Professional Courtesy: Product Perfection is Not Guaranteed by Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD

by Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD, Editorial Director, Dentaltown Magazine

As we all know, the perfect dental product does not exist. There are hundreds of new products introduced to the dental market each year and while some are terrific, others are duds. As frustrating as this is, “trial and error” is necessary for the advancement of our profession. However, trial and error is also one of the job gripes that dentists complain about the most. We don’t want to perform clinical tests on our patients and we don’t want to find out that a product does not perform to its expectations after we’ve used it hundreds of times. As an aside, this situation is not always the fault of an inventor or manufacturer; one of the most common reasons that a product does not perform to expectations is failure to follow directions.

I believe first and foremost, every new product comes to market with good intentions from the person or people who made it. They want the product to be great, they want it to be successful and they want to make your life as a dentist better. There is no money to be made in a bad product. In fact, with the cost of bringing a product to market, companies large and small are on the hook to recover big development costs before they can realize a dollar of profit. In addition, the population of potential customers is relatively small so it is critical to get enough customers to sustain the product in the long term. Occasionally, you’ll see a product you like disappear from the market because there are not enough people using it.

Why do we unknowingly use some products when they are not ready for primetime? In short, this is the price of progress. Major manufacturers perform extensive testing prior to bringing a product to market, but if every new product went through five to 10 years of rigorous clinical testing before making it to market, we would probably pay five to 10 times the cost and we would currently be practicing with the new products of 2005. I don’t know many dentists who would want to go back 10 years. In essence, we make this bargain to use our best judgment in choosing the right products for our patients with the sincere hope that they will perform as advertised.

Finally, in the spirit of the “golden rule,” how do you react when a product fails to meet expectations? Is it the same way that you would want your patients to react when their new incisal filling comes out six months after placement or when you get a crown from the lab and it doesn’t fit? The reason that the practice of dentistry is often referred to as an art and a science is because things are not always perfect. Treatment requires interpretation and choosing a new product requires the eye of a scientist and the spirit of an artist willing to try something new.

Three cheers for our colleagues who are on the leading edge or the bleeding edge of new products as they facilitate progress in the profession. I also tip my hat to the manufacturers who listen to their customers’ input during product development and who gather feedback when the product is on the market. And of course I’m thankful for Dentaltown.com, a resource filled with candid conversations about products, where an honest opinion is never more than a few clicks away. In fact, each year, we give our members the opportunity to vote for their favorite products on the Townie Choice Awards ballot. Voting began July 6, and the winners will be announced in the December issue of Dentaltown Magazine.
Do you have a favorite new product that was a resounding success in your practice? Share your story in the comments section attached to the digital version of this article online. If you have a question or comment for a future column please send it to tom@dentaltown.com. If you use Twitter, I can be found at @ddsTom.