How is it going.
Since the dawn of the digital intra-oral sensor age in the late 1990’s, how sensors are consumed by practices hasn’t changed all that much. Offices write a big check up front and then have to decide if paying for an annual warranty is worth it after the initial term expires. There is a lot to consider when weighing the ROI of annual tech support and warranty coverage as deductibles vary widely depending on the brand and what levels of warranty are offered, not to mention the co-pay for a damaged sensor. Twenty years later, not much has changed. The larger brands sell the exact same way they first debuted their sensors decades ago, leading to the age old observation “why are sensors basically the same price as they were 20 years ago, shouldn’t prices have come down by now?” One seldom recognized fact about the intra-oral sensor industry is there are globally, only a small handful of manufacturing facilities that produce these sensors so supply is tightly controlled, which is one reason prices have not fallen over the years. Even smaller is the number of sensor companies that actually manufacture their own offering. Many well-known brands are often all made at the same foundry with different housings, leading to multiple price mark-ups along the supply chain journey from Asia to a dental practice in the U.S. Since the vast majority of sensor companies in the space don’t make their own sensor, this also leads to increased warranty cost and headaches when trying to resolve a technical issue since they are really just marketing company in between a dental practice and the company that actually made the sensor.
How’s it going
Change is inevitable. Netflix vanquished Blockbuster, Barnes and Noble gave way to Amazon, record stores succumbed to streaming services like iTunes, Spotify etc. What those companies have in common is the product is the same, but the way the consumer acquires it was different. The dental world didn’t need another intra-oral sensor, it needed one that was affordable to acquire, seamlessly integrated with all major imaging software and came with a warranty that actually worked for the practice.
A group of engineers in San Jose, CA who developed the DEXIS and Gendex sensors recognized this trend. They saw that doctors loved the sensor, but hated the initial cost in addition to the ongoing support costs. They wondered “what if we built a great sensor and let offices subscribe on a monthly basis without additional costs for warranty & support?”
Building it themselves was the key. Only a manufacturer of a sensor could afford to offer it directly to offices via a subscription model and provide direct support.
Since launching the sensor and the subscription model in 2017, thousands of offices have come to rely on the subscription offering as their preferred way to add or replace current sensors.
“The subscription option has allowed us to fully equip two offices. Sensors from other manufacturers were too expensive for us to do that. Our clinical teams are very happy with Jazz and we plan to add at least one or two more in the future” said Robert Knox, Practice Manager for Otego Family Dentistry.
What it means
The common refrain from offices and staff is they don’t have enough sensors. Due to historical cost, practices have been reluctant to have enough sensors.
The arrival of a subscription option not only allows offices to add the much needed sensors, and to have the sensors always under a $0 deductible warranty.
Nothing sends an office into chaos like a dead sensor. Not only dealing with the immediate delayed treatment, but also the hassle of interacting with tech support to find out what coverage is currently on that sensor and when can it be replaced.
No longer do offices have gamble on extending their warranties or having to choose what level of warranty they want to pay for. With a subscription the sensor is coupled with the best coverage at a low monthly fee.
The arrival of a subscription offering finally shifts the power back to the practice. With a minimum monthly commitment, they can quit any time and since they didn’t write a large check upfront, there is little risk.
Dr. Lawrence Brent commented “Converted from phosphor plates to sensors with Jazz subscription. Love everything about it. Price point can’t be beat, love lifetime warranty and support at a comfortable monthly price. Set up was quick and easy support clear, understandable and little to no on hold time. Images are fantastic and comparable to what I receive from colleagues with much more expensive sensors.”
