The Coach Corporate Profile

dentaltown.comOctober 200628

Going the distance to empower every dental practice

and engage the patient in understanding treatment

plans – The Coach™ joint venture has evolved from

three uniquely talented dental companies: Dentsply

International, Medvisor Dental and Dental Team

Concepts (DTC). The trilogy in dental product develop-

ment brings together one of the most trusted names

in dentistry, a cutting-edge software development

firm and the clinical expertise of renowned clinicians

and lecturers Dr. Lou Graham and Dr. David Little.

The result – Cercon® Coach – the first in a series of

innovative, cost-effective, practice-empowering tools

that will instantly bring the patient, office team and

dental laboratory into an era of “understanding” one

another. Cercon Coach will be available in late October

through Dentsply International, dental laboratories

and Kodak Dental Systems practice management

software systems, SoftDent and PracticeWorks.

The Team Roster

DT: Jeff, how did Medvisor get started and when didyou come to the dental market?Jeff Jackson, Founder, Medvisor Dental: Medvisor Dentalis a subsidiary of Reality Engineering. The company wasfounded in 1997 and we currently reside in Camus,Washington. We started working in the automotive indus-try and in medical cardiology. All with the same goal inmind – help our clients move from education to under-standing. Through virtual 3D animations, we enhance theclients’ (and or consumers’) “understanding” in formats thattraditional methods of verbiage, photos and brochures sim-ply fall far short.

We started developing our Medvisor Dental productmore than four years ago. We have more than 20 animatorsand programmers who work directly with key clinicians anduniversities to develop the patient animations.

DT: How are the patient animations used by your clients?Jeff Jackson: The concept behind Medvisor Dental is sim-ple: Give the patient the 15 second answer to the 15 secondquestion. We live in a society filled with communicationtools. Information overload is widely accepted. As con-sumers, every eight seconds we see a marketing message ofsome type. The dental office is no different. Brochures areplentiful. Photo books of before and after cases are nearlyalways in the reception area. And in some offices expensive“passive” clinical video technology offers excellent informa-tion, but in formats that require far more time, and oftenless patient interaction. We saw an opportunity to simplifythis by creating unique interaction features with our cus-tomized animations that allow doctor/assistant/hygienist tocommunicate with their patients in a far more unstructuredsetting and allow each member to have his or her own style.Isn’t that what it’s all about?

DT: The software sounds sophisticated. Can it be modi-fied to meet the needs of different practice philosophies?Jeff Jackson: We’re very proud of the product we’ve broughtto market. It is an effective software package, which includesmore than 150 video animations within all the fields of den-tistry. There are many unique features within this software,but the key concepts are:

By Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD Editorial Director, Dentaltown Magazine

29dentaltown.comOctober 2006

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• This is a patient-based communica-tion tool that allows the dentist,assistant, or hygienist to explainprocedures that can vary from thebasics of brushing and flossing tofollowing what happens underneatha bridge versus placement of animplant. The software can zoom with-in a pocket to show details that explaindisease or show pH changes with sali-va, and thus equate out to hot topics inall areas of dentistry.

• Clinical pictures and images can beimported or exported to create treatmentplans or simply customized presentationsby any owner of the software.

• The animations allow features such as stopand pause, drawing on the screen for moreclarification, notes and other unique features.

• In addition to Medvisor Dental, there is acustomized pediatric program calledMedvisor Dental Kids. This program fea-tures the animated character Brusher Bailey.There are also video games available for thedentist to license to provide to the patients.

• Each office can create customized presenta-tions for each team member, which equatesto efficiency and ease of use.

DT: How did you become acquainted withDr. Lou Graham?Jeff Jackson: Medvisor Dental and MedvisorDental Kids launched in the US in late 2005and in Japan earlier this year. In the midst ofour US market launch, we were fortunateenough to be introduced to Dr. Grahamthrough one of his peers. We placed theMedvisor in Dr.Grahams’ operatories inFebruary and soon after he began working withus to expand our library of patient animations.The concept for a mini-Medvisor followed

Pictured left to right: Dr. Lou Graham, President, Dental TeamConcepts; Kerri Sebring, Director of Marketing, DentsplyProsthetics; and Jeff Jackson, Founder, Medvisor Dental.

The Coach Corporate Profilecontinued from page 29

soon after. The initial model – work with dental manufacturers andincorporate procedural training into smaller branded programs thatwould deliver mini-patient segments along with practice tips andtraining. This was the first step in developing the vision for CerconCoach which has expanded in scope and scale since the first concept.

DT: Kerri, joint ventures are unusual for alarge company such as DentsplyInternational. Why did Dentsply getinvolved with this project?Kerri Sebring, Director of Marketing,Dentsply Prosthetics: The “why” is quite sim-ple. Dentsply prides itself on finding and col-laborating with innovative companies. We’vebuilt our business launching more than 25 newproducts every year. In many cases, we use theinternal Dentsply Global Performance Systemsdesigned to work in collaboration with ourResearch and Development as well asMarketing Teams. When a new technol-ogy presents itself from an externaldevelopment source, we review the prod-uct against the same criteria as our inter-nal innovation process. With Dentsply’sreputation for quality and innovation wehave a rigorous clinical process that allproducts must pass through before theyare Dentsply branded. So, to get back toyour “why” question; it is simple – theMedvisor Dental technology combinedwith the clinical expertise of DTC wasan ideal match for our Global Perfor-mance Systems process.

The joint-venture model, while notalways typical for Dentsply, has beenhighly successful in meeting our businessexpectations in the past and for this particu-lar project. When all of the parties involvedhave a meaningful ownership in the productdevelopment, clinical requirements, market-ing and sales efforts the product has a highprobability of successfully moving throughthe development cycle. With Cercon Coach,we had a highly accelerated developmenttimeline in order to meet our AmericanDental Association launch requirement. Thejoint-venture model supports this type ofaccelerated innovation.

DT: How did this idea come together?Kerri Sebring: The “how” is business 101. Part 1 – Listen to yourcustomers and they will tell you exactly what they want and need.Part 2 – Keep your team constantly looking at innovative ways tomeet those wants and needs.

We routinely conduct market research with dentists and labora-tories on what they need to help grow their businesses. Keep in mind

just like your average consumer – us included; we typically cannotarticulate what we want. So, telling sometimes means showing orwatching. We can tell you what we don’t like very easily, and if youwatch closely you might see the need first. In particular we use aprocess called “ethnography.” This method uses specially trained

researchers and marketing professionals thatimmerse themselves into daily routines of dentaloffices and laboratories.

During our last ethnography session we iso-lated three key areas. The first is that dentistswanted a better way to communicate and edu-cate their patients without feeling like they wereselling something or confusing their patients.The second was that dentists run small busi-nesses with turnover and training issues just likebig corporations. They have a need to developconsistent training programs to help educatetheir teams. The third came from our laboratory

customers. This was evident and consis-tent from the first to the last customer weinterviewed. There was a need to increasethe communication between lab anddentist when it comes to the prescription.This process needed to be easy for theoffice staff to implement and provideample information, so the lab coulddeliver the best possible prosthetic device.

The second part of the Dentsply“how” for Cercon Coach started with agreat relationship. I have had the pleasureof working with Dr. Graham and Dr. Littleon several Dentsply product launches overthe last seven years. Typically, we have utilized their clinical expertise on the podium. But March 17, 2006 was no typ-

ical visit for Dr. Graham and I. What was to be aroutine visit turned into the opportunityDentsply had been looking for – a chance meet-ing facilitated by Dr. Graham between myselfand Jeff Jackson. It was no accident that Dr.Graham saw the potential of the Medvisor tech-nology and the need for Dentsply to see it. Onevery long lunch later we all agreed there was hugepotential in this “mini-Medvisor” concept forDentsply. It was good, but it needed to be muchmore. It had to fulfill all three of our customerneeds for the patient, practice and laboratory.

Cercon Coach was officially launched intodevelopment only four weeks after this first

meeting in Chicago. The Coach strategy for Dentsply evolvedquickly at International. The business plan was detailed and theproject objectives set forth met all of our market research require-ments for the patient, practice and lab. Cercon Coach is just the firstproduct opportunity for the team within this Coach strategy. Theonly question – can Medvisor and DTC build it? It’s one of myfavorite questions for Jeff and Lou. The answer is always the same;Kerri if you can think it we can build it, now that’s innovation!

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Cercon Coach Patient Education –Replacing a decayed filling.

Patient treatment plan acceptance at your fingertips.

Cercon Coach Patient Education –Replacing a missing tooth (bridge) withCercon zirconia.

The Coach Corporate Profilecontinued from page 30

DT: Dr. Graham, how did your experiences with MedvisorDental influence this project?Dr. Lou Graham, President, Dental Team Concepts (DTC):There are many types of dental practices throughout the countryand as we all know, there is an identity to each and every practice.Much of an office’s philosophy is directly cor-related to the dentists’ team and how well theyinteract with patients and one another.

One constant issue has always been thecommunication aspect between the examinerand patient. Intraoral cameras were developedto demonstrate to the patient the clinical issuesthat were found, and these could include a vari-ety of issues such as fractured or decayed oldfillings. The effect was meaningful in that thepatient now could identify with the clinicalproblem, and yet, it was a task to explain to thepatient various potential treatments. With thissaid, last year our office purchased theMedvisor Dental software. This tool helped usput the bracket table away as our mode ofexplaining clinical situations.

Medvisor quickly became instrumental inenhancing all facets of patient communicationfor both myself and my team of assistants andhygienists. The true benefit of Medvisor wasthreefold. First, it became far easier to show“what the heck” we were doing versus verballytrying to explain it! Secondly, the improvedpatient comprehension minimized potentialmisunderstandings, which can be problematicfor everyone. And thirdly, we simply had morecase acceptance especially when it came tobleaching and Invisalign. It is my strong opin-ion this occurs simply because visualization isthe essential ingredient to the process of com-munication within the office.

DT: Dr. Graham, do you have clinical expe-rience with Cercon?Dr. Lou Graham: I am regularly asked by vari-ous dental manufacturers to test new products,and four years ago Dentsply Internationalasked Dr. David Little and me to work withthem and understand a new product calledCercon zirconia. Now, four years later and wellover 1,000 units in place, we certainly feel veryexcited about the long-term potential of thisproduct. A key part of the relationship has beenthe ability to work with Dentpsly and to beinvolved as they improve its system. Two essen-tial improvements have involved both the esthetics of the materialand equally important, the fit. Dentsply’s new porcelains literallyare night and day with how natural they can make these restora-tions, and with its new Cercon ART CAD/CAM system, the fitshave improved dramatically. With that said, David and I couldn’t bemore excited about Cercon Coach because we feel this is a product

that can help integrate both what the clinician wants to deliver andcreate the desire for excellence from the patient.

DT: Certainly your experience with clinical consulting played alarge role in this partnership, tell me more about the creation of

this triumvirate.Dr. Lou Graham: It was a happenstance meet-ing in my office between trusted vendors. I’veknown Kerri long enough to know when shesees something she likes, you better get onboard. After more than nine years withDentsply, she has an eye for spotting new tech-nologies and a marketing talent to shape theminto winners. Medvisor Dental was a winner inmy practice, so it was no accident that I wantedthem both on my team – team Coach.

My role in the Cercon Coach focuses onwhat DTC does best – clinical consulting.Initially, DTC’s primary focus was entirelyeducation, and we’ve had the privilege ofteaching thousands of clinicians and dentalteams throughout the world. As I started inte-grating the Medvisor animations into my pro-grams, it became quite evident the level ofaudience participation and retention of infor-mation increased significantly. Through myrelationship with Kerri and Dentsply alongwith Jeff and Medvisor, they asked us toembark on a new journey – product develop-ment. DTC would provide the clinical expert-ise to assist Medvisor and Dentsply in creatingthe new patient and practice animations alongwith the e-Script.

DT: What are your thoughts going forwardwith this product, Dr. Graham?Dr. Lou Graham: It’s been a great ride watch-ing Cercon Coach launch in North Americaand I expect it will continue as it is introducedin worldwide markets – Asia and Europe inearly 2007 and Mexico/South America soonafter…the potential is simply limitless.Watching audiences of my peers and theirteams react so positively to the Cercon Coachin our focus groups is proof to the enthusiasmthat all three companies have poured into theproduct over the past six months. The future ofDTC is most definitely focused on taking oureducation to understanding with our partner-ship with Dentsply and Medvisor.

DT: The Cercon Coach joint venture between Dentsply,Medvisor and Dental Team Concepts is a winner. It is a testamentto the passion that comes from true innovation and collaboration.The genuine love for the journey and the Cercon Coach comesthrough the minute you talk to everyone involved. You can’t helpbut get wrapped up in their success.

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Cercon Coach Practice Education includesboth 3D animations combined with clini-cal video to enhance team teaching.

The first step to your custom prescriptionis to simply select your restoration mate-rial from the drop-down list and clickon the teeth to be restored.

Shade selection is done in thirds bydragging and dropping the desired shadeto the incisal, middle and cervical thirdof the tooth.