Recently I was using a dental client’s computer and noticed that it was running really slow. On a hunch, I installed anti-spyware software.

Spyware, for those of you who don’t know, is computer software that is installed secretly on your computer to intercept or take partial control over your computer without your OK.

Commonly this is done when you or one of your dental staff download something from a web site. The download could be something as innocent as a solitaire game. The key point is that something was downloaded to your computer by you or one of your staff. 

What happens then is that hidden in that download can be computer code that, among other things, records every key stroke made by anyone using your computer. User names, passwords and email addresses can easily be gotten. What can be done with such information is obvious and very dangerous. It needs no further explanation.

What you might not know is that the information can also be used to send tens of thousands of pieces of SPAM though your computer.

If you don’t already have anti-spyware software installed do a Google search and get yourself a free 30 day trial of one. Personally I would password protect your computer to only allow internet access to the vital business related web sites your dental practice must use to do business.

So if your computer seems to be running slower that it should be, it may just be because your dental practice's front desk may have been taken over by a porn site! 

Kevin Tighe, Cambridge Dental Consultants, Senior Consultant, got bitten hard by the business and marketing bug during long summer days working at his dad's Madison Avenue ad agency. After joining Cambridge as a speaker in the mid-1990s, Kevin went on to become Cambridge’s senior consultant and eventually CEO. Cambridge Dental Consultants is a full-service dental practice management company offering customized dental office manuals. Frustrated? High overhead? Schedule a chat with Kevin at