As is my tradition, I won't be putting up a tech post today.
When you travel and need your laptop, the biggest disaster that can happen is your laptop bag is stolen. Of course, THAT is where your backup is right? Admit it!
I've been lecturing on lasers for about 10 years now. I love teaching the science and the nuances beneath the sales pitches and sales literature. Lasers are amazing devices and they are changing the practices of doctors who use them and patients who receive the treatment.
Being the diehard I am, I'm starting out the Memorial Day Weekend with a course on the Deka Smart US20D CO2 Laser. Later this morning I'll be at the office of my good buddy Dr. Terry Myers in Belton, MO for a lecture and hands-on time with the device.
Since mid-February I've been using and tinkering with Acteon's SoproLIFE caries detection system. The device received FDA approval in January 2010, so I was fortunate enough to be one of the first to use it.
For the next few weeks, I'll be using and evaluating the DentLight Nano LED light. It is a high powered LED that can be mounted to your operating telescopes or to a headband.
For regular readers, you know how passionate I am about LED's in general. It is a light emitting diode world and they are only getting better and more plentiful. The time will come in the not too distant future when the incandescent bulb goes the way of the 8-Track tape.
The Nano is incredibly light and incredibly bright. That's a combination that makes it intriguing to say the least. It also comes with 2 battery packs that are slim and light, but can power the light for an entire day.
While not as bright as my Orascoptic Zeon Discovery, I'm looking forward to putting it through it's paces and see how it works for me. The stats for the device are listed below.
The GPS (Global Positioning System) has become a little like air or sunshine these last few years... so common and ubiquitous that you don't even think about it. The other day, I got in the Tahoe and it took about 1 minute before the system could lock onto the satellites and I remember thinking, "This is taking forever. What is going on?"
Here's a photo of the open source Pandora handheld. Supposedly you'll be able to purchase one of these soon. My question is... Why?
I mean I love Pandora. I listen at the office, at home, and other places. That should be an indication. Pandora is pretty much everywhere already isn't it? I have a Pandora app on my iPod touch. There's even a Pandora app for my Palm Pre for crying out loud.
The point is, when you can already get Pandora on almost any mobile platform available, do you really need a Pandora specific device? While I applaud the innovation (I'm a gadget guy after all), this just looks to me like a solution looking desperately for a problem.
I'd love to have one to tinker with, but I won't be in line to purchase.
Although I can't confirm anything, because after all it's Apple and who can really ever confirm an Apple rumor? Website Apple.pro is showing a white iPhone that is supposedly the next version of iPhone (4.0) that is due to be announced in a couple of weeks.
Is it real? Hard to say, but it sure looks real. Of course with photoshop, anything can.
I've been fortunate to know the people at Curve Dental. Some before Curve was ever dreamed of and some after the company was founded. What I've discovered is a group of really good people who are singly committed to the cause of bringing a web based dental software to the market. Being a small company, Curve Dental dental works a little differently than a large company. That major thing that means in a difference in culture. Here's the latest press release to give you a better idea of what I mean:
New blog documents the whiz kid entrepreneur’s journey to revolutionize dental software
OREM, UT—Curve Dental, developers of Web-based dental software announced the launch of Why I Bleed Orange, the personal blog of Matt Dorey, the company’s Founder and Managing Director. The blog’s address is www.mattdorey.com.
“The purpose of my blog is to provide transparency in our goal to revolutionize dental software,” said Dorey. “Through my posts I hope doctors will be able to see deep down inside and understand what I’m doing. As a person, I avoid corporate speak and instead try to deliver the real deal. My journey is an entrepreneurial journey; dentists are small business owners and they may be surprised by how easily they’ll relate to my experiences.”
Dorey’s blog is a personal journal chronicling his travels, meetings, observations, and discussions with dental professionals from all over. “I travel all across North America and spend a lot of time in dental practices visiting with doctors and staff,” said Dorey. “I’ve been honored to eat dinner with the family, spend a night in the guest bedroom and experience the dentists’ needs, stuff you won’t get by sending a customer survey every year.” The title of the blog, Why I Bleed Orange, references Curve Dental’s choice in corporate colors.
Curve Dental plans to launch a company blog that will involve all of the company’s employees, include guest writers from key opinion leaders within the dental profession and provide company announcements and news. Every employee will be given the opportunity to contribute to the blog. The company is also working on a Facebook page. The company blog and Facebook page will be launched in June 2010. The company has a Twitter account and frequently posts messages on Dental Town.
About Curve Dental, Inc.
Founded in 2005, Curve Dental provides web-based dental software and related services to dental practices within the United States and Canada. With Web-based software, the dental practice can improve efficiencies, increase productivity and realize work and lifestyle goals due to the software’s flexibility. The company is privately-held, headquartered in Orem, Utah with offices in Calgary, Canada and Dunedin, New Zealand. Dentists can call 888-910-4376 or visit www.curvedental.com for more information.
Genius is the kind of company that makes great niche products. The kind of things we all could use, but we don't always realize it. Then we see the product and say "where has that been all my life?" This latest announcement from the company comes just as summer is about to start. Now that we're all carrying digital music, it's great to have a way to share it with others at barbecues and the pool.
MIAMI (May 19, 2010)– Genius (www.geniusnetusa.com), a brand division of KYE Systems Corp., today announced new additions to the company’s extensive line of speaker systems, the SP-i150 and SP-i160 Portable Speakers with eight hours of built-in battery life and a 1.25 inch metal driver for greater sound than the average laptop.
The Genius SP-i150 portable speaker has a flying saucer design that’s fashionable and easy to carry. The SP-i160 model has an adjustable design to expand the sound field. Both models include up to eight hours of battery life and are easily charged by any PC or Notebook’s USB port. No power adapter is needed to enjoy music at home or on the go, making these small but powerful speakers perfect for upcoming summer outdoor activities!
The SP-i150 and SP-i160 Portable Speakers may be used with a notebook, Netbook, iPod, MP3/MP4 player, and CD player with a 3.5mm audio plug. The SP-i160 model includes a mini jack converter that can be used with audio devices with a 2.5mm socket as well. Features for the SP-i150 and SP-i160 Portable Speakers also include a LED power/charging indicator, a quick-charge USB cable and a travel pouch. Both models are available in black or white and attractively priced at MSRP USD $24.90 (SP-i150) and $29.90 (SP-i160).
The speakers begin shipping in May. Interested shoppers can go to New Egg.com, Amazon.com, Tiger Direct, Buy.com, geniuseshop.com or for more information on the entire line of Genius speaker systems and other retailers and distributors please visit: http://www.geniusnetusa.com/.
I can remember back in the day when having access to a couple of weeks of your schedule on your then state of the art Palm Pilot was a huge deal. Now with the continual growth in mobile access on multiple devices, it's no longer just a static screen you can look at... you can access tons of your data while on the go. Dentrix made a big splash at the CDA this last weekend with the official release of Dentrix Mobile. This product is designed to keep doctors and staff in contact with the practice from anywhere and with almost any mobile device, including the iPad.
I got a demo on Sunday and came away impressed. Here are the all the details:
With new Dentrix tool, doctors can see appointment schedules
and patient details when out of the office
MELVILLE, N.Y., May 14, 2010 – Henry Schein, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSIC), the largest provider of health care products and services to office-based practitioners, announced today the launch of Dentrix Mobile, a remote access tool that allows dentists to view their appointment schedules and patient information from their smartphones and mobile devices. Launched at CDA Spring in Anaheim, Dentrix Mobile is a new feature of the Dentrix G4 practice management system that provides dentists who are away from their practice secure access to the schedules of all their practice providers and patients, as well as important patient details such as prescriptions and medical alerts.
Dentrix Mobile runs on the latest smartphones and mobile devices, including BlackBerry®, iPhone™, iPad™, Palm Pre™ and Android™.
“Dentrix Mobile offers dentists a secure way to view schedule and patient information needed to manage their practice while out of the office,” said Kevin Bunker, Vice President and General Manager of Henry Schein Practice Solutions. “When a patient calls a dentist at home or anywhere else outside of the practice to schedule emergency treatment, the doctor can quickly check the open schedules for all providers in real time from their smartphone or Apple iPad.”
Dentrix Mobile can also be used to verify patient information when dentists receive emergency, after-hours calls for prescriptions. “Dentrix Mobile eliminates a common frustration for dentists who cannot immediately recognize if the individual calling to request a prescription is a current patient or not,” Bunker said. “With Dentrix Mobile, dentists can enter the caller’s name and verify the patient contact information and prescriptions within seconds.”
Dentrix Mobile’s security protection involves password-protected access to the information stored on secure Dentrix Web servers managed by Henry Schein Practice Solutions. Dentists use their smartphone or mobile device to access the server in the same way they use a Web browser to conduct their online banking or purchasing.
“Since no patient information is stored on the mobile device itself, dentists do not have to worry about anyone accessing confidential information if their device is lost.” Bunker said. “Any data viewed with Dentrix Mobile is erased the second the mobile Web browser is closed.”
Dentrix Mobile is available to Dentrix G4 users on a current Dentrix Customer Service Plan at no additional cost. To learn more about Dentrix Mobile call 1-800-DENTRIX or visit www.Dentrix.com/mobile.
For the past month or so, I've been using and tinkering with the ioSafe USB Hard Drive. This device is like having an M1A1 Abrams Tank under your desk. You've never felt an external hard drive like this before. It feels sturdy... like it's an industrial product. Of course that's because this thing is made to survive almost anything mother nature can throw at it. It is waterproof to 10 feet for 3 days in fresh or salt water. It's also fireproof to 1550 degrees F for 30 minutes.
The device is heavy, due to all its protective gear, and even comes with a connector for a cable lock. It also has pre-drilled holes on the base that allow you to bolt it down if you'd like to make sure it doesn't move during a disaster.
The company has put these devices through severe testing to make sure the devices do what they claim. Try searching ioSafe at Youtube and see what people have done to these. Here is a small sample...
Setup is a breeze. If you can plug in an AC cord and a USB cable, you're done!
This is one of the smartest devices I've had a chance to review. I'm still continuing my usual meticulous backup routine and a portable hard drive still leaves the office with me and the day's data is on it. However, it is a huge addition to know the ioSafe is sitting in the office doing scheduled backups even when I'm not there. On Thursday when I left for the CDA, there were still patients being seen, radiographs and photos being taken, 3D scans being done. All of those were backed up in my absence and would have been there had any disaster happened.
Kudos to the gang at ioSafe for this amazing product. As I type this, my feet are resting against the large shipping box marked "ioSafe" that arrived today. I'm installing one in my home this evening to keep all my photos and music secure from disaster. If you want to make sure you still have your stuff... buy an ioSafe. This device is highly recommended.
I've wanted a wireless data connection for as long as I've had a wireless device. In fact, I've used and continue to use data more than voice... for years.
As an adjunct to yesterday's afternoon post, The GXS-700 sensors from Gendex are now officially available. I've been lucky enough to be using the sensors on a daily basis for a couple of weeks now (ah the benefits of being the Gendex poster-boy!) I can tell you from personal experience that there is no better image on the market! The straight USB connection with no box is great and makes things streamlined.
For the past couple of weeks I've had the unique honor of being the only dental office on the planet to be using the new GXS-700 sensors. They have an amazing quality that truly has to be seen to be believed. Here is the info from the Gendex press release:
For the next three days, I'll be at the California Dental Association meeting in Anaheim. This is a great meeting with fantastic weather, great exhibitors, and Disneyland right next door. In my free time I'll be taking a peak at the exhibits to see the latest and greatest dentistry has to offer.
Of course, you can count on reading about it here. I've got plenty of ways to send out photos, Tweets, and blog posts. So if you can't make it to the meeting, you can experience part of it here.
And if you ARE at the meeting, stop by the Gendex booth #2118 and say hello. I'll be there all weekend and would love to see old friends and make new ones.
SHELTON, CT — 05/10/10 — Dentalcompare, an online dental buyer’s guide found at www.dentalcompare.com, has completed its first BPA Worldwide interactive audit.
Glenn J. Hansen, BPA Worldwide CEO and President, praised Dentalcompare for voluntarily opening its records to independent verification and documentation of its data. Hansen pointed out that the Web site audit benefits both advertisers and sites. A BPA Interactive audit provides advertisers with assurance that the sites they choose to invest in deliver the traffic they claim including metrics on page impressions, user sessions, unique browsers and frequencies, and page and user session durations.
“Dentalcompare’s ability to utilize the Web as a communications and advertising medium is evident,” he said. “By demonstrating their belief in the value of audited traffic, they have given a vote of confidence to the future of interactive advertising.”
“Dentalcompare has always been highly transparent thanks to our own internal traffic audit and tracking systems,” said Eric McGovern, General Manager of Dentalcompare. “This 3rd party audit by BPA Worldwide further substantiates the metrics we have used to evaluate and determine our success in the dental marketplace.”
Dentalcompare’s audited traffic data will be available through the BPA Interactive tool or the publisher by emailing info@dentalcompare.com.
BPA Worldwide:
Founded in 1906, American Business Media is the association of business information providers, delivering business intelligence to industry professionals worldwide, including Madison Avenue, Wall Street and the Beltway. Its 300 plus member companies reach an audience of more than 100 million professionals and represent nearly 6,000 print and online titles and over 1,000 trade shows, with well over $26 billion in annual revenues.
For more information, please contact:
Glenn Schutz
203.447.2873
gschutz@bpaww.com
Sometimes you see something and it just grabs you... and for me, this is one of those products. When I was a boy, my favorite super hero was Iron Man. I read the comics and dreamed of one day being Tony Stark. Of course like doesn't always turn out the way you want it to, so instead of being a gazillionaire industrial genius, I work in spit for a living.
But... I can still dream and this little gadget can help me. The picture is the Iron Man jump drive. You remove the little guy's head and there is a USB connector under the helmet. You just plug it into your USB port and you're ready to backup and/or transport data.
Even better is that this little gizmo can pack some serious storage. It's available in sizes up to 16GB for $59.99 That's a ton of storage that will fit in your pocket!
If you're interested check out Tyme Machines where you can also order similar drives featuring some of your favorite Star Wars characters. By the way, in a battle who would win... Darth Vader or Iron Man... discuss.
I research and test composites and curing devices on a regular basis. I can tell you from personal experience that there is much more to placing these restorations than you could ever imagine. To that end, Dr. Corky Willhite and Cosmedent are putting on a composite continuum. Three weekends of education that will give you more information on composites than you knew existed!
The iPad was supposed to be the death knell of the netbook computer. In case you don't know, a netbook is a stripped down laptop, usually small in size, with good battery life and is used mainly for connecting to the Internet. They've been popular for about 2 years now with road warriors, but have never really caught on with mainstream users.
Google will be rolling out an update on Wednesday and to commemorate it they are also changing the logo a bit by doing away with the shadowing. I must confess that I've always like the shadowing and think the new one looks stark and dull, but it's not my decision now, is it?
As regular readers know, I'm a huge fan of LED's. The death knell of incandescent bulbs has sounded and at some time in the not too distant future, they will join the ranks of 8-tracks and VHS as technologies that were state of the art, but passed by with better options.
Proper lighting is only as good as its positioning. The optimal position of EverLight for a supine patient is directly above the patient’s mouth for mandibular and maxillary. Whenever possible, the light should be in the patient’s mid-saggital plane directly above or slightly behind the patient’s oral cavity. A good guide for proper lighting is to keep the light and eye lines within 15º degrees of each other. For lower anterior lingual the best access is slightly behind.(1) Improper lighting contributes to 25% of fatigue. Proper lighting, on the other hand, can increase production by as much as 20%. Correctly positioned operatory lighting minimizes shadows and maximizes effectiveness.
With all the talk about the iPad lately, I thought I'd provide this bit of info. While the iPad seems to be a great device and is first to market, there is a wave of products coming that will compete with the iPad. Are they better? Only time will tell, but it's definitely going to be an interesting year as the "tablet wars" heat up.
You know, you can show all you want with numbers, but sometimes nothing gets the point across better than your eyes. In order to show how fast Google Chrome loads pages, they've pitted their browser... and a screaming Internet connection... against a variety of speedy competitors.
Take a look and I'm sure you'll be impressed with what you see. My favorite part? The Tesla coil, of course. Don't know what a Tesla coil is? Google it! :-)
Here is one of the coolest/most amazing videos I've ever seen:
The world of dental implants is on a treadmill of continuous innovation. What was once a very unpredictable procedure 20 years ago has become the first choice of dentistry today. Missing teeth are routinely restored with implants every day and they just keep getting better. An example of that is the new Superline Implant System from Dentium. Here is all the information:
Cypress, CA (May 4, 2010) – Dentium USA, a premier manufacturer of dental products developed by clinicians for clinicians, recently introduced its latest development for producing excellent dental implant outcomes, the SuperLine™ dental implant system.
The SuperLine™ dental implant system adds more diversity to Dentium’s original ‘Implantium®’ dental implant system which has over 10 years clinical experience. SuperLine is expected to bring excellent initial stabilization and osseointegration especially in soft bone cases and in sinus graft with implant placement cases. The advanced design of all SuperLine implant products provides many advantages over other dental implant products currently available on the market.
The tapered body design of each SuperLine dental implant provides great initial stability and excellent bone expansion response for reliable and easy installation. The tapered design creates an extremely stable, yet comfortably placed implant that provides excellent integration with surrounding bone anatomy.
Each SuperLine dental implant encompasses Dentium USA’s S.L.A. (Sandblasting with Large grit and Acid etching) surface treatment that facilitates the osseointegration process with a high predictability of success and provides more complete bone-to-implant contact throughout each and every thread of the implant, producing a well-attached base for successful osseointegration.
All implant diameters of the SuperLine share the same internal hex, like ‘Implantium’. The biological connection contained within the implant creates an even distribution load to the fixture, helping to minimize micro-movement and marginal bone loss. Furthermore, the conical hex connection between the implant and abutment interface ensures greater hermetic sealing and provides an improved tactile sense, helping to confirm a more stabilized abutment seating.
The double-threaded design of SuperLine dental implants reduces implant insertion time, therefore decreasing total chair time during the implantation process. The greater distance between the threads of the implants also helps promote early osseointegration, while the increased thread height helps augment initial stability.
Because all SuperLine components are equipped with a true single platform, only one abutment connection is used for all implants, reducing the need for multiple prosthetic components and simplifying the entire surgical and prosthetic procedure.
The all-inclusive SuperLine implant system offers a wide variety of implant diameter and length options for each individual case. For more information, please call 1-877-304-6752, e-mail info@dentiumusa.com or log onto www.dentiumusa.com.
About Dentium USA
Located in Cypress, California, Dentium USA is the worldwide manufacturer and distributor of Implantium® and SuperLine™ dental implant systems. The company also provides a full line of prosthetic equipment, lab components, and surgical instruments. Because all Dentium products are created by working dental clinicians, they are easy to learn and use, cost-effective, and are of the highest quality. For over a decade, Dentium USA has been establishing itself as a global leader in the dental industry through vigorous research and development, state-of-the-art products, unrivaled customer service, and creative innovation.
Although I would have preferred to have told you about this product this winter, still it's an interesting product that holds promise for both health care and just plain keeping your hands warm. Digits allow you to use touchscreen devices without having to remove your gloves.
Here’s how it works:
- Pin the Digit to one (or several) of your glove’s tips.
- The Digit pierces the glove, making direct contact with your finger.
- This connection carries a small amount of electricity through the metal backing to the Digit’s face, which is made of conductive fabric.
- The conductive fabric triggers the mechanism on the touch screen.
Of course this isn't going to work in a health care environment where the gloves cannot have holes in them. Still, I can see in the future some type of conduction to pass through the latex or nitrile.
If you are interested in digits, you can preorder them on the company website for $11.99
Thanks to Crunchgear for the photos, this is what the gulf oil slick looks like. Scary? You bet, especially if you notice how close it is to the gulf coast. Here's hoping the federal government decides to do something quickly.
From the Institute of Medical Emergency Preparedness:
Cardiac Science Automated External Defibrillators - Powerheart, Cardiovive, NK, Responder models: Class I Recall
This update alerts users that Nihon Kohden (NK) and GE Responder models are also affected although they were not identified in earlier communications about this recall. In addition, Cardiac Science issued a software upgrade for the devices’ self tests on 02/24/10 for the Powerheart automatic external defibrillators (Models 9390A and 9390E) and is planning on issuing a similar software upgrade for other affected devices. However, FDA’s review of the updated software indicates that it detects some but not all electrical component defects.
Normally, users of these devices should always check the status indicator on the front of the external defibrillator and/or audible indicators to see whether the device is rescue-ready (green light is displayed). However, the presence of a green light on the affected devices may not reveal defective or non-working components inside the external defibrillators and give a false sense that they are in proper working order.
[Posted 03/08/2010] Cardiac Science Corporation and FDA notified healthcare professionals and consumers of a Class 1 recall of automated external defibrillators (AED). These devices may not deliver therapy during a resuscitation attempt. Defects in certain electronic components may not be detected by the device’s Daily/Weekly/Monthly self-tests. These defects can cause improper functioning of the device during a rescue attempt, which may prevent resuscitation. This can lead to serious adverse health events and/or death. List of affected models includes:
Powerheart 9300A, 9300C, 9300D, 9300E, 9300P, 9390A, 9390E
CardioVive 92531, 92532, 92533
NK 9200G, 9231
Responder 2019198 and 2023440.
The affected AEDs were manufactured and distributed between August 2003 and August 2009.
[03/08/2010 - Recall Notice - FDA]
