One of the oldest computer idioms is GIGO: Garbage In Garbage Out. What that means is that for the computer to provide useful and accurate information the correct data must be entered in the first place.
Today I was trying to evaluate the effectiveness of a technique we were using to attract new patients. As I ran the numbers I realized that some of the new patients had not been entered with the proper referal information. So now my results are almost useless.
If you want to use your technology to make good decisions you need to be able to rely on the data. Be sure your office protocols are effective and in use. For example “referred by” data is entered on all new patients; not just the ones the staff gets around to. Grrrr.

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I can’t imagine being a dentist today without my diode laser. Today I had a difficult access case replacing an old broken alloy that went well below the tissue, it was all inflamed and bleeding. Before laser it would have been impossible to get a good impression. Today I did it quickly and easily using the laser to expose the margin and control the bleeding.

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Dentistry is a diverse business. You’ve got the clinical side, with all of its education, technology, and materials; the business side with management, billing, insurance, and expenses; and you’ve got the marketing side - which fuels the entire business. In a Dental Economics article, Marin Wuest suggests, "According to current statistics, there are plenty of [...]

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