Technology in a Patient-Centered Practice

By Cynthia K. Brattesani, DDS

Commercial Supporter: DEXIS

With today’s technology, dentists can offer patients comfort, convenience, and patient care that is far superior to that previously available. Beyond the technology that enables dentists to scan, design, and manufacture restorations in their offices, they can use new technology to better diagnose and treat oral conditions, including oropharyngeal cancer. However, dentists need to embrace technology as a matter of survival to adapt to new realities, including meeting higher patient expectations and professional standards.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• list the many ways technology supports the modern practice of dentistry.  

• be aware of advances that aid diagnosis and treatment of oral conditions. 

• discuss how patient perception factors into technology selection decisions.

About the Author

Cynthia K. Brattesani, DDS, a private practitioner in the San Francisco Bay area, and the recipient of numerous awards including the American Dental Association’s “Golden Apple” Award for Outstanding New Dentist Leader in 1996, and the US Medal of Merit for outstanding public service for the City of San Francisco Earthquake. In 2015, she was honored with the University of California, San Francisco 150th Anniversary Alumni Award. She is a fellow of the American College of Dentists, the International College of Dentists, and the Pierre Fauchard Academy, and she is a member of the American Dental Association, the California Dental Association, and the San Francisco Dental Society, of which she has served as president. She is also a member of the Spear Education Faculty Club, and in 2013 she was appointed to the Management Committee of CDA Cares, managing a dental clinic providing millions of dollars of free dentistry to thousands of the underserved population.