8 exhibitors 2017 ASM — May 4, 2017 Game changer: American Eagle Instruments XP Technology By Karen Siebert, RDH Director of Clinical Education American Eagle Instruments Before I learned of sharpen-free XP Technology®, my cassettes had to contain enough instruments to com- bat any periodontal situation — all Graceys, of course, an anterior and posterior sickle, a Younger-Good 7/8 for heavy sub and a couple of uni- versals “just in case.” This set-up was not only pricey to purchase, it was time consuming. Searching for the instrument while mid-treatment took time and could be frustrating. Then there was the maintenance involved in keeping them all sharp. Honestly, I never kept up. Five instruments are all you need General treatment cassettes now con- tain four to five instruments — a Double Gracey Anterior, a Double Gracey Pos- terior, an M23 Thin Scaler, a Blackjack scaler and an optional Barnhart 5-6 AD — all in sharpen-free XP® Technology. These five multitasking instruments cover every situation those 10 instru- ments used to handle, and without the stress or time involved in sharpening maintenance. On average, I have cut appointment time spent scaling and/or sharpening by 10 minutes! What I’ve found is those 10 minutes can have an incredible return on investment for patients and the practice. Sharpen your value Here are five value-packed actions that now fit into an appointment or the day that did not before sharpen-free XP Technology: • Sit the patient up and: Rnmovn thn bib. Have a face-to-face with the pa- tient, as if you were out with a friend. Show the patient photos and data col- lected and ask what he or she hears and see. This may be time consuming, but in practice goes quickly. Another bonus: The patient hears what we are saying! Wouldn’t that be novel? (Thanks to Shannon Pace Brinker of Contemporary Product Solutions for teaching me this tip for patient com- munication.) • Time to be part of the team: Participate in instrument processing, room turnover and even administer anesthetic for the doctor’s patients. • A periodontal procedure is inva- sive: Now, with the extra time, it’s easy to make a call to the patient and see how he or she is healing. It is not only the right thing to do, it builds patient trust and loyalty, which may lead to referrals. • Taking an impression for whiten- ing trays can now fit into the appoint- ment. Rather than scheduling a second visit for the patient, time is available to get the procedure started right away. This is especially valuable with whit- ening because the patient is excited to get started. • Same for sealants. Save the pa- tients a trip and provide care right during the preventive appointment. As a preventive procedure, this makes XP Technology’s metallurgical advance- ment eliminates the need for sharp- ening, a task viewed by many as tedious and often imperfect. (Photo/Provided by American Eagle Instruments) sense and the patients appreciate that their time is valued. Look at big picture When considering a new purchase such as sharpen-free XP Technology, remember to include indirect or not- so-obvious returns on investment to get the whole picture. It is imperative to look at the big picture for the prac- tice and present a solid plan for the investment being proposed. When planned with care, a pur- chase such as sharpen-free XP Tech- nology can bring — in reality — a big return on investment for you, the patients and the practice.