Dental News - Guru patient communication suite increases case acceptance

Fred Michmershuizen, DTA

Mon. 10 October 2011

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LAS VEGAS, NV, USA: Have you ever tried to explain the pros and cons of bridgework vs. an implant to a patient with a missing tooth, only to be met with a blank stare? Or have a grown man turn pale when you tell him he needs a root canal? What about a young patient who is terrified of that drill in your hand?

If you are like most dentists, you probably encounter situations like these on a daily basis.

Thankfully, there are patient communication tools available to help. Take the all-new Guru 5 patient communication suite, for example. Guru is designed to address these and many other challenges head-on.

To call it “patient education software” would be a disservice, says one of the folks behind Guru 5, Rick Henriksen, president of Reality Engineering, who spoke with Dental Tribune during an interview at the ADA Annual Session in Las Vegas. The suite features customizable communication tools that can be used in the reception area, in the operatory — or even emailed to the patient at home.

What sets this program apart, Henriksen says, is that the dentist can integrate the patient’s own images into the educational presentation.

Working with Guru, the dentist can create various types of presentations not only including the patient’s own digital images and information, but also with the option for 200 original 3-D images and animations to facilitate communication. In person, the dentist can stop at any time and answer questions. The doctor also can create personalized presentations and record explanations in his or her own words.

Then, the presentation can me emailed to the patient’s home computer, so that family or close friends can share in their oral care decision making.

Digital workflow can be expanded further by implementing 3-D CBCT imaging, such as i-CAT, and intra-oral scanning and restoration milling, as with E4D — highly useful tools all made possible by digital technology.

For young patients, Guru includes the Brusher Bailey Ed-Venture series — a comprehensive program that is just as much fun as it is educational. Using a series of entertaining, state-of-the-art animation episodes, online games, matching coloring books and a merchandise package, Brusher Bailey is designed to have kids actually looking forward to going to the dentist.

This makes a big difference in the dental practice, says Jason Mulcahy of Guru. But perhaps the biggest benefit of all, he says, is the increased case acceptance that dentists who have incorporated Guru into their practices have reported.

“Especially with implant planning, one of the focuses of my practice, the program shows the patient that I am committed to doing this procedure right, with the peace of mind that my equipment is state-of-the-art,” says Justin Moody, DDS, who uses Guru technology in his practice. “Their presentation with Guru is not the ‘canned’ response that they may have seen at another practice. I can start and stop the presentation it if the patient wants to ask a question.”

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