Students and Technology

I love talking about technology with today’s dental students. First, there is no fear of the learning curve. They have no preconceived ideas of how a dental practice runs. These are students – they’re there to learn, and they embrace learning about new technology with excitement.

Second, students expect technology. They have been using digital cameras to capture their personal memories for years, so why wouldn’t they use digital technology for capturing images in their dental practice? They communicate by sending text messages and emails to their friends and family, so that seems a natural way to remind patients of upcoming appointments. And time … in this busy world, today’s students understand the value of time. They see the value of giving patients the experience of same-day crowns with CEREC.

Bottom line: dental students understand how technology is adding value to a dental practice and making a patient’s experience better. I encourage dental students to continue to embrace and learn about every aspect of technology that presents itself.

About Post Author

Josh Killian

Josh is currently the vice president, digital technologies at Patterson Dental. He started his career with Patterson in 1995 as a sales trainee working out of the Minnesota Branch. He moved to Omaha as a territory sales representative before becoming the national accounts manager. Josh also worked as the St. Louis Branch manager, marketing director, merchandise and then marketing director, equipment before settling into his current role.