Booster Seat

With so many dental offices and homes using wireless connections to the Internet, making sure you have the best possible signal strength is pretty critical. Here's a great way to boost your signal strength.

Go Phish

In today’s world where everyone’s information is online, phishing is one of the most popular and devastating online attacks, because you can always clean a virus, but if your banking details are stolen, you’re in trouble. Here’s a breakdown of one such attack.

Keeping it Real

After popular password manager LastPass faced a possible security breach a few weeks ago, many of you are looking for an alternative password solution that doesn't store your passwords on someone else's servers. Here are three password managers that will store your passwords without syncing them to the cloud.

Tuning Fork

Think you've mastered Apple's iTunes app? Not so fast. Here are some expert tips guaranteed to help you get even more out of the media database powering your iPhone or iPad.

Pain in the...

The internet is wonderful, but it's also a landfill for many annoying things. Here are the top 10 online annoyances and how you can fix them for a better browsing experience.

Mobile Mania

Back when there were “only” 100,000 iPhone apps, there was a dilemma of finding the best ones. How do you determine, out of a flood of software for your mobile device, which are the best ones?

That was back in late 2009, when the problem was largely confined to the iPhone. But now, with the mobile landscape expanding rapidly and the number of apps growing for all types of devices, it’s a universal issue.

That’s why this excellent roundup by Gizmodo of apps for iPhone, iPad, Android and Windows Phone 7 should be added to your bookmarks.

Pass the Buck

Each week, How-To-Geek asks their readers for tips and tricks. One that seems to generate a lot of interest is how to manage passwords. The responses covered their favorite software, tricks you used to generate passwords without software, and more.

Reader Rabbit

You’ve got an ebook reader (or a laptop or netbook with ebook reading software) now you just need some free books to put it to good use. Read on as I show you the best places to score free books online.

Top 10

This blog was recently recognized as one of the Top 10 Dentists in Social Media.http://beta.blogger.com/img/blank.gif Seeing the rest of the list, I feel very honored to have been part of this. Thank you all for your continued support.

Imagine That!

One of the biggest hesitations I've had with web-based dental software has been their inability to handle real-time image management. Well, that's about to change:

Curve Dental Announces Field Testing of Its Web-based Dental Imaging Software
Now accepting pre-orders for its Web-based imaging software scheduled for general release in Fall 2011

OREM, UT— Curve Dental, developers of Web-based dental software, announced the company would immediately begin field testing of its Web-based imaging software in select dental practices located in the United States and Canada in preparation for a Fall 2011 general release. The software will allow doctors to capture x-ray and intraoral images directly to the Web eventually using almost any sensor and camera. Dentists may pre-order the software now to lock in favorable discounts and pricing.

“When doctors capture x-ray images directly to the Web they completely circumvent the need for a server, eliminate backup worries and rid themselves of storage hassles,” said Matt Dorey, Founder and Managing Director of Curve Dental. “Being able to capture directly to the browser using the practice’s existing sensor or camera is a monumental breakthrough. While the number of different sensors you can connect to Curve is limited now, eventually our customers will be able to connect almost any sensor or camera to our software.” The company has secured cooperation from the manufacturers of the Kodak®, Sirona®, Schick®, Gendex®, Suni®, Imageworks™, Apixia™, XDR®, Owandy™, MyRay™, and Vatech™ sensors and plans to make its software compatible with these sensors as quickly as possible.

Curve Dental’s imaging software is native to its practice management software using a single database and set of code, which provides the doctor and staff with a consistent look and feel throughout the software. Native code also makes the software easier to learn and less demanding on a practice that must train new team members. A stand-alone version of the imaging software will also be available. “Because our imaging software is native to our practice management software it is more efficient and more stable than an integrated or bridged solution,” says Dorey. “Integrated or bridged solutions equate to separate databases, separate sources for technical support and two applications that work and look differently from each other.”

Pending FDA approval, Curve Dental is planning for a general release of the software in Fall 2011. Like the company’s practice management software the imaging software will also be sold on subscription basis. Interested practices can pre-order the software with a deposit and then use the software without charge until January 1, 2012.

About Curve Dental, Inc.

Founded in 2005, Curve Dental provides web-based dental software and related services to dental practices within the United States and Canada. The company is privately-held, headquartered in Orem, Utah with offices in Calgary, Canada and Dunedin, New Zealand. The company strives to make dental software less about computers and more about the user experience. Their creative thinking can be seen in the design of their software, that’s easy to use and Web-based. Dentists can call 888-910-4376 or visit www.curvedental.com for more information.

Drop in the Bucket

Dropbox is one of the best file synchronization tools around, but you start out with only 2 GB of space, which isn't always enough to sync music or collaborate with your co-workers. Here's how to increase your storage without paying anything.You won't get to the 50 GB level with just these free methods, but you can certainly get enough space to keep your Dropbox from overflowing. Here's a comprehensive list of all the ways you can get extra space into your Dropbox.

Reader's Choice

Each year, consumers demand more and more reliability from their high-tech products. And, it is exactly these questions that PCMag's Readers' Choice Survey always helps to answer.

Four on the Floor

With the latest version of Firefox coming out a month ago, there will always been areas where it could use a little extra. Here are 10 Excellent Firefox Add-Ons.

Rip it Good

With more and more dental practices wanting access to their media across their networks, it's important to learn how to convert, or rip, your existing media into digital formats. Here's how.

Talk is Cheap

One of the things that I've been recommending that dentists do to market their practices is to create audio podcasts. They are relatively inexpensive, easy to make, and can be a lot of fun. Here's the steps you need to create an audio podcast on your own.

Wi-Fi Security

Plenty of recent reports of the FBI descending on folks who left their wireless routers wide open and had neighbors using those routers for less-than-nice activities. Here are 5 Ways to Protect Your W-Fi Network.

Virtual Reality

If you like to play with new software as much as I do, then you really need to set up a virtual computer. Basically, you're installing a protected copy of Windows 7 inside your computer that is invisible to the rest of the computer. It will allow you to add programs and test them out without actually changing anything on your "real" computer. This walkthrough shows you how.

How Many Monitors is Too Many?

As most of you know, I'm a big fan of using multiple monitors in the dental office; it just allows everyone to be more productive. Here are some great tips and tricks to working with multiple screens.

Phone Home

When is a phone not a phone? When it's an iPod Touch, which you can easily turn into a phone by following these directions. No need to jailbreak your phone!

Two For the Road

When I sit at my desk at the office or at home, I work with two monitors...I wouldn't dream of working any other way. When I travel, being limited to one screen can be very restricting. Well, that may change. Check this out!

Filling In the Blanks

Kerr Launches SonicFill

Posterior Restorations in Less Than Three Minutes

ORANGE, CA – Kerr Corporation, a leading manufacturer of technology for dental procedures has announced the launch of SonicFill, a first-of-its-kind, time-saving composite system that enables clinicians to perform posterior restorations with an easy-to-use, single-step, bulk fill technology that requires no additional composite capping layer. Dentists utilizing SonicFill can go from placement to polished in less than 3 minutes on cavities up to 5mm.

Kerr’s proprietary sonic activation within SonicFill’s delivery system dramatically lowers the viscosity of the composite during placement, providing superior adaptation. The SonicFill composite then immediately returns to a non-slumping, highly sculptable state that is easy to carve without being sticky. Outstanding mechanical properties, including superior strength, low shrinkage and high depth of cure, allow it to be placed in bulk increments up to 5mm so that dentists can use it with confidence in posterior restorations.

"We finally have a practical, efficient technique for placing posterior composites in one single, esthetic, bulk fill increment,” said Ron Jackson, DDS of Middleburg, VA. “SonicFill is a game changer."

“It’s truly rewarding to be able to offer the SonicFill system to the dental community because it is such a decidedly different and unique composite system that can dramatically save clinicians time,” said James Lobsenz, Kerr’s Product Manager.

“And not only is SonicFill a tremendous time-saver, it has also proven, in a variety of third party clinical studies, to meet or exceed performance criteria when compared with either bulk fill flowables or traditional composites placed in layers. The initial feedback we’re receiving from the clinician community is extremely enthusiastic – we are excited to be making the system available and feel SonicFill will change the way composites are done and ultimately the way clinicians do dentistry”.

Kerr Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sybron Dental Specialties, Inc., is a manufacturer of premiere dental consumables. Advancing esthetic dentistry through education and sustainable solutions based on clinician input, Kerr has become synonymous with integrity for dental professionals worldwide.

One Ring to Rule Them All...

ClikTech, Inc. is pleased to announce the ClipRay™ biodegradable x-ray film and PSP plate holder. One instrument is all you need to complete a full mouth radiographic series. Anterior, Posterior, Endodontic, Vertical and Horizontal Bitewings from size 0 to Size 3 can all be taken with ONE single ClipRay™. Parallel Cone or Bisecting Angle techniques may both be used with or without the optional ClikGuide™ “G” ring & rod. The versatile ClipRay™ is fully autoclavable, reusable and is formed from a biodegradable plastic resin. ClipRay™ is available through local dental dealers and is sold in packages of five and as a system package of one ClipRay™ holder and one “G” ring and rod.ClikTech, Inc.www.clikray.com 877-251-0594

Slow and Steady

No matter how fast your home network may be, we all get stuck using slow, unreliable Wi-Fi or tethered connections once in a while. Instead of tweaking your browser every time, set up a secondary browser just for slow connections with these simple tweaks.

Another Fine Mess...

Auslogics Disk Defrag has been part of my system maintenance toolkit for quite some time. With the release of version 3.2, it's now even better at tidying up and optimizing your system's hard disk drives. In addition to a cleaner, easier-to-use interface, Disk Defrag 3.2 offers improved single file and folder defragging, better processing of multiple disks, a simplified scheduling screen, and more informative tool tips. Auslogics has also fine-tuned the program's defragmentation and file consolidation algorithms.

For laptop users, there's a new option to lock the program if your system is running on battery power -- so scheduled operations don't kick in and drain your power source at an inopportune moment. If you happen to have an SSD installed in your PC, you can head to the Disk Defrag options and exclude it from scanning (many think that defragmenting an SSD is a very bad idea).

Auslogics Disk Defrag is a free download and works with most versions of Windows.

Cloudy Day

While I always recommend our DataProtect service for backing up critical dental data, there are betetr and less costly options for backing up your personal files online. Here are the 5 Best Cloud Storage Services.

Movin' On Up

Cisco recently announced that it would retire its popular line of Flip video cameras.
Some attribute the Flip's demise to the rise of smartphones' all-in-one gadget functions and HD cameras and video cameras. Take a look through this list to see some other gadgets that cellphones have rendered obsolete.

A Tangled Web

In the past few months, I have spoken with a number of dentists who literally don't have a website online for their practices. IS this YOU? There are almost 16 million online searches per month for dentists…that's 500,000 searches per day…or over 20,000 an hour! Did you realize how many patients weren't finding you?

As bad as that is, what's worse is having a website that sends patients running (or surfing) down the street as fast as possible to someone that actually communicates well with them online--well enough to make them want more information and begin a relationship.

Now let's get really real. Are you a premier dentist, someone who has spent tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars to become a highly trained specialist through the Scottsdale Center, LVI, Pankey, Spear and other expensive continuing education programs? If so, don't you owe it to yourself to get the right patients that you can use those skills to help? Seriously, they are out there and they are looking for someone--why not YOU? What would your practice look like and feel like if you practiced the kind of dentistry that you trained for years to be able to do?

In the time it took for this email to go from my computer to your inbox, about 40,000 new online searches happened for "dentist" related terms. If those patients didn't look for you, then who did they look for? My colleague, Dr. Gary Sanchez, is on a mission to help Premier Dentists Build Premier Practices. For a FREE consultation on exactly what that looks like, call 4D Dentistry now at 1-866-247-1476. You can also set an appointment by emailing mike@4DDentistry.com.

Just recently, 4D Dentistry held a live webinar and discussed what it takes to attract ideal new patients using the internet. If you happened to miss this webinar, be sure to click the link below and find out how YOU can do the same:
http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=1301617 [Webinar Replay <<< Click here]

It's tough to argue with the numbers. 20,000+ searches an hour…hmmm…

P.S. If your website is more than three years old, leading edge best practices have changed dramatically. If this sound like you, then give 4D Dentistry a call and let them change that immediately-- 1-866-247-1476.

Tablet Fever

You know you want a tablet, but which one to get? PC Magazine tested, reviewed, and compared the major players to help you decide.

Mr. Clean

CCleaner continues to be one of the most popular Windows maintenance programs. CCleaner version 3.05 now includes full support for both recently-released Web browsers, Internet Explorer 9 and Firefox 4.

The update doesn't stop there, however. CCleaner is now better at scanning your registry for unused file extensions, obsolete software references, and invalid browser helper objects (BHOs). Cookie management has been improved with the addition of iTunes support and tweaks to CCleaner's Intelligent cookie keeper.

Application clean-up has gotten a big boost, too -- with added support for Adobe Air, Steam, Xfire, TeamSpeak, Ventrilo, Skype, AIM, Camfrog Video Chat, Miranda, Pidgin, Yahoo Messenger, FrostWire, uTorrent, iMesh, BearShare, and more.

You'll find both the CCleaner 3.05 installer and portable version on Piriform's site.