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Is Your Computer a Hindrance or a Help ?
by Duane Gallup
Dental computer technology is constantly evolving . Computers and Dentistry started their courtship in the early 80s with emerging software companies that moved the old peg-board and appointment book to the computer . Back then , few offices had the courage to embrace the computer . Those that did often kept the paper appointment book as a backup . My own father , who retired in 2003 , never computerized his ortho practice . It was just too much to learn , too late in life , with too little ROI – and he wasn ’ t alone . The software was simple , yet challenging to use . There was no digital imaging , so backup was simple , you just made a copy of the floppy disk that contained your data .
Who could have predicted how computer-dependent dental practices would become ? I didn ’ t . Some dentists thought it was the wave of the future , while most probably agreed with my father – and they were probably right . ( I personally thought computers were cool and fun . I was able to play games and get out a college paper with my primitive word processor and the help of spell check .) Arguably , the computer was a statement piece more than a practice optimizing tool . It ’ s hard to say if the early computers actually saved any time in the dental practice . The computer was possibly more of a hindrance to a practice back then and probably created more work than it actually performed .
In the late 80s , the first intraoral sensor was released and the dental industry was primed for evolution . Sensors were expensive , moreso than today . The software was primitive , so early adoption was slow . But , despite the cost , enough practices adopted the new technology to allow for continued R & D , which was necessary because those images were really grainy . Some dentists were buying the latest technology , but most scoffed and said film is far superior , and they were right . The emerging technology was still more of a hindrance than it was helpful .
By the time Windows 95 came out , programs were migrating to a Graphic User Interface ( GUI ) and networking two or more computers was easier , cheaper , and gaining in popularity . The dental population really started warming up to using computers . Even though many offices still didn ’ t use them , computers were fast gaining ground . As the sensors improved from one generation to the next , it didn ’ t take long for the dental industry as a whole to embrace it within a decade ’ s time .
By the time Windows 98 came out – which by the way , was the first version of Windows to be “ internet aware and ready ” – most new-construction offices were opening with full digital systems that included digital imaging , billing , appointment books , charts and treatment planning . Soon the market was flooded by new vendors selling a variety of intraoral sensors , and extraoral
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