potential x-ray generator provides constant radiation output. This improves image quality while reducing the skin dose to the patient relative to traditional half-wave (AC) generators.
Ease of Operation The lightweight NOMAD™ is designed for simple operation. The only operator input needed is the exposure time, which is entered on the user-friendly digital control panel. NOMAD™ is compatible with both traditional x-ray film and digital sensors, making it easy for you and easy for the patient.
More Convenience - Less Cost Because the NOMAD™ Cordless Handheld X-ray System is completely portable, just one can replace multiple wall-mounted x-ray sources.

[1] http://www.aribex.com/product.htm

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Seems like everyone is going pink. From can openers to key chains to sticky notes, practically every marketable product now comes in pink, which, of course, represents support for breast cancer awareness. Dentists are an important warrior for patients’ first defense against many diseases – including breast cancer. General Dentistry recently released a study that [...]

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The next big boom in clinical dentistry may be how we take impressions. There are a lot of companies working on digital impressioning now. If it catches on, it will completely replace how we do impressions and how labs fabricate crowns. It’s going to be the next real rage. I had a chance to see [...]

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The following table (adapted from a Schick ad) shows the steps required to view an image with a direct corded sensor as opposed to an indirect phosphor sensor.
             Direct                                            Indirect

Insert sensor into barrier (once)PositionExposeView

Erase each PlateInsert into barrier (each plate)PositionExposeTake to Scanner areaClean up hands and platesOpen barriersInsert plates in scannerArrange images in proper order in software.Retrieve used platesReturn to patientView

The fact is there is a considerable difference in ease of use and time required to acquire an image. With a direct system the dentist can be viewing the image in less than 10 seconds. With an indirect system the time from exposure to viewing is virtually the same as film.

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I have just completed a major update of the resource page on the main web site. Here: [1] It has links to everything you would ever need to develop a great digital office.

[1] http://www.drlarryemmott.com/members/seminrlinks.htm

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This innovative keyboard is a giant step forward in the elimination of bacterial contamination in your operatory. The surface is a completely smooth piece of tempered glass. The keys are printed on the underside of the glass where specialized touch-capactive circuitry detects the slightest touch of a human finger - even when you are wearing surgical gloves!
To clean, simply and quickly wipe the keyboard with your choice of disinfectant. With no nooks or crannies to harbor dirt and infection, the Glass Keyboard is a must in your operatory.
Glass Keyboard [1].

[1] http://www.touchfreecomputing.com/Site/Glass%20Keyboard.html

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The future vision for the dental office will be computers assigned not to rooms but to people. Each team member and the dentist will be able to roam freely about the office with a portable computer that is always connected wirelessly to the office network and beyond to the Internet.
The tablet PC drives this transformation. There are two basic tablet styles, slates and convertibles. The convertible has a keyboard the slate does not. Convertibles seem to be more useful while maintaining the extreme portability of the tablet design.
A key feature to tablets is the use of touch screens and inking. That means a user can easily enter information by tapping on the screen with one hand while holding the tablet in another. Ink allows users to write or draw on the screen just as if it was a piece of paper.
Check out the HP tx 1000Z [1]shown here.
 
Concerns:
Battery life: Will need recharging several times during the day.Wireless network: wireless rocks, however it is still unreliable, slow compared to wired Cat5 Ethernet and subject to security problems.Image capture: It may not be possible to use some digital capture devices.Safety: In a busy office dropping or “losing” the tablet could become a problem.Limited Experience: This seems like a great idea but it hasn’t been done yet that I know of. If you want to show the patient their smile do you give it to them?

[1] http://www.shopping.hp.com/series/category/notebooks/tx1000z_series/3/computer_store

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PC Magazine recommends the Dell530 Insprion for small business or home use. It is priced at less than $1,000 with a 20” monitor 2 GB of RAM. The basic package comes with Vista Home for the dental office this needs to be upgraded to XP Pro.
Inspiron Advanced Desktops [1].

[1] http://www.dell.com/content/products/features.aspx/inspndt_performance?c=us&cs=19&l=en&s=dhs

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