Editor's Note By: Carol Murphy, Executive Editor

Last year I was lucky enough to get a digital camera as a Christmas present. Although I was very happy to receive such a great present, I put the camera aside and continued using my trusty 35mm to take holiday photos of my family. Even though I consider myself to be quite savvy with ‘computerized’ gadgets, I must admit to initially being a bit intimidated with learning how to operate my new camera. I really wasn’t in a big hurry to learn all the functions because I thought that a digital camera was nice to have around but it would never replace my ‘real’ camera.

Now, ten months later, it is my 35mm that is collecting dust. I use my digital camera for everything. The photo quality is excellent. Now that I have a 128MB ‘memory card’ for storage of the images, I can take an incredible amount of photos before having to download the images to my computer.

Dr. Robert Maher, a founding father of Pac~live, who practices esthetic dentistry in Palm Desert, CA, shares some insight into the exciting world of digital imaging in his article entitled, Digital Photography—What Are You Waiting For? He provides very sound advice about how to select a camera and use it in your office. On the message board threads that follow, the Townies weigh in with their favorite digital cameras. If you’re considering incorporating digital photography into your practice, be sure to check out the incredible amount of forthright information and product recommendations online at DentalTown.com.

Sirona Dental Systems, a relatively new name in the United States, is in the corporate spotlight this month. Best known for their CEREC line, Sirona is deeply committed to technological innovation. Besides CEREC, their dental product line also includes, imaging systems, treatment centers, handpieces and sterilizers.

If you’ve ever struggled with the challenge of creating tight anatomical proximal contacts, you’ll find the Townie clinical this month extremely helpful. Marshall White, DMD, a familiar Townie to all of you who visit DentalTown online, shows how easy it is to use a sectional matrix system—the Tri-Clip—to place the matrix, wedge and retainer-spring in one simple action.

Have a wonderful holiday season with your family. And, if any of you have an ‘in’ with that jolly man in the red suit, please put in a good word for me to get a digital camcorder under my tree this year.