Ask a practice why they hesitate to cut the cable, and you’ll usually hear the same thing: “What happens if we lose the sensor?” It’s the question that keeps offices tethered to legacy wired sensors - even though the cable is the single most expensive, most failure-prone part of the whole system.
Here’s the honest answer. Misplaced or accidentally discarded sensors are uncommon. But “uncommon” has never been the same as “impossible,” and a worry doesn’t have to be statistically likely to be the reason a practice says no. So we did something about the worry itself.
Today FTG Imaging is launching DC-Air® WatchDog - a real-time sensor tracking and monitoring platform built specifically for the DC-Air® True Wireless® sensor. WatchDog gives practices continuous location visibility, instant alerts, and a live view of every sensor across every operatory. The fear of losing a wireless sensor was the last reason to stay wired. Now it’s gone.
Why a Single Lost Sensor Is Such an Expensive Problem
A misplaced sensor isn’t just an inconvenience - it’s a hole in the schedule and a hole in the budget. When a sensor goes missing, imaging in that operatory stops until it’s found or replaced. Replacement means a claim, a wait, and a gap in capacity that ripples through the day’s production.
The deeper issue is accountability. In a busy practice, a sensor can move between operatories, get wrapped in a barrier sleeve, and end up anywhere a barrier sleeve ends up - including a trash can. Without visibility into where each sensor has been, a practice is left reconstructing the day from memory. WatchDog replaces memory with data.
What DC-Air® WatchDogDoes
WatchDog uses the DC-Air® sensor’s own communication data to identify each sensor’s last-known location, workstation, and activity. If a sensor isn’t returned to its charging dock within a pre-set window, WatchDog alerts the team immediately - so the sensor gets found while it’s still findable, before it becomes a costly problem.
It runs quietly in the background of the practice you already operate. No new hardware to install in the mouth, no change to clinical workflow. Just a layer of awareness that was never possible with a wired sensor sitting at the end of a cable.
Always Tracking. Always Protected.
Instant Dock Alerts
If a sensor doesn’t make it back to its charging dock by a set time, WatchDog notifies the team right away. The moment of loss is also the moment you’re most likely to recover the sensor - WatchDog makes sure no one misses it.
Last-Known Location by Operatory and Workstation
Every sensor’s most recent location is tracked to the operatory and workstation level. Instead of “somewhere in the building,” the team starts the search exactly where the sensor was last active.
Bluetooth® Sensor-Finder
WatchDog includes a Bluetooth® finder to help physically locate a sensor that’s gone quiet - narrowing a building-wide search down to a single room and surface.
Live Status Dashboard
A single dashboard shows the real-time status and location of every sensor in the practice. Front desk, clinical lead, or owner - anyone with access can see at a glance what’s docked, what’s in use, and what needs attention.
Exposure Analysis and Acquisition Monitoring
Beyond location, WatchDogmonitors exposure and image acquisition, giving the practice a window into how each sensor is actually performing in daily use - an extension of the same commitment to Image Accuracy (IA) that defines DC-Air® itself.
Productivity and Utilization Reporting
WatchDog reports utilization by operatory, provider, and location, so practices can see which sensors are working hardest, where capacity is tight, and how imaging volume is distributed across the practice.
Multi-Location Support for Groups and DSOs
For group practices and DSOs, WatchDog rolls up sensor status, location, and utilization across every site - turning a fleet of sensors spread across a region into a single, accountable view.
Built Light: How WatchDog Runs
WatchDog runs locally on operatory computers, with secure cloud-based account access. Sensor log files are generated and read on the machines that are already part of the imaging workflow; customer accounts and authentication live in the cloud, accessed through a simple web portal.
Crucially, WatchDog does not store radiographs. Because it isn’t carrying the weight of imaging data, the cloud component stays lightweight, fast, and simple to deploy. Practices get real-time tracking without adding a heavy new system to manage.
Prevention Beats Reimbursement: WatchDog and the DC-Air® Protection Plan
The DC-Air® Protection Plan already covers practices against the cost of a lost or damaged sensor. WatchDog changes the equation upstream: it helps practices prevent a replacement claim from ever being filed, stopping loss at the source instead of reimbursing it after the fact.
As Rob Sachs of FTG Imaging puts it: “The best insurance claim is the one you never have to file. WatchDog gives practices something no warranty can: the ability to stop a loss before it happens.”
Simple Pricing
WatchDog is available now, directly from FTG Imaging and through our authorized dealer network, in two ways:
Standalone WatchDog: $49 per month, per practice, with unlimited sensors.
Protection Plan add-on: Add WatchDog to any DC-Air Protection Plan for $10 per month per protected sensor, capped at four sensors.
Practices with one to four protected sensors pay less through the Protection Plan add-on than they would with the standalone option. Once a practice reaches four protected sensors, the WatchDog fee is capped, so adding additional protected sensors does not increase the WatchDog cost.
In simple terms: WatchDog is $49 per month per practice, or $10 per protected sensor when added to a DC-Air Protection Plan, capped at four sensors.
How WatchDog Completes the DC-Air® Ecosystem
DC-Air® eliminated the cable - the #1 failure point in legacy wired sensors - and captures photons directly for superior Image Accuracy (IA), the objective, MTF-verified measure of how faithfully an image reflects what’s actually there. That direct-conversion accuracy is why DC-Air® earned the CR Foundation “Best Image Quality” award (2026), the Dental Advisor Top Award (2025), and the DPS Best Product award (2025).
WatchDog adds the final layer: protection. Sharper images from direct-conversion IA. A protected investment, with loss prevented at the source. And total peace of mind for a practice that no longer has to choose between going wireless and worrying about it. That’s the complete ecosystem - and it’s why the cable has nothing left to offer.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you track a wireless dental sensor?
Yes. DC-Air® WatchDog tracks each DC-Air® True Wireless® sensor in real time using the sensor’s communication data, showing its last-known location by operatory and workstation, plus a live status dashboard and a Bluetooth® finder to physically locate it.
What happens if you lose a DC-Air® sensor?
WatchDog™ alerts the team the moment a sensor isn’t returned to its charging dock, then shows where it was last active so it can be recovered quickly. For practices on the DC-Air® Protection Plan, a covered replacement is also available - but WatchDog is designed to prevent the loss in the first place.
How much does DC-Air® WatchDog cost?
WatchDog is $49 per month per practice as a standalone with unlimited sensors, or $10 per month per protected sensor as an add-on to the DC-Air® Protection Plan, with the add-on capped at four sensors.
Does WatchDog store my patient X-rays?
No. WatchDog™ does not store radiographs. It reads sensor log data locally and keeps only account and tracking information in the cloud, which keeps the platform lightweight, fast, and simple to deploy.
Does WatchDog work for multi-location groups and DSOs?
Yes. WatchDog includes multi-location support, rolling up sensor status, location, and utilization reporting across every site into a single view for group practices and DSOs.
Do I need new hardware to use WatchDog?
No new in-mouth hardware. WatchDog runs on the operatory computers already part of your imaging workflow, with secure account access through a cloud-based portal.
How is WatchDog different from a sensor warranty?
A warranty reimburses you after a sensor is lost or damaged. WatchDog™ works before that point - tracking location, alerting on missed docking, and helping the team recover a sensor before a claim is ever needed.
See WatchDog in Action
Always tracking. Always protected. To see how DC-Air® WatchDog keeps every True Wireless® sensor accounted for - and how it pairs with the direct-conversion Image Accuracy of DC-Air® - visit ftgimaging.com or call 855-664-1953.