Orthotown October 2016 - 51


"Most orthodontists would fully expect to see
a return on their digital investment, but what I
didn't count on was the word-of-mouth and the
flood of new patients it would bring."

T

Three years ago, I decided to take the leap
and switch from a traditional impression
workflow to a digital one with CAD/CAM.
It was a big investment-I now understand why a poll in the January/February
2016 edition of Orthotown showed that for
57 percent of orthodontists, the price to
convert to digital imaging was preventing
them from switching.
However, when you look at the effects
digital imaging will have on your workflow
and your business, the return on investment
makes it all worthwhile. Here's my story.
First, a little background on my setup:
With an intraoral scanner, Orchestrate 3-D
software and a 3-D printer (EnvisionTEC
Perfactory Micro), I'm able to take digital
impressions, design a virtual treatment
plan, print a series of models and use a
vacuum-forming machine to fabricate
clear aligners.
An assistant even assembles the finished
product into a nice little package for my
patients.
The design software's ease of use is
what first made me believe that switching
to in-house CAD/CAM could be possible.
I've had such success with my 3-D printer
that I'm currently looking to upgrade to
one that can print more models.
Finding the right intraoral scanner to
complement my system was the missing
piece, and played the biggest role in making
or breaking my return on investment.

equipment to make sure the cost of upkeep
wouldn't outweigh my investment.
During my discussions with scanner
vendors I discovered one of the biggest
unforeseen costs were "click fees"-essentially, a per-use or annual fee to save the
scan to the company's cloud and then have
the ability to access it again for conversion
to an .STL file.
Unfortunately, click fees could add up to
an additional $4,000 a year. If the scanner
were to work with my open system setup,
I would need a scanner that didn't have
associated fees. I was adamant that I would
not "rent" my own scanner after making
such a significant investment.
Another hidden fee was related to consumables, which I thought I'd be reducing by
getting rid of alginate. One vendor required
a new tip for each scan. We anticipated
taking five or six scans in a day (in actuality,

by Roy Scott, DDS
After graduating from
Youngstown State
University, Roy Scott,
DDS, attended Case
Western Reserve
University School of Dental Medicine.
He continued on to his orthodontic
specialization at State University
of New York at Buffalo and later
became board-certified by the
American Board of Orthodontics. He
maintains private practices in Warren
and Hudson, Ohio, and has been
practicing orthodontics for more
than 27 years.

Avoid hidden fees-
do your research
Many orthodontists balk at the costs
associated with going digital-and for
good reason.
To be honest, there can be hidden fees
that can cut into your return. I put my mind
at ease by doing extensive research into the
orthotown.com \\ OCTOBER 2016

51
http://www.orthotown.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Orthotown October 2016
