Putting you in control Ryan Shaw considers how technology helps improve efficiency in all aspects of our lives. Dental Technology iri, Hive and Alexa all pervade our home life and make it possible to access and control elements of our homes with ease and efficiency. The digital age does not stop when we leave our homes; you can also remotely take control of your surgery too. One example of this is the VistaSoft monitor, which allows practitioners to keep a close eye on their equipment. Once installed on a surgery’s computer it will allow various equipment within the practice to be connected to the network, so the user as well as technicians stay informed about the status of products in real time. This has proved invaluable in the recent climate where access has been restricted and practices are understandably reluctant to open their surgeries to technicians if the problem can be resolved remotely. All key equipment can be connected to the VistaSoft monitor, including compressors, suction pumps, amalgam separators, phosphor plate scanners and panoramic machines. By linking Ryan Shaw is a technical sales engineer at Dürr Dental UK. 60 The Dentist January 2021 S equipment, practitioners will be able to make adjustments and view past information relating to each piece of equipment, whilst also getting live alerts when they need it. Linking the compressor, for example, yields numerous benefits – the current status is shown, faults and messages identified, as well as prompts given for things such as filter changes. Whilst not the most glamorous item in a surgery, the suction unit is essential to its smooth running. A breakdown would bring a surgery to a standstill. If equipment does stop working, time is obviously of the essence. A suction system that has been added to the practice network will allow you to immediately identify the problem. Quite often only a very small amount of input by the dental team is needed to get the surgery back up and running. A technician can access the problem remotely and guide users through what needs to be done, obviating the need (and expense) of a face-to-face visit. Equipment breakdowns are exasperating. Immediate access to the problem usually means that it can be rectified just as quickly. For example, a suction unit would stop working if the amalgam pot were full. A demo video, easily viewed within the VistaSoft monitor, will show users how to replace it. Something as simple as not replacing the front cover of a scanner properly after cleaning will cause the equipment to stop working. It is reassuring to know that faults can be identified as they occur, and without the need for costly engineer call out charges. Obviously there are occasions where your equipment will need the input of a trained engineer. Once again, technology will tell you when a service is necessary and the historical information stored will give the engineer everything they need to know about its usage and conditions before they arrive, so they know what parts and tools to bring to get a practice up and running as quickly as possible. The first visit an engineer might make to a practice without a networked system is often to investigate the problem. This becomes redundant if your equipment is connected, saving valuable downtime and the inconvenience and loss of revenue associated with it.
The Dentist January 2021: Page 60
