Don't Miss the Dr. Nate Lawson Webinar Tonight!

 

I mentioned this not too long ago, but I want to re-emphasize this course because I think it's that important.  Tonight at 7:00pm Eastern Time, there is a great webinar being given by Dr. Nate Lawson.

Every doctor works in the anterior region and the profession has all kinds of choices in techniques and materials to provide the best aesthetic results possible.

Dr. Lawson is not only a materials genius, since he runs the UAB Division of Biomaterials, but he also practices clinically so he understands the struggles of being 'in the trenches' with the rest of us.  He's got a great way of explaining things that will quite simply, make your anterior composites better.

The webinar is FREE and you can also get one CE credit for attending.

Follow this link to register.

Here's the course info:  

Materials and Techniques for Anterior Composites

Tue, Oct 22, 2024 7:00 PM EDT

This lecture will cover different types of composites for anterior restorations. We will discuss advantages and limitations of single shade composite. We will also cover injection molding and have a conversation about adapting and polishing anterior composites.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn advantages and limitations of single shade composite.
• Learn about materials for injection molding.
• Learn materials and techniques to adapt and polish composite.

Course Details:

• AGD Subject Code: 250
• CE Credit: Catapult Education, LLC designates this activity for 1 continuing education credit.
• Audience: Dentistry Professionals
• Cost: Free
• Method: Live Webinar Lecture

Sponsored By:  SDI

Meet the Instructor:

Nathaniel Lawson, DMD, PhD, is the Director of the Division of Biomaterials at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry and the program director of the Biomaterials residency program. He graduated from UAB School of Dentistry in 2011 and obtained his PhD in Biomedical Engineering in 2012. His research interests are the mechanical, optical, and biologic properties of dental materials and clinical evaluation of new dental materials. He has published over 200 peer reviewed articles, book chapters, and research abstracts. He was the 2016 recipient of the Stanford New Investigator Award and the 2017 Innovative Research Fellowship both from the American Dental Association. He served on the American Dental Association Council of Scientific Affairs and is on the editorial board of The Journal of Adhesive Dentistry and Compendium. He has lectured nationally and internationally on the subject of dental materials. He also works as a general dentist in the UAB Faculty Practice.

Samba from Curaprox - Brushing Without Moving Your Hand...

 

Meet Samba, the new toothbrush from Curaprox.  It's an interesting concept.  

It uses a combination of high and low frequency movements, a flexible brush head and a thin 12,900 bristles structure.  This design allows Samba to clean all 36 surfaces of the teeth.  The really interesting thing about it is that all of this happens without having to move your hand.  

Basically,  the user puts their teeth into the 'U' shaped brush head and turns on the unit.  The bristles move independently so all the user needs to do is get it in place and hit the button.  It allows the user to clean an entire arch in only 30 seconds.  Once it shuts off, the user flips it over and then brushes the other arch.

For years, dentists have advised patients to brush for 2 minutes.  Of course with the traditional toothbrush design this requires the user to put the brush where it needs to go.  That means cheek side, top, and tongues side.  Since Samba cleans all of those sides at the same time, less time is needed.

Samba could also be a good solution for patients with impaired dexterity.  Many older folks lose grip strength and manual dexterity as they age.  With a large handle and no need to move, those people may find this to be a much better solution.

The company is sending me a unit for a personal trial and after I've used it a bit, I'll post again about my experience.

Here's what the company has to say about it:

Samba is the first toothbrush created explicitly to allow people with disabilities to brush their teeth effectively and independently. Developed over eight years by an Israeli startup and introduced by the Swiss premium oral care brand Curaprox, Samba automates the brushing process and opens the door to a healthier future for millions of people in the U.S. and worldwide.

 People with physical and mental disabilities currently have two options when it comes to brushing thir teeth - rely on a family member or a caregiver, or brush on their own and compromise their health with subpar cleaning; leaving 88% of them suffering from dental problems. That’s where Samba comes in. 

By eliminating the need to move your hand, Samba grants everyone daily independence to eliminate the health risks associated with inadequate brushing. It is the first toothbrush to combine both low- and high-frequency oscillations in its brushing movement, driving 12,900 soft bristles along the teeth for a superior, effortless clean.

 MSRP: $299​

Learn more at enjoy.curaprox.com/us/product/samba.

New Findings about Philips Sonicare Power Flossers

 

Everyone involved in the dental profession knows one of the key components of periodontal health is proper cleaning between the teeth.  Keeping the interproximal areas clean and healthy is important.  Especially because of all the discoveries of oral-systemic links to disease.

The easiest way to clean interproximal areas is flossing, but it can be challenging for patients.  Probably one of the most difficult things in dentistry is motivating people to floss.  Isn't there a better, easier way?  The good news is that, yes, there is a better and easier way.  Oral irrigators that clean between the teeth are becoming more and more popular.

While a device that does this is, obviously, more expensive than traditional 'kite string' floss,  most patients are much more likely to use an irrigator than try to floss.  In our office, we recommend irrigators routinely and patient acceptance is pretty high.  We do *not* sell the devices in the office.  Patients purchase them based on our professional recommendation, which I think is a pretty good indication of their acceptance of the idea.  Most patients don't like to floss, but using something like the Philips Sonicare Power Flossers is easier and appeals to them.

These devices have been proven to clean just as well, if not better than floss.  If you need even more info on what they can do,  a special issue of Compendium has several articles dealing with the Philips Sonicare Power Flossers.   There are several studies that definitely deserve to be read on the subject.

Motivating patients is only half the goal.  Patients need a solution that they will actually use.  I highly recommend reading them.

Owandy Radiology Relocates its U.S. Headquarters to Larger, Modern Facility in Garden City, NY

 

Owandy makes some pretty incredible radiology equipment.  Here's an announcement about the new company headquarters...

 – Owandy Radiology Inc., a global leader in the manufacture of dental radiology hardware and imaging software, recently moved its US headquarters to a newly-renovated office building on 585 Stewart Street, Suite L30, Garden City, New York. This move is the company’s third expansion and relocation on Long Island since establishing its U.S. headquarters there almost 20 years ago.

The new 1,800 sq. foot ultra-modern facility is a combination of office, showroom, and training center. According to Boris Loyez Owandy’s VP of Sales and Marketing for North America. “Our Paris-based company has a strong presence in 100 countries world-wide, but this new location will help us to better serve our largest market, North America for years to come.”

The recent move enables Owandy to hire the additional employees such as field sales representatives, administrative personnel and technicians required to respond quickly and efficiently to the growing demands of its North American customers. The custom-configured facility will also be able to host hands-on technical training for distributors and customers.

“We invite any GP dentist or specialist in the New-York tri-state area to schedule a visit to our new headquarters,” added Loyez. “Here you can see first-hand our game-changing, wall-mounted, high-resolution  I-Max 3D CBCT unit which is compact and affordable. Also available for on-site demonstrations are our full line of  innovative digital radiology hardware including I-Max 2D pan ceph units,  digital scanners, intraoral cameras, digital sensors, and our breakthrough AI powered software for dental implant placement.”

In conjunction with the grand opening of its new facility, Owandy’s, year-end special pricing is now in effect. Download the promotional flyer from https://www.owandy.com/offers.  To schedule a product demonstration in Owandy’s new Garden City, NY showroom, call 516-858-5695 or send an email to sales@OwandyUS.com. 

About Owandy Radiology, Inc.: 

Headquartered in France, and serving North America from Garden City, New York, Owandy Radiology is a global leader in the manufacture of dental radiology hardware and imaging software. Its products are distributed through dental dealers across the USA, and in more than 100 countries world-wide, on every continent. For more information, visit www.Owandy.com.

3D Printing Utilizing Different Systems for Great Results

 

As you probably know, I've spent a lot of my testing time this year, working with 3D printing.  If you'd like to know more about the entire world of 3D printing in dentistry, you can read my cover story from the September issue of Dental Products Report by following this link.  That article has a lot more info on the entire subject than I normally cover in a blog post here.

Today's subject is just to expand things a bit for people that are looking to get into this, but are a little confused about it.  As I've said before, the tech has been around since before Covid in 2020.  Some offices even decided to purchase one... but they are critically underused by most of those offices.  The main impediment?  Design.  Printing and finishing a project is actually pretty fast and easy.  It's getting that project to a form that is something you need... well that's another story.  Or at least it used to be.  Todays' post is about how easy it can be.

One of the systems I've been working with is the DentalMile system from DMG.  The company sells a complete turnkey system.  They sell everything you need, including the resins, and every piece, including the resins, are validated to all work together.  That's a huge plus.

One of the other parts of the 3D printing space I've been evaluating is resins.  Not all resins work and cure properly in all 3D printers.  If you currently have a printer and want to try a new resin, be sure and check with the printer manufacturer.  The will have a readily available list of resins they have verified to work with their system.  

I've also been working with VOCO on testing some of their 3D resins.  They do not currently sell a printer, but they have validated that their resins work with the Asiga line.  Asiga is a company based out of Australia that are becoming bigger players in the market here in the US.  The Asiga UV Max is verified with VOCO resins and because I have one, I figured this was a great case for that.

I recently had a case where a patient had a hard acrylic splint they had been wearing for several years and it finally needed replacing.  I didn't do the original one, but the patient understands the value of wearing one and asked me if I could make a new one.  One of the resins I've been testing is VOCO's V-Print Splint and I wanted to use it on this case.

Of course the critical part of any occlusal guard or splint is the design.  As a doctor, you want precision when creating a hard splint.

That's where having access to a good design system enters the equation.  DMG has a Cloud based system called DentaMile Connect.  It's part of the DMG system and users pay a monthly or yearly fee for access.

There are lots of design systems out there, but I've been really impressed with DentaMile Connect.  The system uses a lot of AI in the design process, which makes creating things incredibly easy.  I downloaded the patient's scan to my computer.  We use iTero scanners in the office and it's easy to log into the iTero Cloud based storage and download the stl files.  I selected 'models mounted in occlusion' and then downloaded.

In DentaMile Connect, I uploaded the upper and lower scans and selected occlusal splint.  The system took the scan data (from both stl files) and then virtually mounted them on a virtual articulator.  This greatly simplifies the design process.  

Advancing through the process, the system created the guard and showed it to me on the models in occlusion.

In the above image you'll notice the red and green dots in the UR & UL corners.  Those represent the condyles.  You then can adjust the margins of the device.  The next two images will show what I mean.

This is the guard from a straight on view.  The red and green areas are indicating undercuts and their severity so that you can good a path for placement.  The blue line is the margin of the project.  If any changes need to be made, it's as simple as left clicking an area and dragging it to the correct spot.   The system will then adjust it automatically and show you the new margin line.  These virtual models are in 3D and can be rotated to any view.

This image shows the margin from the lingual aspect.  Once again, if an edit is necessary, it's a simple click and drag.

When the correct margin is done, you are then given a view of the occlusion which the virtual articulator has worked out and proposed.  All of this is completely editable if you want to change anything.  

Once the design is completed and finalized, the file can be downloaded and printed.  In this particular case I was not using the DMG printer.  I chose the Asiga UV Max because I wanted to use the VOCO V-Splint Print resin and I knew the VOCO resin was validated with that system.  I bring this up because this is a great reason for 'Open Architecture' systems.  I created in DentaMile Connect and downloaded the completed project as an stl file.

I then opened the stl file with Asiga Composer which is Asiga's 'nesting software'.  A nesting software is a program that translates the stl file into a language that the printer can understand.  From Asiga Composer, I sent the completed project to the printer via WiFi.  The completed guard is the first image in today's post.

Really, the point of this rather long post is #1 how easy this is to do.  The design took about 5 minutes.  Point #2 is that if you find a design system/program you like, you can use it with any printer you have.  As long as it is 'open architecture'.  In those systems, everything works with everything else.

In this case there were no impressions, no models, nothing physical... other than the patient.  This is a truly digital workflow.  The guard went right to place, fit perfectly, and required zero adjustments.

3D printing is going to change dentistry in the next 12-18 months... maybe sooner than that.  This is a tech that can be used routinely for 'bread and butter' things that we do every day.  If you've been thinking about exploring this tech, the time is now.  It's affordable and easy to do.  A well trained dental assistant can design things like this and have it ready for doctor approval in minutes.  This is not a tech that needs to improve or will see radical changes in the future.  We've already seen those changes.  This is ready for prime time right now.  

If I can do this, *you* can do this too!

OraQ AI and Patterson Dental Canada, Inc. Partner to Deliver Advanced AI Technology

The AI industry in dentistry continues to expand.   I've been working with several AI companies over the years and since I first got involved back in 2016, I've seen some amazing advancements.  Almost every imaging company is dentistry is either offering AI or partnering with existing AI companies to bring the tech to the forefront of diagnostics and practice management.  Now comes word that Patterson Dental Canada will be offering a system to their customers...

OraQ AI is excited to announce a strategic partnership with Patterson Dental Canada, Inc., aimed atintroducing OraQ’s innovative clinical AI decision support tool to dental professionals across Canada. This collaboration will allow OraQ AI’s advanced dental treatment planning software to empower dental teams and patients to make informed decisions that enhance oral health and elevate practice profitability.

“As a practicing dentist and founder of OraQ AI, I’ve witnessed firsthand the power of AI in transforming patient care,” said Dr. Amreesh Khanna, CEO of OraQ AI. “By partnering with a trusted name like Patterson Dental, we can now deliver AI-driven solutions that go beyond traditional methods like X-rays, helping dentists across Canada provide precision care while ethically growing their practices.”

OraQ AI’s cutting-edge software brings a new level of transparency and personalization to dental care. By holistically analyzing patients’ medical and dental histories, OraQ’s AI offers tailored treatment recommendations, which have resulted in up to a 30-40% increase in patient acceptance rates for its users. Patients can conveniently access their exam results and treatment plans from their smart devices or computers, enabling them to approve treatment from home, with instant notifications sent to their dental offices.

“OraQ is proud to be at the forefront of dental technology, having achieved all necessary approvals and clearances, including our Medical Device Establishment License (MDEL) from Health Canada and the FDA in 2023,” Dr. Khanna added. “This ensures that our technology adheres to the highest standards of safety and compliance.”

Patterson Dental Canada’s Region President, Dan Begin, expressed the company’s enthusiasm for the partnership: “At Patterson, we have always been committed to advancing dental care through strong, innovative partnerships. By collaborating with OraQ, we are reinforcing our dedication to equipping Canadian dentists with top-tier clinical solutions that support patient care and treatment acceptance.”

The partnership signifies a key step forward in OraQ’s mission to expand its commercial footprint while continuing to provide groundbreaking AI solutions that empower dental practices and improve patient outcomes.

For more information about OraQ AI and its groundbreaking technology, please contact Dr. Amreesh Khanna, CEO at

amreesh@oraq.ai.

Ultradent Donating to Red Cross for Hurricane Helene Relief

 

With Milton on the way to Florida, I'm sure Ultradent will be updating this info.  They do a lot of charity work which I am extremely happy to tell you all about.  Here's their latest on helping with the fallout from Helene...

Ultradent Products, Inc., a leading developer and manufacturer of high-tech dental materials, is donating 5% of total sales from orders placed on Tuesday, October 8th, to the Red Cross to support relief efforts for those affected by Hurricane Helene. "The devastation caused by Hurricane Helene has deeply impacted countless lives and we are inspired by the compassion we’ve seen from so many people working to help those in need,” says Ultradent President and CEO Dirk Jeffs. “We invite the dental community to join us in supporting these communities through the Red Cross.”

 Additionally, Ultradent is offering dental supplies to affected care providers to assist in their recovery.

About Ultradent Products, Inc.

Ultradent Products, Inc., is a leading developer and manufacturer of high-tech dental materials, devices, and instruments worldwide. Ultradent’s vision is to improve oral health globally. Ultradent also works to improve the quality of life and health of individuals through financial and charitable programs. For more information about Ultradent, call 800.552.5512 or visit ultradent.com or find us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.