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Professional Courtesy Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD, Editorial Director Dentaltown Magazine

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My Electronic Employee


Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD
Editorial Director,
Dentaltown Magazine
 By the time this article is published, we will be deep into an economic crisis, and I hope the recent presidential election will have a positive influence on our collective future. Dentistry has always enjoyed some insulation from economic fluctuations because many of our services are either covered by insurance (preventive care), or are provided by necessity (emergency care). However, when thousands of people lose jobs and their benefits, the landscape changes. In my community, the impact of the housing crisis has been particularly profound since the vast majority of our local economy depends on construction, real estate and a steady influx of new residents. All of these economic engines have stalled.

I think one of the interesting local indicators of the dental industry is the number of classified ads for various positions in the dental office. The Phoenix metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the country and the number of dental positions advertised in last Sunday's paper was merely eight (four dental assistants, two front office and two dentists)! Needless to say if you are a smart operator, these times require us to run lean and mean so that our practice can remain profitable until the outlook improves. Please don't misunderstand, I realize that some natural growth will continue as people retire or move on, and there are certainly places in this country where dental offices are opening from scratch.
This is not intended to be as depressing as it sounds, but the facts as they stand at this time are bleak. When the $700 billion bailout failed in Congress the Dow Jones International Average dropped more than 700 points – the largest point loss in history (and 18th largest percentage drop). By the time this column is printed a solution will be approved, however all indications suggest that it is simply a band-aid for a very big economic injury. Since my column is written well in advance of publication, I would encourage you to visit Dentaltown.com today and every day to get involved with the latest economic news and the impact on our industry. Dentists from all over the country are sharing their thoughts, experiences and triumphs on a daily basis.

In spite of these difficult economic times, I have recently invested in one of my key employees so we can spend this downtime fine-tuning our operation with a focus on new efficiencies. This particular employee has been with our practice since we started and we have grown together through good times and bad. The vast majority of Dentaltown readers have the same employee in their offices – practice management software. In my practice we use Dentrix, and I recently completed the upgrade to G3. This is an upgrade that my office completed with mixed emotions since there had been many dentists frustrated with G2. We were fortunate to avoid that peril due to the fact that G3 can be installed directly on Dentrix 11. We are also doing our part to stimulate the economy in these tough times since the upgrade necessitated replacement of multiple computers to get our office up to specifications. So why am I excited to spend money on my electronic employee in these difficult times? We are stepping into the future where this "employee" will continue to earn its keep.
Task Old Way New Way
New Patient Paperwork Handwritten and typed into
practice software		 Forms completed online and data
is transferred directly into software
Treatment Plans Printed, signed & scanned into computer Signed electronically and e-mailed
to patient
Appointment Confirmations Trading phone calls & messages E-mails and postcards sent automatically
Consent Forms Printed, signed & scanned into computer Signed electronically and e-mailed
to patient
My fellow dentists, learn to appreciate your human and electronic employees. Their hard work and commitment will take your practice through these difficult times. Prepare your practice for more emergency care and an uptick in the number of occlusal guards prescribed.
Dentaltown Magazine
September 2025
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