Most high quality hardware is extremely reliable and will give years of service. When a computer or a computer component stops working the first things to check are low tech. Check to see that the connections are secure. Is the mouse plugged in? Is the power cord tight? Is it plugged into the wall? Is the power Strip or UPS turned on? Is the network connection tight? Is the network switch plugged in and working? And most commonly are the batteries good?
If all the basic low tech items check out next try and replace the non working component to see if that’s the problem. Try another mouse, change the keyboard or replace the monitor.
At this point it is time to call the technician. If a mission critical piece of dental equipment fails, such as your compressor or central vac most dentists have a local repair technician they can rely on to get them back in business very quickly with a repair or loaner equipment. You need to develop the same type of relationship with a local computer technician. If a mission critical computer component fails your local computer tech should have you up and running the same day. If the vendor doesn’t provide this kind of service and reliability, fire them.

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For thousands of years the Great Wall of China provided security to the Chinese empire. Reportedly it was only breached twice. Both times the security was defeated not by military hordes but by bribery and individual treachery. The weak link in any security system is always the human element.
Computer technology makes everything we do in the office easier and faster. Unfortunately it can also make it easier and faster for embezzlers and thieves. Many dentists are concerned about external security. They fear computer viruses or Internet hackers.  These concerns need to be addressed however it is far more likely that the security of the office will be breached or compromised internally by people working in the office.
On the most basic level a security system isolates sensitive information and then limits access to that information to approved individuals. It is analogous to handing out office keys to employees. In theory it is possible to create perfect security for your computer system. However to do so would make the security measures so cumbersome and time consuming we would never get any work done. In the real world we compromise between efficiency and security.
In most offices, passwords are the principle method of allowing access and authorization. But oftentimes users forget their passwords. When this happens a new password needs to be assigned, involving time and effort. Another problem with passwords is the tendency for both dentists and staff - for the sake of an easy life - to lend their passwords to the other people working in the office.

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Integration: If the images are integrated as part of the digital patient record that usually means that the image management application is made by the same company as the charting application. The images can be seen within the chart application. The images and chart data share a common data base.
Bridging: Bridging is usually done in order to link applications made by different companies. The images are not visible as part of the chart but can be accessed with a single click.
Integration and bridging are technically different but both work well and provide the user with a similar experience. Dentists should avoid using a stand alone image management system that is not linked to the patient record. A stand alone system will be much harder to use, take more time and is more prone to error or lost images.

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Q I want to know how to print Firefox bookmarks and Internet Explorer Favorites, as well as how to copy them to removable media. Is there a hassle-free way of doing this?—Jorge de la RosaA For Internet Explorer Favorites, choose File | Import and Export from the menu. IE7 users, if you don’t see a menu, press the F10 key to display it. Click Next, choose Export Favorites, click Next twice, check Export to a File, and select the location and filename for the resulting HTML file. Click Next, then Finish, and you’ll have a nice HTML page containing all your Favorites, organized in a sort of outline form that corresponds to any subfolders within the Favorites collection.Firefox bookmarks are already stored in HTML form; you just have to find the file. It’s located in C:\Documents and Settings\username\Application Data\mozilla\firefox\profiles\random\bookmarks.html, where username is your username and random is a random folder name.To get a printout, simply open the HTML file in your browser by launching it and then print it as you would any other Web page. To transfer the selections to another computer, transfer the HTML file using a USB thumb drive, e-mail, or even a floppy disk. Then import it into the other computer’s browser.
- Print and Transfer Bookmarks - Expert Help by PC Magazine [1].

[1] http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2190174,00.asp

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Some dentists are screening all of their gum disease patients for high blood sugar to determine whether diabetes is a concern. Because diabetics have poor blood glucose control, they are prone to infections, such as ulcers, thrush, stinatitis, and tooth decay. The plaque on their teeth is often thicker and harder to remove, so gum [...]

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I had my mouth restored by Bill Wynne in Raleigh, NC about four years ago. One of the most important things we can do as dentists is practice what we preach. If we’re talking to patients about optimum care, we need to make sure that our mouths are in tip-top shape. Offer this same care [...]

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