Water Works

Deborah M. Lyle, RDH, MS, is the director of professional and clinical affairs at Water Pik Inc. Lyle has been in the dental field for more than 25 years and has been a clinician, educator, marketing manager, and researcher. She has presented more than 150 lectures and continuing education courses, has published more than 25 articles, and has contributed to three textbooks.

OP: Do you have a new product that you have launched recently?

Lyle: Yes, we do. At the recent AAO meeting in Seattle, we introduced the Waterpik® Ultra Cordless Dental Water Jet. The unit includes four tips: a standard jet tip, the Pik Pocket® subgingival tip, a tongue cleaner, and an orthodontic tip with a tapered brush, which is clinically proven to reduce bleeding and remove three times more plaque than floss. The water jet features an ergonomic design with a nonslip grip that may be used by all ages. Its dual-pressure control allows customized use—from low for gentle cleaning to high for deep cleaning. The reservoir is easy to fill, and the unit is compact and rechargeable.

OP: Describe how your power flosser compares to string floss.

Lyle: In two clinical studies, the Waterpik power flosser was as effective as string floss in removing plaque and reducing bleeding and gingivitis. The flosser reaches interproximally and subgingivally, and is easy to use. A recently published study by Barnes et al compared flossing to the Waterpik dental water jet. The study showed that the Waterpik dental water jet was 50% more effective than flossing for the reduction of gingivitis and up to 93% better in reducing bleeding compared to the floss group. The dental water jet has the ability to reduce subgingival bacteria in deep pockets and the ability to consistently reduce inflammation. As mentioned previously, a study comparing the dental water jet to floss was also completed with orthodontic subjects using the new orthodontic tip with similar results. This study has been submitted for publication.

OP: What sort of continuing education courses does Water Pik offer?

Lyle: Water Pik Inc offers three complimentary continuing education courses that cover topics such as diabetes and children's health. The courses are available online. New courses or updated programs are available annually. Our company also provides complimentary lecture programs for local, regional, or national associations. Anyone who needs more information can go to www.waterpik.com. We also provide patient education brochures that are designed to support your recommendation of Waterpik products and include a $5 rebate for our dental water jets.

Connecting Computers

Dan Sargent founded Ortho Computer Systems Inc (Ortho II) in 1982 and has been the company's president for 25 years.

OP: What is ViewPoint?

Sargent: We call ViewPoint a "practice- management, imaging, and communication" system. It includes imaging, ceph, and communication features, such as station-to-station messaging, and appointment reminders that are sent to patients via phone or e-mail. These are just two examples of "VP Extras" or valuable functions that we include with all ViewPoint systems. Even though we encourage the use of our built-in imaging features and offer an image-conversion service, we recognize that many orthodontists have already purchased and are comfortable with their imaging products. Therefore, we provide integrations that are specifically written for all imaging products, including a generic integration that supports other programs or image file locations.

OP: What are some of the features of VP WebAccess?

Sargent: VP WebAccess is one of the best-kept secrets in the industry! VP WebAccess allows patients, parents, and dentists to view images, appointments, and financial information on the Internet. When a payment is posted online in VP WebAccess, the receipt is automatically posted into ViewPoint. Another advantage of VP WebAccess is its cost—just $50 per month.

OP: What is the Graduate Purchase Program?

Sargent: We offer a combination of discounts, interest-free financing, and deferred payments to provide recent graduates an opportunity to start their practice with ViewPoint.

OP: What can you recommend to those who are shopping for a practice-management system?

Sargent: Request a large list of customers and randomly call some of them. Do not settle for a short list. To learn about a company's support, I suggest you get the main support number and call it a few times to see what the response time is. This is what you will be living with as a customer. These are two simple—but very telling—activities.