Objectives: Practitioners should exercise prudence rather than impulsivity in adopting novel procedures and technology into a personal treatment repertoire. Introduction: Practitioner regret can haunt the memory long after the treatment modality itself has been "shelved" due to historically apparent underwhelming outcomes. Materials / method: The author will explore the "promised land" of some initially exciting treatment innovations that were ultimately discarded. Results: Treatment innovations that sustain durable adoption into a clinical practice repertoire are highly valued by practitioners. However, practitioners are not infrequently confronted by relatively failed technologies that can not only prove disappointing but may also incur an unanticipated financial and emotional deficit on both patients and practitioners. Conclusion: Prudent adoption of novel technologies into clinical practice demands diligent prior investigation to minimise risk of regret.