The Digital Dentist

Photomed has announced their Summer Specials, which includes special camera pricing. You can also read about a new DVD they have on their website.

When I am surfing online, the one thing that I care most about is speed: how quickly does my web browser open, how quickly can I get results I want. Here's a great speedtest of the newest browsers from Firefox, Internet Explorer, Safari, and Opera. The results may surprise you!

Here's another nifty and free utility that I like: AM-Deadlink. It basically goes through all of your Favorites and removes any dead links. It can also download any Favicons (those little icons next to the name of the link). Very cool and a great time saver.

One of the things I often find difficult to do is retrace my steps if I saw some websites that I want to return to. Sure, I can look in History but that can take a long time, and adding to Favorites can make the list very, very long. That's where a service like iBreadcrumbs really helps, as you can easily store, share, and retrace your steps. It's designed for academia but works perfectly well in other areas,and it's free to use.

In news that will certanly shake up the industry, Patterson has announced that they will be giving Eaglesoft away for free! Now, few things in life are free and this one has its catches as well, but this will certainly put some pressure on Dentrix and Kodak.

Here's the blurb:
ST. PAUL, Minn. – (June 11, 2008) – In a first-of-its-kind, industry-leading initiative, Patterson Dental Supply, Inc. announces going forward it will now provide Patterson EagleSoft practice management software to dental professionals nationwide at no charge. The award-winning software, along with the data import process and CD-ROM and Web-based training materials, are available to new users for free beginning June 9.

As a multitude of digital technologies become mainstream in the dental practice, Patterson Dental recognizes the basic, fundamental need for a cutting-edge software to be the hub of that digital future. Delivering solid integration throughout the dental practice, free Patterson EagleSoft practice management software helps dental professionals streamline practice activity, ultimately benefiting patients and staff, alike.

“Providing Patterson EagleSoft practice management software at no cost eliminates a major hurdle for dentists seeking better software or looking ahead toward future digital technology purchases,” said Patterson Dental President Scott Anderson. “Patterson Dental’s primary focus is helping dentists stay on the forefront of technology and working to ensure practitioners have access to practice management software that allows easy integration with evolving digital technologies.”

Patterson EagleSoft practice management software – coupled with Patterson Dental’s renowned support services – has made it a long-standing favorite with dental professionals. To receive free Patterson EagleSoft practice management software, data import and training materials, professionals simply need to commit to a one-year service agreement at a low monthly cost. Professionals also can obtain Patterson EagleSoft digital imaging software at no charge with qualifying digital technology purchases.

“New Patterson EagleSoft users will be able to rely on the unyielding, accessible support features Patterson Dental customers have valued for years,” said Patterson Technology Center Director Pam Hemmen. “Quite simply, this offer allows dentists to move easily into the digital world, and we look forward to welcoming many new professionals to the way Patterson Dental does business.”

Since the company’s inception, Patterson Dental has been driven by the philosophy that technology is an advantage that can help its customers succeed. From its introduction of IntraOral Cameras in the late 1980s, building of its world-class Patterson Technology Center in 1997 to its acquisition of CAESY Patient Education in 2004, Patterson Dental has consistently been developing and providing industry-changing technology.

For more information about Patterson EagleSoft, visit www.eaglesoft.net or call the Patterson Technology Center at 800.294.8504.

Apple announced recently that their newest 3G version of the iPhone will be available on July 11. PCWorld has a nice review of Five Reasons to Get the New iPhone. I'm still not convinced...but the temptation is getting harder!

When you go online and surf the web, you leave a lot of tracks in your wake, such as cookies, history, passwords, last opened files, etc. Depending on who has access to your computers, this may not be the most secure situation. CleanAfterMe is a free utility that will remove all of that debris, which can also have the nice side-effect of freeing up space and making things work faster.

In the IT world, certain email domains, such as AOL.com, are not often looked upon in the highest regard. I don't think that's necessarily fair, but it is what it is. If you think a more professional domain makes sense for you, then go to Mail.com. They have literally hundreds of domains, such as doctor.com, that may be a better fit for dental professionals. The accounts are free, but if you want email forwarded to you "regular" email address, then that will cost $29.99 per year. Still a good value in my mind.

I'm always on the lookout for free utilities that can make life easier from a computing standpoint. One of the best jack-of-all-trades software that I've found is WiTS (Windows Inspection Tool Kit). It cvan give you information about all aspects of your system an network, but also includes other features like a task manager, security manager, file updates, etc. Definitely worth the download.

We've been going through a series of changes lately when it comes to antivirus. Our old stalwart, AVG, has become really costly. The replacement, Trend Micro, is no bargain either. Lifehacker has a nice review of the Five Best Antivirus Applications. The one we now use, F-Prot, isn't on the list but if you scroll down to the comments, you'll see many other suggestions. Most of these are free or very inexpensive.

One of my biggest complaints with Outlook, my email client, is that there is no easy way to remove attachments that I still want to keep. I use a hosted exchange service that charges by the amount of data in Outlook, so this can really be a problem. That's where Kopf Outlook Attachment Remover is so great. It removes the attachments, puts them in a folder, and leaves a link to that file in the email, so that you can always retrieve it. Very useful. Free to use, although donations are requested.

Many of you have been asking me about the June 30 deadline for Windows XP. Is it true that you will no longer be able to get computers with Windows XP after this date? In a word...no. Here's a short primer on How to Get and Keep Windows XP After June 30.

Have a file or folder that you want to encrypt? Want it to simply require a password to open rather than the recipent using special software? Want it to be free? Then Flexcrypt is the answer for you. I think this is a great option for offices that send sensitive files over email (not that I recommend you do this, by the way).

Here's an interesting concept from Sensodyne:

PITTSBURGH, PA – June 2008 – GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, maker of Sensodyne®, the number one dentist recommended toothpaste for sensitive teeth in the United States, announces the second tour of the “Get the Inside Story. Ask Your Dental Professional” Sensodyne Dental Spa program. Based on 2007’s successful initiative, the Sensodyne Dental Spa program will continue its campaign to educate Americans about the importance of good oral care habits and encourage regular visits to the dental office. This year the Dental Spa will visit fairs and festivals from March to September, reaching an estimated 15 million Americans nationwide.

The Sensodyne Dental Spa is currently touring the country staffed with hygienists from the American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) to provide oral healthcare education in a relaxing and fun atmosphere. Research shows that nearly 50 percent of Americans do not seek regular oral healthcare, and in 2007 only 24 percent of women ages 30-54 visited a dental professional. Through discussions with an ADHA member, visitors to the Sensodyne Dental Spa have the opportunity to learn more about the importance of dental visits and proper oral healthcare. In addition, they leave the Spa with tools to help them maintain good oral care, including information about dentin hypersensitivity and acid erosion, and samples of Sensodyne and Sensodyne ProNamelTM toothpastes.

“Dental hygienists serve a vital role as patient educators. We spend much of our time highlighting the importance of regular preventative care,” said Juana Prince, RDH, a 2007 participating ADHA hygienist. “Considering that more than 25 percent of Americans avoid visiting their dental professional because of a previous bad experience, the Sensodyne Dental Spa offers another outlet to discuss proper oral care with those who might not otherwise visit a dental office.” In 2007, the Dental Spa made 20 stops over 30 weeks, connecting with more than 15 million consumers from Miami to Los Angeles.

The “Ask Your Dental Professional” Dental Spa program demonstrates that good professional oral healthcare and education can be the result of collaboration between manufacturers, associations and dental professionals – dental hygienists, dentists and assistants. Dental professionals are in a unique position to serve the public through this innovative program.

“Considering nearly 25 percent of Americans believe they only need to go to a dental professional when they are experiencing a problem,” said Lori Lukus, Sensodyne associate brand manager, professional marketing. “The Sensodyne Dental Spa provides a much-needed venue to educate Americans in a casual, comfortable environment while discussing the importance of regular dental visits.”

The Sensodyne Dental Spa will continue to tour the country through September 2008, concluding at The Big E festival in Springfield, MA.



2008 Event Schedule

Miami, FL Calle Ocho 3/16

Miami, FL Dade County Fair 3/27-3/30

Atlanta, GA Atlanta Dogwood Festival 4/4-4/6

San Antonio, TX Fiesta San Antonio 4/18-4/20

Houston, TX Houston International Festival 4/26-4/27

Denver, CO Cinco De Mayo 5/3-5/4

Memphis, TN Memphis in May BBQ 5/15-5/17

Portland, OR Portland Rose Festival 5/29-6/8

San Francisco, CA North Beach Festival 6/14-6/15

Chicago, IL Taste of Chicago 6/27-7/6

Fort Wayne, IN Three Rivers Festival 7/12-7/20

Asheville, NC Bele Chere 7/25-7/27

Philadelphia, PA Musikfest 8/1-8/10

Indianapolis, IN Indiana State Fair 8/15-8/17

Philadelphia, PA Unity Day 8/24

Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN Minnesota State Fair 8/29-9/1

Springfield, MA The Big E 9/12-9/19

I'm always looking for good backup software. One of the ones I've liked, AceBackup, was good but it wasn't free. I loved that they could do multiple versions of the same file, so that if the data was corrupted, you could go back further. Well, AceBackup is now free, so it's definitely worth the download.

I am often asked by clients to provide service and support for their home computers, and in almost every case, I decline. Here's a great article on why people in the IT field prefer to not provide these services. It's nothing personal...really!

With many offices seeing regular staff turnover, you sometimes have a tough situation if you cannot log into a computer or application due to a password that was never changed. Here's a great article on some free tools to help you recover lost passwords.

While there are a gazillion ways to backup, there's no doubt that creating an image of your entire hard drive is the best way to ensure that you can completely recreate your settings. Most of these programs are costly but one that used to charge a fee, Macrium Reflect, now offers a free version for home use. It won't work on Windows 2003 Server so you'll need to get the still-not-expensive Full version for $40 if you have a server to backup.

We all know about Adobe, the maker of the industry-standard PDF reader. However, did you know they have an online service that allows you to share files, share your desktop, store up to 5 GB of files online, and colloborate on documnets? And, it's all free? Check out Adobe.com. Some of the services are in heavy use so you may not be able to sign up right away.

Each year, PC World lists their Best 100 Products. This year's list is out now, with a few surprising choices at the top.

Zap has released one of the world's first microlasers, the Styla. This is a remarkable handheld soft tissue laser that connects wirelessly to a footpedal and has controls on the handpiece as well. It can do pretty muuch anything that other soft tissue lasrers can do. No idea (yet) on pricing.

Let's face it...computers are like garbage cans that you can't empty. Junk files build up, rogue settings in the Windows Registry accumulate, and your system slows down. That's where programs like Windows XP Optimizer can help. With just a single program (free, of course), you can speed up most functions of your computer.

I'm always looking for new and innovative CE, and a new site that I recently heard about is called DentalXP. They offer online articles, courses, videos, product reviews...the whole enchilada. Pricing seems to be about $25-30/month, which is cost effective compared to traveling to meetings.

In the past, I've mentioned about many online or free documents converters that can turn your Word or other Office files into the standard PDF format. However, going the other way isn't always so easy. Some PDF to Word Converter (yup, that's really the name!) can do that and it won't cost you a dime.

Here's a program that solves a really annoting thing in Windows. You know how when you insert a USB thumb drive into your computer, you have to go into My Computer and then click on the new drive to see the contents? DeskDrive solves that...it creates a shortcut right on your desktop to allow you to open the files. Remove the drive? The icon goes away. Very slick and free of course.

One of my favorite spyware programs, Ad-Aware, has just come out with their 2008 version. If you plan to use this for your home computer, then you can use the free version. It's tough to find it on their webpage, so just download it right here.

I've mentioned online fax services in the past, like J2. The only downside is that they run around $20/month. There's a new one I've been testing called FaxPipe, and at $3.95/month for 25 pages (plenty for most offices) or $6.95 for 75 pages, it is a great bargain. You can get either a toll-free or local phone number. Very cool.

Here's a great little utility that I love: Desktop Teleporter. Basically, it cleans up your desktop autoamtically of files and folders. If you're like me, you download and run new programs to your desktop, which can create a real mess with all the folders on there; this application handles that. Very cool and useful.

Even the best laid plans....

Sometimes, usually when it's the least convenient time, your Windows computer refuses to boot. When your computer hardware appears to power up okay, but the Windows XP operating system won’t boot properly, you have to begin a troubleshooting expedition that includes getting into the operating system, determining the problem, and then fixing it. To help you get started on this expedition, here are 10 things you can do when Windows XP won’t boot.

If it were up to me, Windows XP would be around for a long time. While I love this operating system, there's no doubt that it still can be a bit clunky and tough to work with. Here's a great list from PC Magazine of The Best Windows XP Tips, Tricks, and Hacks.

I know that many of you like to share photos with friends and family. There are a lot of decent photo sharing sites online; here is a great review of the major players.