Digital Dental X-Ray Makes Dollars and Sense
Install It Now—If Only to Save Money

by David A. Hall, D.D.S.

Are you agonizing over what digital x-ray system to buy? Are you waiting for patients to demand digital x-rays? Well, I'm suggesting that you do a little math and see how much money you'll save by going digital.

Try setting up a separate accounting category in your practice for x-rays. Put the cost of film, chemicals, mounts, machine maintenance, and anything else you spend on x-rays into that category. If you're a typical one-dentist practice, you spend about $400 per month on these items.

Now add in the cost of staff time in developing, mounting, and keeping track of x-rays. And you may want to throw in the cost of looking for misplaced x-rays. Do you duplicate x-rays? Don't forget to add in that time. According to dental practice management expert Sally McKenzie, an average practice takes 12 to 15 darkroom visits to develop and mount 50 film x-rays in a day, taking about two to two-and-a-half hours of assistant and hygienist time to accomplish it. Multiplying that by $20 per hour gives $700 to $1000 per month in staff time, varying somewhat depending on how many days per week you operate.

This totals about $1250 per month, give or take a few. Compare that with the average lease cost for a digital dental x-ray system: $500 per month. If you're skeptical, run your own numbers and see what you come up with.

Besides that, the perceived value to the dental patient of a digital x-ray system is higher than for a film x-ray system. So, you may be able to raise your fees. And doctor, how much time do you think it will save you not to have to hunt down misplaced x-rays? And how much value will it add to your case presentations when you use the enhancements that all digital x-ray software has?

To use a cliché: It's a no-brainer.

The numbers work regardless of which system you buy. I recommend that you do your homework. Find out which one works best for you. But even a poor choice of a digital system will save you money. So just do it. And take the extra $600 to $900 per month that you were throwing at your old film system and buy yourself a nice car. What do you say?

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