Dental News - High-tech cabinetry keeps entire practice connected

Robert Selleck, DTA

Tue. 29 November 2016

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NEW YORK, N.Y., USA: When you think of the heart of your operatory, maybe your cabinetry isn’t what first comes to mind. And maybe that’s a problem. But if you’re a Planmeca practice and one of 200,000 worldwide users of the Planmeca Romexis all-in-one software platform, your cabinetry just might rank up there with a favorite handpiece, dental chair or scanning technology as central to your operation because of what it brings to the table — literally.

Planmeca is integrally linking its cabinetry into its expansive platform of operatory components and the technology that keeps everything connected.

It’s a timely convergence of the company’s 27 years of experience in designing and manufacturing operatory cabinetry with its ever-expanding commitment to developing a practice- and clinical-management software platform that tightly links virtually every digital dentistry tool.

“We’ve been able to integrate all of our technology with this Planmeca Evolution line of cabinetry to create a networked solution for our Planmeca scan system,” said Don Erickson, school and institutional sales manager for Planmeca USA, during an interview conducted at the Greater New York Dental Meeting. “It’s truly plug-and-play. You can go room to room with a single scanner.”

Those visiting the Planmeca booth at the New York meeting could see a full mock-up of such an operatory. The 12 o’clock console has built-in USB 3.0 connections, Cat6 connections and medical-grade GFCI outlets. The central console has all of that plus it’s adaptable to any intraoral X-ray. It also has a pass-through to enable neighboring operators to share the same X-ray. There are even dedicated X-ray apron hangers, so you’re not leaving aprons draped over the unit’s arm.

The central console includes a unique patient-care module. “There’s no need to leave the room to get sterilization supplies,” Erickson said. “That makes it very easy to turn over the room.” Sinks can be controlled hands-free or via foot pedal. Drawer inserts can be customized to precisely fit the tools and supplies you need — exactly where you need them.

All of the cabinetry components are fully modular to grow and evolve to fit a practice’s changing needs.

But it’s the advanced technology, not the thoughtful storage and design concepts, that enables the line to essentially create a whole new category of cabinetry for the industry. The upgraded line represents a logical evolution of the company’s effort to provide seamlessly linked hardware and software throughout a Planmeca Romexis-based practice. When every tool in the practice is easily linked into a shared digital platform, the benefits aren’t simply limited to cost savings and efficiencies. The setup enables every aspect of a tool’s use to be monitored. Whether it’s handpiece maintenance, scanning software updates or even when a waterline cartridge is due to be changed, the information is always being tracked so the practice is digitally notified of what needs to be done and when.

“It’s true integration,” Erickson said. “No matter what technology the doctor wants to bring into the operatory — it’s plug-and-play.”

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