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Press Releases
With
its STA System, Milestone Scientific Bucks Trend
Sales are up 200 percent for ‘win-win’
anesthesia delivery tool, says director of marketing
By Dental Tribune staff
The current economic climate has presented challenges for many, yet one
company, Milestone Scientific, seems to be bucking the trend. In 2008
most dental equipment manufacturers reported declines in sales ranging
from 10 to 30 percent, with some large equipment manufactures reporting
even greater losses. It might lead one to wonder why sales of Milestone’s
STA System were up over 200 percent, exceeding all of the company sales
forecasts. It seems that the timing was just right for an instrument that
reduces stress and increases referrals. Dentists are turning to Milestone’s
STA System (STA stands for Single Tooth Anesthesia) as a way to bridge
the office through challenging economic times.
 Dental
Tribune recently interviewed Scott Mahnken, Milestone Scientific’s
director of marketing, about the company’s success, its innovative
product and the various advantages that computer-controlled local anesthesia
delivery offer the dentist.
2008 was a great year for Milestone Scientific, yet other companies
seem to have been negatively affected by the economy. Why did Milestone
have such a successful year?
There were a couple of factors that helped make 2008 a success. Milestone
Scientific added a few key executive management personnel in 2007, so
some might say the seeds were planted then. Many feel that our success
was related to the new leadership team, led by CEO Joe Martin. Joe is
a former president of Abbott Labs, and one of the first things Joe did
upon joining Milestone was improve the processes and internal communication.
A second key addition to the team was Bob Presutti. Bob joined Milestone
in August 2007 as vice president of sales and marketing. Bob was a former
director of sales at Sonicare, where he was instrumental in helping the
Sonicare become a market leader in the power toothbrush category.
Once new leadership was in place, the company conducted extensive market
research in order to improve our message to the dentist. We knew based
upon the testimonials we’ve collected from offices using STA that
the STA System was delivering significant and measurable benefits to the
offices that implemented it as the standard of care for administering
anesthesia.
The STA System has many attributes, therefore it was important for us
to identify what the dentists valued most. Once we recognized that dentists
appreciated the increased confidence and reduced stress achieved upon
making the STA System the standard of care in their offices, we knew that
we had discovered a clear message of meaning. It was rather interesting
for us to learn that dentists experience increased stress levels when
administering anesthesia as, many of us had always looked at it from the
patient’s perspective.
Once the message was delivered, dentists responded quite positively. They
recognized that everyone has been searching for a better solution to the
150-year-old dental syringe, and Milestone had finally delivered the perfect
solution.
So it was not only patients who were stressed?
That’s what I believed until we conducted the first International
C-CLAD Symposium. I learned that a study conducted a few years ago showed
that 18.8 percent of dentists have considered a career change due to the
stress of administering anesthesia. At C-CLAD (which stands for computer-controlled
local anesthesia delivery) we heard from dentists who admitted they “held
their breath” while giving palatal or mandibular block injections.
It made sense that the STA System would reduce their stress level because
the computer-controlled delivery controls the flow of anesthesia below
the patient’s pain threshold. Dentists are trained to take two minutes
when administering anesthesia with a traditional syringe, but the majority
do it much quicker. Why? They want to get it over with — it’s
stressful for them, and they also can feed off the stress that is being
experienced by the patient.
Do all specialties benefit from using the STA System?
Indeed. Our biggest audience is GPs, but we have really built a strong
following with pediatric dentists and endodontists. The benefits of using
the STA for offices that treat kids are enormous. No more collateral numbing,
which discourages children from biting their lip and tongue, and no more
calls from angry parents after hours or on weekends. Kids love the non-threatening
STA Wand Handpiece, especially when compared with the traditional syringe.
You can even break the handpiece down so that it’s out of sight
while administering the injection. Dentists are hearing their younger
patients say, “It’s the best shot I ever had.”
Endodontists appreciate the STA because they can anesthetize a single
tooth. Ninety percent of the time an endodontist is working on one tooth
— often a “hot tooth” — yet they administer a
block injection that numbs the patient’s entire lip and face. The
STA is an ideal solution for most endodontic procedures, as it offers
the capability of Single Tooth Anesthesia, which is ideal for the dentist
and the patient. The STA System delivers anesthesia below the patient’s
pain threshold, and in most cases one can administer more anesthetic under
less pressure, resulting in a more comfortable and less stressful experience
for everyone.
Most recently we’ve been getting flooded with calls from periodontists
seeking to perform AMSA and PASA injections, which allow them to conduct
certain procedures by administering two injections instead of six. Thus
the STA is an ideal partner for root planning and scaling. You can imagine
how happy periodontists are with STA, and let’s not forget about
the patient, who his receiving four fewer injections. It’s a win-win
for both!
How does the computer technology work?
The STA System utilizes patented Dynamic Pressure Sensing (DPS) technology.
Just the same way many of us rely on a GPS in our cars, the DPS technology
in the STA System directs the dentist to the best path and confirms proper
needle location. But DPS takes it one step further by controlling the
flow of anesthesia the dentist is delivering, thus assuring that this
will be a comfortable injection. The STA System will alert the dentist
to optimum injection technique using a series of lights and tones.
Are dentists buying STA, even in this economy?
That’s right — 2008 was a record year, and we’ve already
made our adjusted number for January 2009 (adjusted higher). We’re
also expecting to break our Chicago Midwinter sales record for 2008, which
was 93 systems. There are a few very sound reasons why STA is selling
in today’s economic environment:
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Stress. The STA System reduces the stress of patients, dentists
and staff and gives the office something to feel positive about. The
front desk loves STA because it increases referrals and lowers cancellations.
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Productivity. Offices with STA can work on two different quadrants.
Thus what once took two visits can be completed in one.
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Referrals. Most practices rely upon referrals, and patients can’t
stop talking about STA.
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Preference. Your professional patients prefer to come in before
work or while on their lunch hour, but they hate the collateral numbness.
With STA your patients return to their routine without a numb lip
and tongue.
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Technology. You and your patients recognize that the traditional
dental syringe, which was designed over 150 years ago, is ready for
a technology update. The computer-controlled STA eliminates many of
the variable and human error associated with traditional held syringes.
Can a dentist administer every injection using the STA System?
Absolutely. Initially many dentists purchase the STA System to do the
New STA Intralagimentary Injection, which allows them to administer fewer
block injections. But soon they recognize that the STA System can actually
deliver a “comfortable” palatal injection, something that
most dentists feel is impossible. The palatal injection is often called
the “white knuckle” injection, yet offices that use STA report
they don’t see any more white-knuckled patients.
STA can also vastly improve your mandibular block injections. As much
as we want to help dentists administer fewer block injections, sometimes
there is no other choice. One of the frustrations encountered by every
dentist is when they miss the injection site and end up wasting 10 to
15 minutes, only to have to start over again. The STA System technique
prevents needle deflection, allowing you to achieve successful block injections
over 95 percent of the time.
The STA also allows dentists to perform newer injections like the PASA
and AMSA. These injections are far more effective that their traditional
counterparts.
What can dentists expect from Milestone in 2009?
We predict that 2009 will be a breakout year for Milestone and the STA
System. In 2008 the company took steps to increase distribution, increase
the sales force and incorporate the use of dental professionals on the
sales and marketing teams.
In 2009 we’re sponsoring the Second Annual C-CLAD Symposium, to
be held May 1–3 in Amelia Island, Fla. The C-CLAD Symposium will
be chaired by Dr. Stanley Malamed, the world’s most renowned expert
on local anesthesia. This year’s event will include input from more
than 25 lecturers and thought leaders from all different specialties.
Highlighting the event will be the introduction of three clinical studies
conducted during the past year, including a clinical study measuring the
heart rate of a dentist administering anesthesia with a traditional syringe
vs. the STA System.
Incorporating continuing education is also part of our strategic plan
in 2009. We expect to have one CE piece out before May and a second CE
monograph with national distribution in the fourth quarter.
The objective is for the STA System to be one step closer to being recognized
as the standard of care in all dental offices. After all, when is the
last time your traditional syringe earned you a patient referral?
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For more information on Milestone Scientific, the STA System, or the upcoming
C-CLAD Symposium, contact Scott Mahnken at smahnken@milestonescientfic.comor
visit www.milestonescientific.com or www.stais4u.com.
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