1
CLINICAL In my last two articles, I introduced you to the concept of ozone treatment to eliminate pathogenic micro flora in the oral environment. I reviewed the concept of the niche environment and how caries begin. I briefly introduced the concept of modern technology that improves our detection and diagnosis of carious lesions. This article will look at how we have introduced this technology into our practice and to our patients. Technology presentation One question that all of our patients ask, once we have identified and measured an area of decay, is ‘when do we put a filling in?’. With the new HealOzone system, I believe that it is not necessary to fill teeth. This conceptual barrier needs to be overcome by dentists attending presentations on ozone technologies, which will also be difficult for patients to understand. The common belief is still that decay found equals filling required. Once we begin to explain that a traditional filling is no longer required, their first reaction is to ask why do not all dental practices have this technology. That is probably one of the most difficult questions to answer truthfully, as there is no reason why every practitioner should not be aware of the new technologies; neither why all patients should not be potential candidates for ozone therapy. So how do we present the HealOzone technology to our patients? We have produced an information brochure (Figure 1) that outlines the system, the benefits and the costs compared with a standard single surface filling. Our brochure answers many of the main questions raised by our patients in simple terms, such as: 1. What is ozone? Ozone is a special gas that our HealOzone unit makes to kill the bacteria that are causing decay in your teeth 2. What can ozone do for me? Ozone can stop the decay process in a simple, quick and painless process 3. How do I know it has worked? In three months time, we will ask you to return to evaluate your teeth with our laser. In most cases, the decay will have halted or reversed 4. Will I feel anything? No. The process is quick and New technologies for dental care: Part 3 simple, and you will not feel anything 5. What are my alternatives to ozone? We can place a traditional filling 6. How much is ozone treatment going to cost? Ozone treatment is less costly than placing a traditional filling. A routine single surface filling costs £98.00. Your proposed ozone treatment is just £68.00 per tooth, with a maximum fee of £275.00 for this treatment. These fees include a special oral hygiene kit for use at home (see Figure 2). We promote ozone treatment to our patients because: • It allows natural remineralisation of decayed tooth tissue without the need for, in most cases, an injection, drilling or filling • This quick, non-invasive, instant bacterial elimination is painless and so less traumatic for the patient. One additional question my team was asked by a caller to the practice was: ‘How were we taking ozone out of the sky to treat teeth, and was there less now to protect him?’. This question reflects how much education we as a profession will be involved in when we take up this new technology. The uptake of this treatment has exceeded our own projections. Our information leaflet has been based on those questions asked by our patients and the dental team. As all our brochures are produced in- house, they can evolve as necessary. By pricing the treatment below the cost of a traditional filling, there is a positive pressure to take up this treatment modality. And lastly, as one of the first dental practices to offer this technology, we have a positive marketing tool to use in attracting new patients. Costing the HealOzone We looked very carefully at the costs of this technology versus the costs of traditional fillings, and the potential returns on investment in the HealOzone unit. We currently charge £98 for a single surface average sized composite filling that takes, on average, 20 to 30 minutes to complete and costs us approximately £54 to perform. This equates to £108 per hour profit to the practice. In contrast, when we did the same calculations using the HealOzone unit, the results were very different. We looked at both the treatment of a single tooth and a full mouth treatment. The full mouth treatment comprises teeth (one or more) in all four quadrants. See Tables 1, 2 and 3 for costing. Research and support One aspect of buying into a new technology is always whether there is adequate support for it, service backup, product information and technique clarification if required. Information and backup for the HealOzone unit will be available from KaVo, the exclusive UK distributors of this product. KaVo will also be able to supply contact details and website information for current users and courses around the UK. A user group has been set up for practitioners already using the HealOzone unit and anyone considering becoming involved with this technology is welcome to join. Membership is open to all practitioners, it is not moderated and it is free at www.groups.yahoo.com/group /healozone. As more practices buy into this technology and join this group, many of the frequently asked questions covering all areas of the use and promotion of this product will be collated into a readily accessible database for general release to users. KaVo staff will be fully trained to offer both technical and training support to all customers. This means that practices can be assured of a high standard of care. Private training sessions are also offered by Pearlywhites Ltd (www.pearly-whites.tv) at UKSmiles Dental Practice in Wokingham, Berkshire. Over these three articles, I have tried to show how dental care is changing. There is a need for practitioners to change their practice of dental care. As this technology becomes a topic of interest in the national media, patients will start to ask their dentist about this technology and may demand it. The scientific research shows that the technology is effective and that the mindset of ‘amputation of tooth tissue’ has to be changed. Every practitioner has a duty of care and should therefore rethink their management of the detection and management of decay in light of this new research. ■ In this third and final article on ozone technologies, Dr Julian Holmes explores how the HealOzone Unit was introduced into his practice and how this new technology is marketed to his patients Figure 1: An information brochure answers many of the main questions raised by patients in simple terms Figure 2: Fees charged to patients include the provision of a special oral hygiene kit for use at home Ozone treatment costing comparison Profit/hour Single surface traditional filling £108.00 Single tooth ozone treatment £576.00 Full mouth ozone treatment £860.00 20 June 2002 16 Dentistry Table 3: Ozone treatment costing comparison Information sources www.curozone.com The developers, Curozone www.kavo.com/default_en.asp The distributors, KaVo, English site www.the-o-zone.cc The O-Zone website for courses, etc www.groups.yahoo.com/group/healozone The Healozone user group www.pearly-whites.tv. Pearleywhites Ltd, for team courses The scientific presentations on www.the-o-zone.cc are based on the published papers from the researchers. The data, conclusions and opinions drawn in these presentations are those of the research group concerned. If you are in any doubt as to the validity of the presented data, then reference should be made to the original paper and the authors at the address shown. Dr Holmes accepts no responsibility for any errors contained in these papers. Please note that the data from current research studies may not support the possible future uses of ozone in the dental management and treatment of patients. The views, wishes and conjecture in this article are the opinion of Dr Julian Holmes. This product has not yet been launched in the UK and is therefore only available to a limited number of dentists Materials Per patient £8.00 Single tooth ozone treatment £68.00 Time Five minutes per tooth average to begin with Incidentals Equipment wear & tear £7.00 Wages £5.00 Profit £48.00 approx. £576.00 per hour profit Materials Per patient £8.00 Full mouth ozone treatment £245.00 Time 15 minutes per case to begin with Incidentals Equipment wear & tear £7.00 Wages £15.00 Profit £215.00 approx. £860.00 per hour profit Table 1: Costing of single tooth ozone treatment Table 2: Costing of full mouth ozone treatment DM June 2 Holmes/clinical 31/5/02 9:42 Page 1
