INTERVIEW WITH DR. KUNAL LAL
Making dentistry exciting
Dr. Kunal Lal, New York
14 August 2018
Dr. Kunal Lal is a prosthodontist practicing in New York. Digital technology is fully embedded into every aspect of his practice – and it makes dentistry exciting both for him and his patients.
Kunal’s always been interested in cutting-edge technology and has incorporated it into his work for many years. “I wrote my Master’s thesis on computer guided surgery, and even back in 1999 I was doing 3D printing and guided surgery,” he said. By 2001, he was publishing articles and cases on digital dentistry. “I’ve kept up with it ever since,” he explained. “I keep tabs on the evolution of technology in dentistry and keep on educating myself, reading up on the latest innovations.”
Although he wasn’t frustrated with conventional techniques when he was using them years ago, looking back he can’t believe how basic they were. “You are satisfied until you see something so much better is available and the opportunities it offers,” he said. “In hindsight it feels like I was working in the Stone Age!”
Early on, he made the decision to go with the Dentsply Sirona technology, and now owns “every piece in their portfolio.” He believes it’s the best idea to stick with one manufacturer and chose Dentsply Sirona because “you have to back the winning horse.” Having everything from one company means that for complex cases, which may involve sharing and transferring data between up to three or four different items of equipment, the fact that it is all designed together means that everything is compatible and makes for the most efficient workflow. “I not only want the best individual product in its field, but also the optimum communication between the units. A shared platform makes for seamless transfer of data and for me that’s a no-brainer,” he said. Most of the labs he deals with also have Dentsply Sirona equipment, which means the software can transfer the data instantly and aids the communication between the lab and the dental office.
As Kunal was such an early adopter, the training available was limited, and he had to find out a lot for himself, but that wasn’t a problem. “I’m a self-starter and a very curious person, so I went out of my way to learn everything about the equipment and how to get the best out of it,” he said. He went online, read everything he could and experimented with the equipment till he was fully up to speed with it. “I took to it like a fish to water,” he said.
And the equipment is central to the way he practices dentistry now. “It has made my life more predictable, and I use it constantly,” he said. It has made it possible to do same day dentistry, reducing the need and the time spent on remakes and try-ins, improved the capability to do smile makeovers and a range of other treatment options. Being able to make quick adjustments while the patient is there saves time and has improved the quality of the work. “It makes me seem like a better dentist,” he joked.
From a business point of view, the efficiencies have made savings, and it has improved patient retention and referrals.
“All the equipment is on display in the practice and it has changed the way I communicate with patients,” he explained. “Everything is visual, and most people are curious about technology. With 3D imaging I am able to show them things they have never seen, and it’s so much more interesting and understandable than the old X-ray pictures. They are amazed and they appreciate that their dentist is at the cutting edge.” He offers sleep apnea devices and the Sirona software enables him to show patients where their airway is restricted, or they can watch their crowns and other restorations being fabricated.
From a business point of view, the efficiencies have made savings, and it has improved patient retention and referrals. He’s always had a busy practice, but the technology has altered the relationship with patients. “It’s changed the atmosphere in the practice,” he said. “Patients take selfies while they are there, call their friends up and put their pictures on social media. It makes them excited about their dental work, something they weren’t before.”
Using digital dentistry has also improved his relationship with the labs that he uses. “Previously we would just write a prescription, with no pictures, and things could get lost in translation. Work might not be done to the dentist’s expectations, which was not the lab’s fault, and there was a risk of human error, but now with the digital communication they can see what I want, and I can send so much more information to them.” Sirona has the technology that means that the dentist can be as involved as they wish, or merely send images to the lab and let them carry out the work. On big and complex cases Kunal may even fly a technician in to New York to use his equipment on the spot.
As a prosthodontist and former head of the Columbia Postgraduate prosthodontics department, Kunal was very capable of fabricating anything he required, and that is even more true with the equipment at his disposal now. He feels that knowing how to carry out every step of the process himself has served him and his patients well over the years. “Because I have that knowledge, I am better placed to give the necessary information to my lab to provide me with what I need, and to gauge the quality of what I get.” However, he doesn’t believe that any lab should feel threatened by that. “In a busy office, the dentist does not have time to be tinkering about, and their time is much more productively spent at the chairside,” he said. In any case, most dentists do not have the skills to carry out the technician’s work. “If a technician wants to educate themselves in the technology, and become master of it, they will find they have more business than they know what to do with.” He added: “It’s not a question of losing the technician’s skills. The technology enhances what I can do and what they can do. They absolutely need to be there. If they take ownership of it they have nothing to fear.”
“I’ve never been this excited about my profession”
He’s recently launched the Digital Dentistry Forum, an online resource where he and like-minded colleagues can freely share information, ideas and advice about digital dentistry, posting cases and commenting on them. “I believe in sharing expertise and knowledge, and there are so many good people out there passionate about what they do. If we can pool our knowledge it would be a tremendous resource,” he said.
Kunal Lal loves his job, and the opportunities opening up to him through digital dentistry make him happy to go to work every day. “I’ve never been this excited about my profession,” he said. “I have always been passionate about what I do, and want to be the best I can at it, now with this technology at my fingertips I really believe I can.”
