Nobel Biocare

No, we have a dentist on staff who sees patients all day. In fact we have six of them. We get enough scan business from our own patients to pay for the machine and everything else is gravy for the most part.

 

So you are a lab within a dental office? I have been in CBCT business for 6 years, other doctors won't send a dental office with a CBCT machine referral patients. Afraid of loosing the patient, and its a justifiable fear. If you have 6 doctors on staff should have the patient flow to support a CBCT no problem, but I would not count on outside referrals, just doesn't happen. My clients are the countries largest CBCT manufacturers, and the doctor owned imaging center within a competitor dental office doesn't fly.

 

I think there are enough GP's who want to move away from sending to surgeons who sense that they have to CT scans for even basic implants and want someone like Mike to hold their hand and provide the level of support just to plan the case to give them reassurance. I would agree that once a doctor knows they will give some of their money to the competition they may think twice as well as not want the patient to go there for fear of losing them but what other options would they have unless there is a medical facility with ct scanning nearby and then you have the whole overradiation exposure

As for Marks startup costs that is what they are in California no doubt and he covered his behind with the OMFRS- that is a huge level of credibility and validation in this litigious state.

 

The option for GPs and OS who place implants but can't support a CBCT scanner and don't want to over irradiate their patients is to use a "neutral" Cone Beam Imaging center which are becoming increasingly popular. Not located in a dental office, but in a stand alone facility. Some are even mobile now, inside a large van that takes the scan at the prescribing dentists location. Satisfies the increasing requirement to scan every implant patient, covers the Dr legally, and doesn't not jeapodize loosing the patient to a competitor dentist.

 

No we are not "within" a dental office. We are seperate and stand alone business, but in a campus-like setting. Vist our website, or come by the lab someday and see what we are doing.

My CBCT scanning and planning center is set up with the emphasis on planning, not scanning, however we have that capability if a local doctor chooses it. Any doctor in the country though who wants to use the NobelGuide surgical kit without buying NobelGuide can be assured that we will make the appropriate scanning appliance (Lord knows we screwed up enough of them) and can work with their local scanning center to get the data we need to plan their case and order a guide for them.

You can argue with my business plan all you want, and tell me it won't work. I've been in business for 29 years and have heard it all before. We are in the top 1% of labs, so I trust my own instincts on this, and with my own built in business to support it, it's a winner already.

 

You have been in the lab business for 29 years, but that doesn't mean you have been in the CBCT business for that length of time. A scanner business affiliated with a dental office doesn't work. I have seen many fail. The scanning location must be neutral, and not operated by a dentist. Even if you have a dentist on site and that dentist is one of the dentists within your so called campus, he is not neutral. That means because all dentists are business people and are looking to grow their practice, there is an innate tendency to "sell" their services, promote their practice or offer opinions on the prescribing dentist's treatment plan. I would never send my patient to a facility that may recruit my patient. If you've been in the dental business for 29 years you understand this.

 

I have no problem sending patients to ConeScan and don't understand why Mark would have a dentist present for the scanning procedure. If another dentists helps him plan the case and is qualified to read the scan for medical/legal reasons much like the local ConeScan site we use I don't see an issue. We can get a dentist's input using the ConScans service about fixture alignment if desired who is located 1000 miles away and Mark could use someone on the other side of the moon for that matter...................

 

Difference is there is no dentist present when a company like Conescan does a scan, its a MD, that MD is not going to take your patient. If you send to a dentist owned, operated or staffed location, say goodbye to your patient-potentially. That is the Achilles Heal of dental scanning, never send to a facility where there is a dentist present. Reading the image AFTER the scan is done, is routinely done remotely. It is unlikely that the dentist "present" that Mark talks about is also a dental radiologist. He is just a dentist present because the law says there must be general supervision during an X Ray or Dental CT Scan. The dentist present is not a full time employee of Mark, he "borrows" the dentist from a practice in his campus-a borrowed dentist who maybe looking to grow his practice, offer a cheaper treatment plan, have a personal issue with the precribing DDS. I have seen this fail many times. Doesn't work. No dentist wants to loose a patient. A neutral, fixed location CBCT site is the only way the model works.

 

Who cares about this crap. If your not going to bash NB,ID or Osteohealth your boring us.

 

That's why you work for someone else, and I'm self employed. I'm willing to take risks, and to gamble my own money on a horse I think can win. ME.

We'll just have to check back in a few months and see if you're right. If you know anything about me, you know I admit when I'm wrong. Judging from the number of dentists who told me they woiuld use my planning center prior to my investing in the technology, and from the response I've gotten since building it, I'm confident it will be very successful.

I've been asked to present to the local study club next month and a field trip to my center will only prove me right, or you. We'll see.

 

Go have another beer while we talk about business.

 

Its amazing that you would be act like such a dick head AND use your real name. Niznick is not posting anymore so we get to hear your stupidity and know it all logic. By the way I too own my own business, and I can absolutely guarantee I have more experience in the CBCT business than you do. If you knew who you were speaking with here, you'd be a little surprised. So, stop being a dick head, and then when you have 15 or so CBCT scanning locations all making money, start posting again. All I can tell you is to get in touch with Dr Winter, and a few others who have tried your model. All convinced it was a sound idea. You seem like you did your marketing research by asking a few doctors if they'd send to you. All of the guys who tried a dentist owned, dentist present model, are out of business, losing money, or looking to sell. You sound like you know it all, that is a successful attitude to have in business. Soon we will be offering scans at $125.00 nation wide. Can't wait to compete with you.

 

Like the sign in Minnesota said with Bush's picture on it - "Miss me Yet?"
Just because the FDA has not acted yet on Nobel's packaging issue, is no reason to think that the matter is forgotten. Here is another Medwatch Report from a dentist who still thinks sterility is an important factor in clinical success.
http://www.implantdirect.com/newsletter_0/newsletter_18/nobel.htm#medwatch2

 

Jerry- how can we miss you if you won't go away??

 

NizDick's statement is the same as saying you miss having genital herpes.

 

Dann sales reps

 

At $125/scan you will be joining Niznick when he has to lower his prices below $100.00 - when will you guys ever begin to understand service and stop thinking you work in the garmet industry.

 

Oh,.. now it's Obama that's going tosave us? Please!! I don't even want to start with politics on this tread, but that is the crazist thing I've read so far here. Obama's presendency is, and will be disasterous to the U.S. job market. Actually though it may great for China's market.

 

Scans at $125 each- that is really really really smart. With some of the surgical guide in your office solutions coming out this would make a great compliment. Top it off with a below $100 implant that integrates and is compatible with the major implant companies and you have a really winning solution. As an ex implant rep and also very involved in the ct business I have from day one questioned the "service" that implant reps provide. If the implant rep drives referrals to the surgeon everyday or drives patients to the gp for an implant or truely helps a new gp restore an implant then they are helping....the rest is just the perception of adding value. I believe that the commoditization of implants will continue and like every market there will be those that will use the big guys and will never change and others that will not. doctors are advertising lower priced implant procedures and that will impact the market in time.....

 

Forget about your guided surgery, etc... Wait till you all read about the data coming down the road about failures with bone loss with all implants surfaced with Ti-Unite. I am a practitioner and have noticed this also; however, did not pay much attention. The studies and papers on the failures are soon to come out. Talk about lawsuit! Nobel better sell-out before the shit hits the fan. Melker and Bill Ryan better sell any options, etc... they have because their stock is at 19, will run up a bit and take a huge dive when it all comes down.