To Whom it May Concern:
I would like to share with you my experiences with the your new product “The Dental Button”. Like many dentists you market to, I was skeptical - in fact I may have even laughed when I first saw it advertised in a dental journal.
I have been in practice for 20 years and I have built a successful practice based being overly attentive to the needs and fears of my patients. I just didn’t think that The Dental Button would add much to my practice.
In July, I was presented the opportunity to try it and I must say I was pleasantly surprised. It has become a great addition to my practice.
My fear was that patients would be “clicking” the button shutting off the handpiece at every moment. I thought it would slow my procedures to a crawl. In fact, I have experienced quite the opposite - my procedures have actually gone faster because of the Dental button.
The reason for this is that for years, I have stopped my handpiece at several different parts of my procedure to ask the patient if they are doing alright. I ask if they are experiencing any discomfort, if their jaw is tired or if they just need a break. I do this because I want the patient to know that I am “in tune” with their experience and that they are in control. I want to address potential problems before they become painful experiences.
What the Dental Button enables me to do is give a physical object to the patient and say “you are in total control”. I ask them to press it for any reason, if they are tired, if they start to feel something, if they have any questions - I encourage it’s use for any reason. Because I am in their mouth, the button becomes their way of communicating with me. The response has been overwhelming - patients have an immediate sense of calm. The marvel at the technology and love the fact that they really are in control. And since they know they are in control, I don’t need to stop and check up on them nearly as much. We cruise through procedures now and get patients out of the chair much faster.
But the biggest surprise to me was that I have become the talk of the town. In most every case, they share their experiences with their friends. Just yesterday, my lab technician called me from a town 20 miles away to tell me that he heard about us using the button and wanted to know more. Word travels fast.
We want to be known as a patient centric practice. The Dental Button is completely consistent with our practice philosophy. At the first opportunity, we will be equipping all our operatories with The Dental Button. Our patients expect it now.
- Dr Christopher Go
...Every claim The Dental Button says it’s going to do is true. Patients are very, very happy that I have it. Several patients have told me their friends are asking their own dentists to get it and say if they don’t they’re going to change dentists.
I have been using The Dental Button for about a month and only two adult patients have squeezed the button. The notion that patients are always going to be squeezing the button is a myth.
We have had several sedation patients that would only get sedation, and I asked them to try the button. When they use the button they can come back without having to be sedated anymore.
Patients like the fact that they’re in control. Several have commented that I always seem to be on top of what’s new in dentistry and they appreciate that.
-- Dr Michael White
...I am very pleased with it, and patient reactions have been most favourable. Previously, I have asked the patient to raise a hand if they would like the procedure stopped for any reason (as most of us do). Now I say “ … remember how I always invite you to raise your hand should you wish me to stop? Well now we have gone high tech. Instead of waving you had just press this button. It will instantly stop the drill/scaler. Not only is this faster but also safer as you do not need to move or say anything.
I then invite them to give it a try and reassure her that I do not mind if she uses it. I give the example of a patient who used it because he had too much water in his mouth so as not to associate it with pain.
I have noticed patients are often visibly more relaxed and tend not to have their fingers poised over the button. The feedback is that they appreciate having this extra control and like that fact that they would not have to wait for me to react to the raised hand. Thus, preventing several seconds of pain if a tooth were to be sensitive.
So far, one gagger pressed it, two patients for a joke (yes humour is allowed in my practice and time allowed for it) and one patient because he felt pain.
The patient was a nine year old boy having his first ever filling which turned out to be a very deep cavity in a lower 6 (don’t cha just love those). As I removed the very last scrap of caries he hit the button. You hear a little pop of air from within the unit when this happens. What was interesting was that, having been able to stop the procedure instantly, he felt very little pain and remained calm. It has been my experience that when this occurs in an apprehensive kid trust is lost as they have had a nasty surprise. I believe the button save my bacon that day and prevented that kid from becoming a phobic. Fanbloodytastic!
I would point out I have no connection with the company. I have found them very helpful and honest. Excellent communication and service. It proved very easy to install taking my engineer about thirty minutes. Amazingly, there were no post installation complications and it worked from the word go.
When the button is pressed, power is cut to the drill, and the bur slowly rotates to a halt ( I use red ring headpieces rather that turbines as they are quiet). I have had no problems with burs stalling and getting jammed, as of course I always use a light and gentle touch …
I feel this device along with the Wand, sedation, red ring headpieces, gentleness , excellent nurses and empathy demonstrates to my patients how committed I am to making dentistry as bearable as possible. I know my patients, and it is not for everyone, just another tool in the kit. One has to use one’s intelligence to decide which patients it is not appropriate for.
-- Dr Lincoln Hurst
...I had both a new patient this past week, and a returning patient with acute situations requiring they return for treatment. Both patients expressed to me their extreme anxiety about their upcoming dental needs, joking that they'd just about rather do anything but come back to the dental office (who doesn't hear that one every day?). I have to tell you that I was pretty surprised that not only did they both express that such a device would have an incredible impact on their level of anxiety, but they both wanted to wait until the device is installed to come back for treatment !
- Dr. Amanda Darling
...this is a game changer for our industry. Not only are we reducing the fear and anxiety in our patients, but we are making a great stride to prevent it in the first place.
- Dr Jim Burchett
...I knew people were anxious but I never knew to what extent until I started asking them to rate their anxiety on a scale of 1-10. I was shocked to say the least. I found that many people attempt to suppress their fears and put on a good face when presenting at the office. They may make a joke about how they’d rather be doing something else, but in the end the anxiety results in an increased perception of pain. Patients have remarked that when they feel some pain, they wait until they can’t take it anymore and then raise their hand. At that point, I can’t stop fast enough. I haven’t found a dentist who didn’t admit to saying, “I’m almost finished,” or “ just a little longer.” With the reduction in anxiety that the button provides, patients do not perceive pain in the same way and rarely stop a procedure. This not only improves their perception of the visit but it also allows me to focus on my work. And the word of mouth marketing -- patient referrals, the ones we all try to build, are great.
-- Dr Michael Edwards