Monday, March 30, 2015
Is a Phablet in Your Future?
It seems that technology can suffer from the same problem The Who ran into... you know "Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss".
A while back, I posted a photo featuring some of the phones from my past...
Interestingly enough, the size of the phones grew somewhat & then the form factor seemed to freeze for a few models. What *did* change was the screen size. As you can see from the picture above, by the time we get to the Samsung model on the right, the entire device was one big screen with the keyboard available as a "slider" that came out from under the screen. That model also had a "soft keyboard" that utilized the screen, most people I knew that had that model (the *original* Samsung Galaxy One) preferred the slide-out keyboard because they could type AND get full utilization of the screen.
3 weeks ago I upgraded to an iPhone 6 Plus. My main reason? Pure and simple... screen real estate. As someone who spends a fair amount of time on the road, I need a screen to work, reschedule flights, etc. I could have purchased a new iPad with a data connection, but that is more money per month for another data plan. No, in my case it was just easier to keep my existing Sprint plan and get the bigger screen.
I'm already finding that I reach for my iPad less than I used to. When I first got the 6 Plus, it felt weird in my hand and also weird against my ear. I fixed the ear problem by either the headset or a bluetooth earbud. The weight? I've gotten used to it.
Is it still a huge phone? Why yes, yes it is. However, for what I need, it works.
2 years ago, I scoffed at the idea of the Phablet, now I own one. Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss..."
Friday, March 27, 2015
- Implement and manage key performance indicators (KPIs) to increase profits
- Increase production and case acceptance
- Track and measure practice productivity
- Use Dentrix’s advanced features for improving management
- And much more!!!
Thursday, March 26, 2015
DentalEZ® Introduces the Amalgam HoG Powered by Apavia®
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
TS150 Mill Evaluation Proceeding...
Our evaluation of the TS150 mill is continuing on schedule.
At this point in the eval, I can state that the machine is performing as advertised/expected.
The unit was designed and created by Glidewell Lab & is being sold through equipment distributors. The system that we are evaluating is sold by Benco.
The mill will create crowns, inlays, and onlays. To this point in the eval we have noted exceptional marginal integrity, great consistent contacts, and very nice occlusal anatomy.
The most difficult part of the process has been the interface of the device between our iTero and the computer we are using to run the design software. That problem is not related to the mill or the design computer, but our iTero. I'm confident as more and more iTero users begin to do in office milling, this problem will be handled by the iTero software folks, but to this point, that has been the most challenging aspect of the process. Let me state for clarity, that there are not a lot of iTero users that are currently interfacing with the TS150 and that accounts for the glitches we've experienced. After all, that sort of thing is why we do beta testing in the first place. Hopefully my feedback to the companies involved will help expedite those of you who follow the same path...
I've been contacted by some of you great people who are regular readers wondering how the eval was going, hence this mid-evaluation post.
At this point, I've been very impressed and would recommend the TS150 unit with no hesitations. When we are totally done with our beta evaluation, I'll provide a much more detailed final post.
In the meantime, our work continues. If you would like more info, feel free to email, contact me via Twitter, or just leave a comment.
As always, thanks for reading. My goal is to help you readers and as a result of that, to help your patients.
Monday, March 23, 2015
Asia's deadly secret: The scourge of the betel nut
Hey, there's a pattern developing here. 2 days in a row of a post from the BBC.
Seriously though, this one is really important. One of my great passions is helping prevent oral cancer. Betel nut chewing in Asia is a huge factor in developing this terrible disease.
Click here to read the BBC story. It is sobering...
Friday, March 20, 2015
3D Printing is Evolving & Coming to the Medical Arena
A short post today because the real info is in the article I am linking to.
Imagine being able to print medical devices in the OR as the patient is operated on. Next imagine printing teeth as the patient waits.
Read here from the BBC for all the details...
Thursday, March 19, 2015
DentalEZ® Introduces a Refreshed Brand Identity
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
ALIGN TECHNOLOGY AND SIRONA ANNOUNCE NEW WORKFLOW INTEGRATION INCLUDING INVISALIGN INTEROPERABILITY WITH CEREC OMNICAM
Tuesday, March 17, 2015
3DSystems Can Help Dental Patients... and They Can Also Help Dogs
We are rapidly approaching being able to print dental prosthetics on a regular basis. It's already being done and it is going to continue to go more and more mainstream. Just follow the link above and see what's going on in this exciting area of dentistry.
However, today's post is an amazing feel good story of Derby the dog. He was born with deformed front legs and yet 3DSystems printed prosthetic limbs that let's him run almost like a normal pooch.
Watch the video and if you don't have a warm feeling when it's over, there is something wrong with you. This is the future folks. 3D printing of dental crowns and other prosthetics is very cool and is going to change the industry, but being able to make a crippled dog run, well that's just incredible.
Monday, March 16, 2015
About Three Million Teeth Expected To Be Knocked Out During Sporting Events Annually
Back in the days of football before mouthguards & facemasks, dental & facial injuries were 40% of football injuries. Requiring the mouthguard & facemask dropped that percentage to 0.5%.
However, tooth loss is still a major injury/consequence of sports in America. A survey from the American Association of Orthodontists discovered that 67% of parents surveyed stated their children do not wear any type of mouthguard during sporting activities. The truly frightening part of that stat is that, according to the National Youth Sports Safety Foundation, "athletes who do not wear mouthguards are sixty times more likely to damage their teeth!!!"
As a dentist who provides sports dentistry services (not to brag, but I am the consulting dentist to Lee's Summit High School Sports Teams), the previous paragraph makes me cringe. Add to the above statistics that the majority of amateur athletes are wearing over the counter "boil and bite" mouthguards which provide little to no protection, and that 67% number is even higher.
Many parents and adult athletes have the perception that a "boil and bite" mouthguard or a flat piece of U-shaped rubber held between the teeth offers the same protection as a custom made professional mouthguard. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Friday, March 13, 2015
Colgate Announces Second Edition of Popular Oral Systemic Textbook, Periodontal Disease and Overall Health: A Clinician’s Guide
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Agenda Set for the 9th International Congress on 3D Dental Imaging Scheduled for April 17-18, 2015, in Dallas, Texas
Discover how the information and applications from 3D technology can help clinicians to optimize treatment.
Hatfield, PA (March 10, 2015) i-CATTM (a brand of the KaVo Kerr Group) and Henry Schein Dental announced today that the 9th International Congress on 3D Dental Imaging will take place April 17-18, 2015 at the Dallas Marriott City Center. With the theme of “GO 3D. Your Story Starts Here,” the event is designed to share the perspectives of knowledgeable industry experts about exciting and relevant topics regarding 3D applications in dentistry with a concentrated focus on airway evaluations. The program will provide tips and best practices for this technology and its applications for general dentistry and dental specialties.”
Some featured topics at this year’s event include:
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Wednesday, March 11, 2015
How to Control Your IPhone if You have Broken Buttons

Whether you have a phone with broken button or you just want to accomplish some tasks without using the buttons, today is your lucky day. Sometimes my inner geek just gets the best of me and then its off to the races! :-)
So, today here is a sweet little trick to do phone manipulation without the buttons on your iPhone.
The secret here is to use a little trick called AssistiveTouch. What you need to do is go to Settings>General>Accessibility. When you get there, you need to scroll down to where you see AssistiveTouch. Turn the AssistiveTouch function on and a small gray button will appear as an overlay on your screen. Once it is there, you can drag it around to wherever you want it. The cool part is that when you tap it, you get a bunch of options.
It sort of takes the place of your *Home Button* (if you tap the Home Button function) . In short, it basically will replace any function that could be performed with a button previously.
Very cool and pretty handy.
-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Tuesday, March 10, 2015
Great Britain Arrests Hackers in Major Crackdown
As regular readers of my blog know, I'm frequently forced to post about data theft, identity theft, and all kinds of nefarious schemes and scams. It seems that hardly a day goes by without *some* type of bad news from the world of cyber security.
It is becoming harder and harder to keep the bad guys out of our systems even harder to know if your system has been compromised... unless the bad guys post about it online.
So, I'm proud today to be able to post regarding an event I'd like to call "Score one for the good guys!"
One of my favorite news apps for my iPad is the BBC app. I don't have time to peruse the info every day, but I do manage to give it a read several times a week and I frequently come away with good information.
Today I was pleased to see that Great Britain's National Crime Agency, took down 56 hackers in 25 separate operations. Crimes ranged from data theft, fraud, virus writing, to even a hack of Yahoo in 2012. They also managed to apprehend a member of the hacking collective Lizard Squad as well as a member of D33Ds.
If you nose around cyber security news sites, you'll see information of arrests from time to time, but they rarely make major news headlines. In my opinion, that's too bad. Cyber crime is not victimless, ask anyone who has had their identity stolen. Maybe, just maybe if more of the arrests made the major news outlets we deter some people who are considering breaking these laws. We can't stop all of them, but we can certainly stop *some* from entering the realm.
Also, reporting on these arrests gives the everyday non-geek some piece of mind. It's good to know that there are some "White Hat" cyber forces out there trying to make the Internet a safe place fro us all.
The complete story from the BBC is here.
Monday, March 9, 2015
Crosstex Acquires DentaPUre Waterline Disinfection Manufacturer MRLB International
For the past year or so, I've been using the DentaPure system in my office. Everyone in dentistry understands the importance of waterline safety. Most offices have moved to using closed systems (water bottle dental units) and then putting some type of chemistry into the bottles to ensure maximum elimination of CFU's.
However, I got rid of the chemistry and moved to a NASA developed system from DentaPure. My post in the link above, explains the how & why.
Today I'm excited to report to you that infection control leader Crosstex has purchased DentaPure and will be selling the system going forward. Here is all the info:
Friday, March 6, 2015
Sedation Safety Week
I normally try and make one post per day Monday through Friday. However, every once in a while something comes along that I feel necessitates to keep all of you aware of important events or news. This is one of those times.
Just a few minutes ago I received an email about Sedation Safety Week that starts the week of Monday March 9th, which is this coming Monday. So that you can all be aware and be prepared for it, I'm sharing the email and links it included. This is not an endorsement of the DOCS program, but an effort to help keep my readers better informed.
Hopefully you'll find some benefit in this, because that's my main point of the blog. If I can help you all keep up with the portion of dentistry that I am in the thick of, my goal is to help you help your patients. I think Sedation Safety is one of those things.
Here is the email in its entirety. Feel free to use and share with peers.
Sedation Safety Week
Monday March 9 - Friday March 13, 2015
Sedation Safety Week is just two days away! Remember to join dentists throughout the country in refreshing their commitment to safety and patient wellbeing by visiting SedationSafetyWeek.com each day beginning Monday, March 9. You'll be able to take advantage of articles, resources and event announcements all designed to make everything you do safer. Your practice, your team - and your patients - will all benefit.
For a special sneak-peak at the kind of content you'll get all week long during Sedation Safety Week, click below to download a Sedation Safety Checklist authored by DOCS Education Faculty and EMT, John Bovia.
Want to join the numerous dentists across the nation who sharpen their skills and increase their resources with the help of Sedation Safety Week? Simply curious to know more? Visit SedationSafetyWeek.com.
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American Academy of Periodontology Publishes Proceedings from 2014 Workshop on Regeneration
- Periodontal Soft Tissue Root Coverage Procedures: Managing gingival recession based on current evidence with a primary outcome goal of complete root coverage
- Periodontal Soft Tissue Non-Root Coverage Procedures: Assessing the need for gingival augmentation procedures (non-root coverage) around natural teeth
- Intrabony Defects: Periodontal regenerative strategies for the management of intrabony periodontal defects
- Furcation Defects: How periodontal furcation defects should be managed via periodontal regenerative therapy and what parameters should be used for treatment selection
- Emerging Regenerative Approaches for Periodontal Reconstruction: Can emerging technologies for periodontal regeneration become clinical reality?
The workshop was spearheaded by an AAP-designated organizing committee, co-chaired by William Giannobile, DDS, MS, DMSc, and Pamela McClain, DDS. The American Academy of Periodontology Foundation, Geistlich Pharma North America, Colgate-Palmolive, and the Osteology Foundation partnered with the AAP to provide support of the workshop’s programming.
Thursday, March 5, 2015
Brasseler USA® Introduces Refreshed Brand Identity
Wednesday, March 4, 2015
Measles May First Present in the Oral Cavity
A big thank you to the American Dental Association for a much needed reminder to professionals that measles often appear first in the mouth.
Many of us were given only a cursory training of the oral symptoms of measles since for all intents & purposes the disease had been eradicated in the U.S. However, with many parents now opting to forgo immunization, we are now seeing the first large measles outbreaks in decades.
To help practitioners, the ADA sent out the following in Monday's ADA Morning Huddle email. My hats off to the ADA for helping doctors help their patients! Here is the info with a link:
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Kavo QuatroCare Plus Evaluation Starting Soon
I just got word on Monday that in the not too distant future (meaning soon) I'll be evaluating the Kavo QuatroCare Plus handpiece maintenance system.
For those of you not familiar with it, the device is a self contained lubrication and cleaning unit that does all of the pre-sterilization handpiece tasks automatically. You basically attach your handpieces to the unit and it performs all functions that need to be taken care of internally to assure your handpieces are ready for their next use.
Let's face it, like it or not, the handpiece is pretty much the heart and soul of most dental practices and we rely on them tremendously. They also go through quite a lot when you consider the stresses they are under both from clinical applications as well as from sterilization cycles. The QuatroCare Plus ensures proper internal maintenance to help keep your repair costs down.
Here's what Kavo has to say about it:
Benefits of Dental Maintenance with KaVo
- Time consuming and expensive individual maintenance and handpiece repair
- Extensive staff training and complaints
- Guesswork and cutting corners
- Oily mess
- Handpiece repair and maintenance headaches
- Consistent and extremely efficient dental maintenance of up to four handpieces on one cycle - with the push of a button
- Enormous time, and therefore cost, savings for your dental office
- Protection of your valuable handpiece investment
- New chuck care feature
I'm excited to get this one going as it seems like we've been dealing with more handpiece repairs lately. I'll be providing more info, once we get the test rolling.
Monday, March 2, 2015
Back from Chicago...
After 8 days... yes you read that right, 8 days, I've returned from my Chicago trip.
The 150th Chicago MidWinter Meeting is now over, but wow what a meeting it was!
The Chicago Dental Society has this down to a fine art. The MidWinter meeting is one that I've attended for probably the last 20 years or so. Sometimes I've been there as an invited speaker, but on years where I'm not lecturing, I still make sure to be there simply because it is one of the best meetings in the U.S. This year was no exception.
Over 27,000 people attended this year's meeting and if you didn't have a good time there, well you have no one to blame but yourself. The meeting is always well planned and well executed. As I said above, the folks at the CDS have got this thing down. Needless to say, count me in for next year.
My week was a whirlwind of work, meetings, and presentations. On Monday I was fortunate enough to be the first official CE program videoed at the brand new ADA Studios. I had 2 one hour CE lectures "in the can" by midafternoon. Look for lots of online CE to come from this new ADA endeavour. On Tuesday I had a work related meeting with Centric Learning Systems, a new venture that I'm part of. The meeting resulted in some work that took most of the day. However, I *did* manage to sneak a lunch in at the famous Billy Goat Tavern.
Wednesday was the annual editorial meeting for Dental Products Report. I can't say a lot about our future plans, but trust me when I say you'll be seeing some amazing stuff coming along. Wednesday night was the Oral Health Alliance Gala where I got to wear my tux and mingle with lots of people in the dental industry.
Thursday was the first day of the MidWinter meeting and I spent most of the day running from one meeting to another. That night brought the Voco party (great job Nicole!) and then dinner with some great friends.
Friday started my work day at 7:00 as we tried to do the Best of Class voting in the morning for once. After that experiment we decided to move it back to an evening time. As soon as the BOC voting was over, it was more meetings for the remainder of the day and then off to a nice event hosted by AMD lasers and then a get together with the good people at Danville Materials.
Wrapping up my work week was Saturday where I spent the whole day lecturing. I was amazed and honored by how many people were there for both my morning and afternoon sessions. Considering it was Saturday and severely cold, I thought most people would stay home. They didn't though and we had a blast talking about technology in dentistry.
I couldn't get home until Sunday though. Eight days on the road is tough. It may not sound that bad, but trust me when I say that when your hotel room starts to feel like an apartment, that's not a good thing. Nothing felt better than touching down back in The Land of Oz Sunday afternoon.
Some fun and exciting things are on tap for the rest of 2015. My first project will be working with a glasses mounted camera that will start next week. More updates as things progress...