As a dental professional, there are a few things I know. First, I like what I like. When my materials and techniques are working well, why change? Second, if I’m going to make a change, I’d better have great reasons to do so.
So why am I writing this? Long story short, I am fortunate to belong to several global, dental mastermind groups, and although change is a challenge, we count on one another to hold each other accountable when something worthy of change comes along.
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My story: I’ve used the same bonding agent for the last 15 years. I liked what I liked. I had great long-term success. I had almost zero postop sensitivity. And … I had a challenge from one of my mastermind groups to test drive Adhese Universal VivaPen.
Challenge accepted.
Mission No. 1: Do my homework on the science. If I was going to put a “new” bonding agent in my patients’ mouths when my existing bonding agent was working just fine, I wanted to know what I was in for.
Result No. 1: Wow! Whether I wanted to total-etch, selective-etch, or self-etch, the numbers looked great. And, there’s a bonus … there are times I choose one technique over another!
Mission No. 2: Test drive in the mouth. Great science is nice, but I needed to see, feel, and then hear from my patients before I’d be willing to make a change.
Result No. 2: Excellent. Adhese Universal was easy to use. I loved the mircrobrush tip on the VivaPen, as it allowed met to get to some pretty tight spots with relative ease. I also liked that I had total control in my hands at all times. My assistant is great, but dipping in and out of that well as I want more bonding agent … not my favorite!
Mission No. 3: I’m not going to lie … evaluate cost.
Result No. 3: DOUBLE BONUS. That VivaPen made for zero waste! Maybe I’m the only one who looks at the drops of bond that go into that well. Maybe I’m the only one who sees the excess sitting there with every patient. Or maybe you’re just like me and that kills you too. Think about this: one drop saved/patient x 8 patients/day x 4 days/week x 48 weeks/year?!?!
It turns out that all of that waste adds up, and switching to the VivaPen is going to save me more than $1,000 this year in waste reduction alone.
So, ask me what bonding agent I use now. I think you know the answer is Adhese Universal.
