From The Podium
PreXion 3D: More Information Means Better Diagnosis and Treatment
Are you keeping up? With the information highway growing every year, and because our patients are more informed about medical and dental treatments, more and better diagnostic and treatment tools are beneficial for both the patient and the dentist.
IMTEC MDI Implants: A Dramatic Difference for Denture Patients
We all strive to offer services that will make a difference for our patients. In my 33 years of practicing dentistry, I have seen many new innovations in treatment and quality of care. However, if I had to choose one procedure that has made the most dramatic difference, it would be mini dental implants (MDIs).
EXA’lence: The Best of Both Worlds in One Material
About a year ago, I got a “peek under the tent” at a new impression material not yet on the market. The dental impression material marketplace is highly competitive. To stay competitive, successful materials need to be “tweaked,” a process known as incremental change. Only occasionally is there something really new.
Shifting Toward Risk-Based Dentistry: Have a System
Dentistry has long been based on the assumption that the treatment of disease would achieve improved health. In the era of evidence-based dentistry, it is no longer acceptable to only treat the results of disease and not the causative factors. Significant research on the changing paradigm of caries has led to a new era of risk-based dentistry. A systematic approach helps professionals make it happen in their practices.
An Interview with P-I Brånemark
In October 2009, Dental Product Shopper attended the first ever P-I Brånemark Scientific Symposium in Gothenberg, Sweden, hosted by Nobel Biocare. Gathered together for 3 days in Gothenberg were leaders, educators, and innovators from multiple fields of science and medicine, including implant dentistry. Speakers and guests from over a dozen countries around the globe filled scientific sessions on a myriad of health care topics.
DIAGNOdent: The Right Technology Investment for Your Practice and Your Patients
During turbulent times, 3 words keep coming to mind: “Evidence defeats doubt.” How do you create a sense of urgency in your patients to make dental care a priority? I incorporated DIAGNOdent (KaVO) into my practice several years ago and could not believe the return on investment that this product provides. My hygienists use the technology with every patient, and they continue to find caries that previously we were unable to detect using conventional methods such as a radiograph or explorer. This device allows accurate diagnosis of 90% of every patient’s existent decay, as apposed to 45% detected using conventional methods only.
Lares PowerLase AT: Serve Your Patients and Your Practice
Technology and dentistry have been progressing together with the “idea” of making the dental experience “more pleasant” for the patient and less stressful for the dentist. Anybody who has experienced belt drive to electric high speed will concur.
As dentists we are driven to change for 2 reasons:
1. For our patients, we want to provide better service.
2. For ourselves, we want dentistry to be “easier,” “faster,” and “better.”
Cook-Waite Marcaine: Patient Comfort and Safety Come First
As a periodontist, my patients’ comfort and safety are of utmost importance. Periodontal and implant procedures can seem daunting to some patients, and I want to be able to assure them that I will make them as comfortable as possible as safely as possible. Choosing the right anesthesia is one of the keys to accomplishing that goal. For many years now, I’ve used Cook-Waite Marcaine for the majority of my complex periodontal and implant cases.
Clearfil Protect Bond: Reliable Bond with No Sensitivity
There is no more frustrating problem in dentistry than when we perform a beautiful direct or indirect tooth-colored, bonded restoration and 2 weeks later our patient calls complaining of postoperative sensitivity, especially when we know it was not even close to the pulp. As the demand for tooth-colored restorations continues to increase, the need for a dependable bonding system has never been greater.
Triodent V3 Ring: Creating Ideal Anatomical Contacts…Easily
Direct Class II restorations have been a standard of care nearly as long as we have been doing dentistry. The ability to obtain an ideal anatomical contact with older dental materials has not been a major concern because of our ability to condense the material into the cavity preparation. Newer innovations in dentistry have been focused on creating this ideal contact using today’s more amorphous materials, resulting in difficulty condensing it into a cavity preparation.
RealSeal 1 The Next Generation In Carrier Based Obturation
Carrier based endodontic obturation systems are a popular method for filling root canals. Traditionally, these systems consist of a plastic carrier coated with gutta percha that is heated to plasticize the filling material. Despite its popularity, carrier based obturation has limitations. The 2 most serious problems are stripping of the gutta percha from the carrier, especially when the canal is underprepared, and difficulty removing the carrier for retreatment.
The Case for Adjunctive Oral Cancer Screening Devices
When a survey indicated that only 14% of adults said they had ever had an oral cancer screening, I was not surprised. After all, whenever I grab a patient’s tongue with gauze for the first time, their reaction almost always makes it clear that they have never experienced this before. Clearly, dental practices need to more consistently perform conventional “white light” exams. However, to increase their odds of discovering cancerous and precancerous lesions, I believe they should also consider the use of adjunctive oral cancer detection devices.
Taking Your Practice to New Heights with Venus
I recently spoke with some colleagues about which manufacturer’s reps we make time to meet with during our busy (I’m barely keeping up with the hygienists) days. My response: “If I’m interested in their product or if they are going to help me build my practice, I’ll make time to listen.” Heraeus-Kulzer is doing both with some new materials and practice development tools.
The Power of a Toothbrush
Have you ever been in a conversation and when you mention you’re a dental provider you’re asked the infamous question, “What toothbrush should I use?” This age-old question is worthy of revisiting as manufacturers develop new and possibly more effective toothbrushes. When I’m asked, I respond based on what the current evidence demonstrates as the best way to remove plaque biofilm.
Practicing Smarter Not Harder with Digital Dental Technology
I believe dentistry should be the pursuit of clinical excellence and patient service. I also believe dentistry should be efficient, profitable, and fun if dentists are to realize their professional and personal goals. My philosophy is “practice smarter, not harder” to provide clinical excellence and excellence of service. These goals can be achieved through digital dental technology. You and your dental team will treat more patients in less time, receive more professional satisfaction, offer more service, have more fun, and earn more profit and time for your personal life. The pursuit of clinical excellence and efficiency starts with a practice management software that seamlessly coordinates your operatory and front office.
Waterlase MD: Speed, Accuracy, Comfort
Laser technology is beginning to profoundly impact the practice of esthetic and restorative dentistry. Having gained Food and Drug Administration approval for use on soft and hard tissues, the number of uses for laser technology increases daily. At a time when it is more important than ever to differentiate your practice, offering laser-assisted dentistry will create new business and help you build on your existing business by offering a wider variety of services.
Read more to find out why Dr. Robert Lowe chooses Waterlase MD (BIOLASE TECHNOLOGIES) TO:
- reduce patient discomfort
- help his practice stand out
iNTERRA Inoffice Nightguard: In-Office Convenience
Every week patients come into my practice with worn teeth or a fractured tooth, filling, or crown. As I seek a cause, they often mention that they’re a “clencher” or “grinder.” Personally, I find that patients who present like this without any other associated discomfort can be a challenge to manage. I always discuss the occlusal issues and possible treatment options, but often the patient just wants the tooth fixed (even if it is fractured because of occlusal stresses) and that’s all. My dilemma as the clinician is how to prevent the new restoration from failing when it will undergo the same occlusal stresses that caused the current crown to fail. Fortunately, there’s a convenient solution for the clinician and patient—DENTSPLY Caulk’s iNTERRA Inoffice Nightguard system.
Read more to find out why Dr. Michael Miyasaki thinks that iNTERRA (Dentsply Caulk)
• is convenient and affordable for your patients
• will save money for your practice.
Regimen-Based Plaque Control
Dental plaque prominently contributes to oral diseases. Inadequate oral hygiene, provisional restorations, orthodontic appliances, and other factors may exacerbate plaque accumulation. This, in turn, can readily compromise clinical outcomes, jeopardizing the appearance and function of esthetic-restorative dentistry. In my experience, plaque control is rarely addressed during esthetic-restorative lectures, and if so, typically follows one of two approaches: 1) reinforcing normal oral hygiene or 2) use of a chlorhexidine rinse during treatment. The former is often insufficient, as exemplified by only 20% of adults in one large study reporting at least once daily flossing. For the latter, chlorhexidine acceptability, side effects, and other factors can limit compliance and compromise long-term clinical outcomes.
Regimen-based oral hygiene can represent a simple and effective approach for plaque control, requiring little training to achieve high levels of adoption and long-term compliance. My perspective “from the podium” is that this simple 3-part combination represents a new, easy-to-use standard for plaque control during and after estheticrestorative care.
