DR. BRAM BONNE: THE FUTURE HAS BEGUN

Dr. Bonne’s dental practice is located in Gent, Belgium in a fairly quiet and inconspicuous part of town. But little would one know that behind the solid, white door of the clinic, the future begins.

For the last 7 years, Dr. Bonne has been developing a dental setup that is as unique as it is unconventional.

New patients often notice that I’m not looking into their mouths. Then I need to explain that I am, but that instead of my eyes, I’m using a camera.

Dr. Bonne’s XO 4 does not have an operating lamp since there is one in the camera already. He also skipped the cuspidor to create more space and a more hygienic working environment. Fortunately, the proper use of the XO 4 suction system eliminates the need for a cuspidor.

After testing three generations of cameras, Dr. Bonne now uses one that shows and records the image in almost HD quality. In order to navigate through his computer systems, such as the patient management system, intraoral scanner or XO Smart Link, he uses both a trackpad and the unit screen. His assistant uses a second screen, located behind Dr. Bonne’s back. In this way they can both see the same thing and work in an ergonomic, efficient way.

This is, of course a 2D system. You can compare it to working with one eye. Therefore, you have to compensate for the lack of a third dimension through a mirror and your sense of touch.

I position my camera to the side and I move my mirror a little bit during a treatment, which gives me a better feeling of the third dimension... The contrast in the camera is really great and you can clearly see if there is any decay left. Moreover, the camera doesn’t show spray water during drilling or when using laser. You can see things better than with your own eyes.

"...THE CAMERA DOESN’T SHOW SPRAY WATER DURING DRILLING OR WHEN USING LASER. YOU CAN SEE THINGS BETTER THAN WITH YOUR OWN EYES."

Right now, I still haven’t found a 3D system that works to a standard I find usable. And personally, all 3D systems I’ve used so far have made me dizzy. I can’t imagine working the whole day using it. I think that good contrast and shadows in your camera are much more important than 3D.

Dr. Bonne knew that what he was doing was quite new and challenging for traditional dental practices. Yet it helped him save his professional career, so he started sharing the idea with other dentists.

I invited my colleagues to my practice a few times and presented my setup to them. It was a lot of fun. Nobody had ever realized that it was possible. It’s clear to see that my body is very relaxed when I work – I don’t get any strains.

And the setup doesn’t force you to use it all the time. I can always switch to looking directly into the patient’s mouth whenever I want. It isn’t as easy when you, for example, use a microscope – you always have to move it out of the way before you can continue.

According to Dr. Bonne, the integration of the dental unit, camera and workflow is the key to the future of dental treatments. And that future, for him, is quite clear – no more bending over in order to look into the patient’s mouth!