Lauren Burns | Editor
[email protected]
As 2013 comes to a close with this issue, it's nice to sit back and reflect on the past year and the many changes and challenges that have faced the dental industry as a whole – including this magazine.
From the implementation of the Affordable Care Act to what that means for dental laboratories subject to the medical device tax, to companies consolidating and rebranding more this year than usual, the dental industry has received a bit of a face lift. From what I heard from experts at the American Dental Association Annual Session in October, 2014 will only bring more change (so get ready!).
Almost as a reflection of what's happening in the industry as a whole, Proofs has gone through some serious changes this year. We went from print to digital and from a five-times-a-year publication schedule to being a monthly magazine. We changed our own face – and we're on our way to changing much more than that.
Dentistry is under a new light as of recent. There are oral-systemic issues and the impetus of bringing the mouth back into the body. There's the issue of whether we have dental benefits or dental insurance, and how that applies under the ACA. There's the issue of bringing milling into the practice or continuing to work with a lab for all of your crown needs. There's electronic health records and how to go from paper to digital – and then to go from a hard drive to the cloud. And then there is the issue of having a responsibility to treat the masses as a dentist and take to health professional shortage areas, while balancing the obligation to run a business at the same time.
I have a feeling that none of these issues will get any easier to deal with in 2014. It's likely that the industry will be facing a slew of other issues by the end of the year.
With that said, we're trying to take a more well-rounded approach to the information dental professionals – those not working in the clinical setting – need to have. We're working on getting topical information to you as soon as it happens, while diving more in-depth into the issues – as widespread as they are – that face manufacturers and dealers, and all of the talented people within and between who make the industry run.
We're giving you the traditional Proofs sphere of information – trade show statistics, industry news – but we're stretching out our arms to reach the corners of the industry and provide you with more information about how to work with people, both within and outside of your own company, to who's a leader in the industry, to what new products are on the market. We're focusing on how to get the most out of being in the exhibit hall at trade shows.
We're reconsidering what's important, because your time is valuable and knowledge is power. In the era of too much information, we're going to give you only the most relevant.
And you can help us figure out what that is. Email me. Let's talk.
