The Best Kept Secret In Dentistry
The Florida Probe

by James C. Hammack, DDS
....as published in The Profitable Dentist, July 1995, issue number 88

Like many dentists in the '80s, I began to search for a way to expand my dental practice. The economy in Oklahoma City had taken a turn for the worse and everyone was beginning to feel the effects.
My wife Beth and I began to "brainstorm" on ways to expand my practice in an "ethical" way. We decided to pursue excellence in periodontal care and early intervention of potential perio problems.
Beth attended a course in 1988 where she was introduced to a research periodontal diagnostic system called the Florida Probe. This instrument utilizes controlled force pressure (15 grams) to measure and electronically record pocket depth (in .1mm measurements), recession, bleeding, mobility, and suppuration. All of this data is then displayed in layman's terms.
Pocket depths are color coded green = 1, 2, 3mm, yellow = pocket depths of 4, 5, 6mm, and red = pocket depths greater than 6mm. A computerized voice calls out the pocket depths as they are read. If bleeding is present, it says "bleeding." Thus, there is a visual and an audio indicator if unhealthy pockets are discovered.
After a patient receives treatment, we remeasure using the Florida Probe. Because of consistent force, we can make a quantitative comparison to check the effectiveness of our treatment.

Educating Patients

We realized early on the importance of educating patients about perio disease and steps necessary to combat it. We felt if the charting process provided visual and concrete evidence for need of treatment, and if the patients understood the relative cost of restorative treatment that might follow the loss of teeth. then patients would have little hesitation to choose high levels of hygiene care.
We purchased a Florida Probe in 1989 before it was available to the general market of dentists. We learned quickly that it was impractical to use on every patient. So we decided to do preliminary screenings for new and recall visits based loosely on the PSR concept. If we detected a problem, we scheduled the patient in two weeks after the hygiene appointment (to allow for healing and a more accurate probing) for a probing with the Florida Probe.
We set our fee for this probing at $88 and rarely have had anyone complain about our fee. By using the ''chart' generated on the monitor to explain problems to patients, it becomes rather easy to convince them that they do indeed have a problem. I also feel that this understandable presentation, along with the fact that the patient rightly perceives the accuracy of the measurements as accurate, accounts for the very high rate of treatment acceptance.

Great Financial Impact

If you'd like an idea of the financial impact of the probe on my practice, please consider the following statistics. Before the probe, monthly hygiene production was $4800 and accounted for less than 20% of my monthly production. After the probe my monthly hygiene production was over $23,000 and accounts for almost 40% of my total monthly production.
I have been tracking all of this with graphs since 1988 and the change in my practice since then is amazing. But in addition to the financial benefits to my practice, I see a dramatic improvement in my patients' level of knowledge and awareness about their oral health their health in general, and their long term dental related habits.
And with this newly motivated patient base the practice is extremely busy and we have a very profitable hygiene department! I think it is the best in the country because it is based on an accurate before and after constant force system.
I know that all of us are approached with various forms of new technology and investments. But, I know from five years of using The Florida Probe in my practice it's truly a WIN/WIN situation for every-one. If you'd like to learn more about the Probe, please call me or Beth at 1-800-460-2772. We've also put together a free video and if you'd like we'll send you one.
I'd like for you to consider the probe as an investment in the success of your dental practice.
Would you be interested in investing in something if you knew the following?
1. It would help the long term dental health of every patient in your practice!
2. It would "inspire" your hygienist.
3. You were guaranteed that "it" could pay for itself within six months of use-more about that later (see #23).
4. The American Dental Association encourages ALL general dentists to do this.
5. Your patients would finally understand periodontal disease and not just think that you are selling them another "brush"!
6. It would help to permanently change the brushing and flossing habits of your patients.
7. It would objectively and accurately compare before and after soft tissue management care done on your patients for a lifetime!
8. You would always have a great way to hire the best hygienist in your area-and keep her happy and more productive!
9. Periodontal disease could become objective instead of subjective.
10. You would automatically be "malpractice-free" in the risk area of undiagnosed, undocumented periodontal disease after a year of daily use in your practice (maybe your malpractice premiums wouldn't keep going up)! You could own "something" that would allow YOU to charge $88 for a full periodontal exam and be covered in the risk area since patients have sued and received settlements averaging $10,000 per tooth which was "un" diagnosed with periodontal disease?
11. You could and would treat early periodontal disease before there is bone loss around your patient's teeth and your patients would be grateful!
12. It would be so easy to have this "system" in your practice.
13. The standard of care at your practice would be elevated over the standard of care of a dentist who did not have one of these systems.
14. You could attend your state and local dental meetings and hold your head up high and talk about the economics of your practice being good because your patient's teeth were healthy!
15. The hygiene department at your practice could become 30-40% of your practice income and you would not have to deliver the service-your hygienist would!
16. You could brag to your other patients just how healthy the patients in your practice really are-and not fear going out of business because they were!
17. You could ethically market to #14, 15, and 16 listed above.
18. It is the most cost-effective investment in the high-tech dental marketplace today in terms of return on investment!
19. If you had one of these "systems" in your practice-you wouldn't sign up for any more capitation programs-EVER!
20 Regarding the above-when dentists give away two cleanings a year and no-charge x-rays with a new insurance package (managed health care) and see patients coming in with periodontal disease that they can NOT handle this "thing" would stop that dental dilemma!

NOTE: There would be less capitation and bargain dentistry and more high quality preventive diagnostic care set at your fee for service schedule! And dentists would feel better about their vocation.

21. Since periodontal disease is at best a maintainable disease not a curable disease your patients could co-own the destiny of their natural teeth with you and your hygienist in a commitment to excellence of hygiene care with this "thing ."
22. You, your hygienist and your patients could reassure yourselves that you are not just watching the disease/ problem any longer. Instead you are NOW able to monitor the disease problem over the life of their teeth while they stay in your practice! You and your hygienist will sleep better at night.
23. You could file an insurance code (4110 or 0150) to cover the comprehensive oral exam on "this ."
24. A quality good dental insurance company would see that your office is properly and accurately documenting your patients' conditions with legibility and accountability! Especially after you have thoroughly scaled and root planed a patient and their pockets have accurately been recorded to have been reduced as a result of the excellence of their hygiene care and your practice. Example: Pocket was 5.4mm and now it is only 2.8mm! Would that impress the patient? Would that impress an insurance company? Would that impress YOU? This "thing" can do it.
25. The insurance company (if they, in fact, offer quality care to their insurees and many do not), would (should) then cover a good portion of this cost of early intervention with preventive dental services that would keep the patient from severe damage and cost of restoration of gum disease (i.e., a bridge, partials, dentures, etc.). That is, if the insurance company cared about our patients and their long-term dental health!
26. If you were one of the early purchasers of this "thing," you would be helping all dentists by approaching and challenging the ADA and insurance companies with a new needed code for probing time and excellence that helps not only dentists, but more importantly, the innocent diseased patient! Would that help encourage dentists and hygienists to probe MORE?
27. Your well-intended hygienist needs your support in her confrontation of a diseased patient and this "thing" really would help her win with that confrontation. This is a key issue for well-intended dentists who have, with great sincerity, tried to start a quality soft tissue management program in their office which slowly fell off because patients became upset with a less than ideal "confrontation" to their disease. Trust us-this does not happen with how we use this! Our confrontation is the easiest step in the world, even if you have not probed in years!
28. It takes the "monkey off your back" when it comes to explaining why you didn't probe like this before. I'd invest in it-the Florida Probe Computerized System-knowing what I know now and I'd like to share this great investment with you.

Again, the probe can do great things for your patients' oral health and for your practice. Don't hesitate to call Beth or myself at 1-800-460-2772 or (405) 843-9731 (or at home at (405) 751-0040) with any questions that you might have.