Monday, August 31, 2015
Medical Marijuana: An Extensive Review of Clinical Benefits and Adverse Effects
Friday, August 28, 2015
PeriRx, LLC Officially Launches SaliMark™ OSCC Test for Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Thursday, August 27, 2015
High Tech Police Tools
After making several longish posts I thought I'd make a shorter one today.
Yesterday, we saw a terrible tragedy in the Virginia TV shooting.
I was reading about it when I noticed that the Virginia Highway Patrol stated the perpetrator's vehicle was identified using a license plate reader. It is an image processing device that can evidently read plates from a decent distance.
After reading about that, I went looking for other high tech police devices and I came across this story on Fox News. Definitely worth a read!
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
Core3daCADemyTM Announces Fall Webinar and Course Schedule
Las Vegas, NV – August 25, 2015 - Core3daCADemyTM, the educational arm of Core3dcentres®, is pleased to announce it is offering a full slate of hands-on courses and in-depth webinars over the Fall season.
Held in Las Vegas, Calgary and Toronto, all aCADemyTM two-day courses are designed by dental technicians for dental technicians, feature a smaller class size ensuring a dedicated hands-on experience along with lecture-style instruction, and are packed with tips and tricks that will increase participant’s design efficiency, thus increasing their profitability.
Please join us for “aCADemyTM 1 - The Fundamentals of Scanning and Designing” (November 13- 14 in Las Vegas) and “aCADemyTM 3 - Digital Smile Design and Advanced Cosmetics" (September 18-19, in Las Vegas; October 23-24, in Calgary; or November 6-7, in Toronto)! The next “aCADemyTM 2 – and Digital Implant and Implant Bar Design” courses will be held in early 2016. Under the direction of Mark Ferguson, Digital Integration Specialist, Core3dcentres, participants in the series gain a comprehensive understanding of design essentials from custom abutment and Full Contour Screw Retained Bars right up to Advanced Scanning and how it relates to Advanced Cosmetic cases and Smile Design! Dates for 2016 will be announced shortly.
Core3daCADemyTM is also hosting a wide variety of in-depth technical webinars over coming months. Available free of charge, feel free to join us for:
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“Selection of CAD/CAM Material to Meet Modern Indications” (September 23)
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“Simple and Split File Abutment Design using the Core3dcentres Library” (October 21)
All Webinars are offered at the same time on each date: 12:00 Noon EDT 10:00AM MDT 9:00AM PDT. Core3daCADemyTM maintains a large library of past Webinar topics on our website. Please go to www.core3dcentres.com and click on Core3daCADemy, Webinars to view the entire title list.
Core3daCADemyTM offers a wide range of courses on-site at your laboratory and presentations with a variety of dental organizations. For more information, upcoming Webinar topics and dates, or Course schedules and Registration information (or to arrange for course delivery at your laboratory), please visit www.core3dcentres.com or contact Emily Bradley, Director at Core3daCADemyTM toll-free at 888-750-9204 or by email ebradley@core3dcentres-na.com.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Still Time Remaining to Register for Sirona’s C30 Celebration with an Attractive Offer Available for Dental Staff Members
Monday, August 24, 2015
i-CAT™ Debuts A New Release Of 3D Treatment Planning Software At The AAO Tx STUDIO™
Hatfield, PA (May 14, 2015) i-CAT, a brand of the KaVo Kerr Group, is pleased to release its new and enhanced Tx STUDIO 5.4 treatment planning software at the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) Annual Session, San Francisco, CA. Fully integrated and exclusively for the award-winning family of i-CAT™ cone beam 3D imaging products, Tx STUDIO delivers a host of new and powerful treatment tools for dentists and specialists working with implants, airway, TMD, orthodontics, and surgical procedures. In addition to its already existing capabilities for accurate implant planning and extraordinary restorative planning capabilities, Tx STUDIO 5.4 also offers new and improved tools. Useful for treatment planning and patient communication, these new features include an enhanced abutment design that allows the crown to be placed onto the abutment and prepped teeth, as well as simulation of pontics and bridges. For airway analysis, more comprehensive and exclusive tools allow for 2D analysis of the airway with quantitative information on the anterior posterior distance and left and right distance. The airway can now be created and visualized in the variable quadrant. Changes in the parameters and area of the cross-sectional area along the airway are displayed graphically.
• Other helpful tools now available with Tx STUDIO 5.4 offer the opportunity to: • Simulate a sinus bone graft in two clicks while gaining the approximate graft volume.
• Create bitewing radiographs from 3D data and evaluate those bitewings in all three dimensions.
• Replicate jaw articulation as well as offer control of the translation and rotation.
• Provide 3D analysis using orthognathic advanced cuts and movement that also show tissue change in profile.
“At i-CAT, we continually strive to create innovations to our products and software,” says Yena Chokshi, Associate 3D Software Product Manager. “The launch of Tx STUDIO 5.4 adds even more efficient planning and treatment tools to our already award-winning 3D imaging modality. As dentistry continues to evolve and offers more options to patients, these new tools show that we listen to our customers and respond to their increasing imaging needs.” Tx STUDIO treatment software is included with new i-CAT cone beam 3D scanners, giving general dentists and specialists the tools to place and restore implants, perform oral surgery, periodontics, prosthodontics, orthodontics, utilize CAD/CAM applications, and analyze TMJ and airway with greater confidence and lower radiation options. Indications for Use: www.i-cat.com/ifu Continued on page 2 AWARD-WINNING CONE BEAM 3D DENTAL IMAGING IC-0021 About i-CAT Serving the dental industry since 1992, i-CAT™ is at the global forefront in the development and manufacturing of the computer-controlled dental and maxillofacial radiography products, and internationally recognized by highly regarded dentists and radiologists as one of the most innovative companies in dental imaging. i-CAT systems offers clinicians enhanced features for highly effective treatment planning and surgical predictability. i-CAT is exclusively distributed by Henry Schein Dental. To learn more, visit www.i-cat.com. i-CAT is a member of the KaVo Kerr Group. KaVo Kerr Group is a global portfolio of leading dental brands that share common values of Trust, Experience, Choices, Quality and Smart Innovation.
Brands include KaVo, Kerr, Kerr Total Care, Pentron, Axis|Sybron Endo, Orascoptic, Pelton & Crane, Marus, Gendex, DEXIS, Instrumentarium, SOREDEX, i-CAT, NOMAD, Implant Direct and Ormco. With over 500 years of combined experience and proven solutions, KaVo Kerr Group uniquely serves 99% of all dental practices. Visit www.kavokerrgroup.com for more information.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
Brasseler USA® Holds its First Annual “Women in Dentistry” Advisory Board Meeting
- Practice Implementation/Success of the Woman Dentist
- Ergonomics
- Hands-on Clinical Product Evaluations
- Dr. Judith Belitz
- Dr. Sheri Doniger
- Dr. Jean Furuyama
- Dr. Kristine Grazioso
- Dr. Suzanne Grubowski
- Dr. April Hearns
- Dr. Lilia Larin
- Dr. Griselle Ortiz
- Dr. Karyl Cooper Patten
Tuesday, August 18, 2015
Razer Creates Computers & Peripherals that Make a Statement
With technology sometimes you want function, but other times you want style. That's why I was blown away when I began perusing the devices made by Razer.
Whether it's for your home or your office that you want to make a statement in, the devices made by Razer will astound you.
The company makes computers, keyboards, mice, and other devices that not only perform state of the art functions but also just plain look cool.
I can't really do them justice by describing them in a post. Instead, I recommend you head on over to the company's website and see for yourself. The keyboards alone are worth checking out.
If you have computers in your dental office for patient use, Razer keyboards will for sure make a statement about how high tech you are!
Monday, August 17, 2015
DenMat® Launches New Whitening Practice Building System with Office Personalized Whitening Product
7/1/15 Lompoc, CA: Always at the forefront of safe and effective whitening, DenMat, a leading manufacturer of innovative esthetic dentistry and advanced oral health solutions, is pleased to announce a variety of new additions to the LumiSmile White Professional Whitening product line. Notably, the in-office and take-home whitening solutions utilize a new brand platform, “Whitening for every smile,” to reemphasize the importance of whitening in a practice, and help the dental professional get more patients to say yes to whitening while continually delivering strong results, with minimal sensitivity, at an affordable price to the dentist.
DenMat’s new brand platform is designed to make every patient feel that professional whitening can make any smile brighter. The platform includes DenMat’s new Practice Building System featuring a bulk package with 50 individually wrapped, personalized whitening syringes and attention grabbing, high- impact marketing materials, such as patient brochures, counter cards, posters and more. “There are so many ways to whiten today, but only dentists have the power to give patients the safest and most effective whitening results possible,” said Danielle Hyman, Product Manager at DenMat. “We want to help dentists wake up their whitening programs and grow their practices with LumiSmile White using these new tools.”
Other additions include a new take-home option without fluoride that is available in the same concentrations and packaging as the current take-home offerings. As well, the in-office system is now offered as a convenient combo kit, with patient take-home syringes for whitening touch-ups at home.
About DenMat: Since 1974, DenMat has been a leader in high-quality dental products for dental professionals in more than 60 countries around the world. DenMat makes and assembles most of its products at its world headquarters on the Central Coast of California. The company offers products in three main categories: Consumables, Small Equipment, and a full-service Dental Laboratory. DenMat’s trusted brands include Perioptix® loupes and lights, LumiSmile® White, and Lumineers®, the #1 patient requested thin veneer. For more information, visit www.denmat.com or call 1-800-4DENMAT (1-800- 433-6628).
Friday, August 14, 2015
NFL Great Emmitt Smith Joins Exciting Lineup of Keynote Speakers At Sirona’s CEREC® 30th (C30) Anniversary Celebration
Thursday, August 13, 2015
2015 Winners of Prestigious International Periodontal Research Competition VOLPE Prize Honored During Reception at The Ohio State University
Dr. Anthony Volpe, who presented his namesake award to this year’s winners.
To learn more about the International Periodontal Research Competition VOLPE Prize, visit https://dentistry.osu.edu/academic-divisions/periodontology/volpe-prize.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
E4D is Becoming Planmeca FIT
Last year, Planmeca made a major move in dentistry by investing in E4D Technologies. They wanted to get into the CAD/CAM market and did so in a major way. Now they are shaking things up more by changing the name to Planmeca FIT. The idea of FIT is "Fully Integrated Technology" and emphasizes the way Planmeca wants to be seen by the industry.
Planmeca provides lots of dental equipment and FIT is just one more piece of that puzzle.
Look for the new name to be very visible at the upcoming fall dental meetings.
This is the first day that I have been allowed to make this news public. Remember you read it here first!
Tuesday, August 11, 2015
G is for Google...
On Monday, Larry Page (1/2 of the braintrust that invented Google) announced on a blog post, that Google is now a division of a new company called Alphabet.
Google is a leading edge company & they are always pushing the envelope. This new company has some exciting things ahead of it.
Here is the blog post in its entirety. Read and enjoy!
As Sergey and I wrote in the original founders letter 11 years ago, “Google is not a conventional company. We do not intend to become one.” As part of that, we also said that you could expect us to make “smaller bets in areas that might seem very speculative or even strange when compared to our current businesses.” From the start, we’ve always strived to do more, and to do important and meaningful things with the resources we have.
We did a lot of things that seemed crazy at the time. Many of those crazy things now have over a billion users, like Google Maps, YouTube, Chrome, and Android. And we haven’t stopped there. We are still trying to do things other people think are crazy but we are super excited about.
We’ve long believed that over time companies tend to get comfortable doing the same thing, just making incremental changes. But in the technology industry, where revolutionary ideas drive the next big growth areas, you need to be a bit uncomfortable to stay relevant.
Our company is operating well today, but we think we can make it cleaner and more accountable. So we are creating a new company, called Alphabet (http://abc.xyz). I am really excited to be running Alphabet as CEO with help from my capable partner, Sergey, as President.
What is Alphabet? Alphabet is mostly a collection of companies. The largest of which, of course, is Google. This newer Google is a bit slimmed down, with the companies that are pretty far afield of our main Internet products contained in Alphabet instead. What do we mean by far afield? Good examples are our health efforts: Life Sciences (that works on the glucose-sensing contact lens), and Calico (focused on longevity). Fundamentally, we believe this allows us more management scale, as we can run things independently that aren’t very related. Alphabet is about businesses prospering through strong leaders and independence. In general, our model is to have a strong CEO who runs each business, with Sergey and me in service to them as needed. We will rigorously handle capital allocation and work to make sure each business is executing well. We'll also make sure we have a great CEO for each business, and we’ll determine their compensation. In addition, with this new structure we plan to implement segment reporting for our Q4 results, where Google financials will be provided separately than those for the rest of Alphabet businesses as a whole.
This new structure will allow us to keep tremendous focus on the extraordinary opportunities we have inside of Google. A key part of this is Sundar Pichai. Sundar has been saying the things I would have said (and sometimes better!) for quite some time now, and I’ve been tremendously enjoying our work together. He has really stepped up since October of last year, when he took on product and engineering responsibility for our Internet businesses. Sergey and I have been super excited about his progress and dedication to the company. And it is clear to us and our board that it is time for Sundar to be CEO of Google. I feel very fortunate to have someone as talented as he is to run the slightly slimmed down Google and this frees up time for me to continue to scale our aspirations. I have been spending quite a bit of time with Sundar, helping him and the company in any way I can, and I will of course continue to do that. Google itself is also making all sorts of new products, and I know Sundar will always be focused on innovation -- continuing to stretch boundaries. I know he deeply cares that we can continue to make big strides on our core mission to organize the world's information. Recent launches like Google Photos and Google Now using machine learning are amazing progress. Google also has some services that are run with their own identity, like YouTube. Susan is doing a great job as CEO, running a strong brand and driving incredible growth.
Sergey and I are seriously in the business of starting new things. Alphabet will also include our X lab, which incubates new efforts like Wing, our drone delivery effort. We are also stoked about growing our investment arms, Ventures and Capital, as part of this new structure.
Alphabet Inc. will replace Google Inc. as the publicly-traded entity and all shares of Google will automatically convert into the same number of shares of Alphabet, with all of the same rights. Google will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Alphabet. Our two classes of shares will continue to trade on Nasdaq as GOOGL and GOOG.
For Sergey and me this is a very exciting new chapter in the life of Google -- the birth of Alphabet. We liked the name Alphabet because it means a collection of letters that represent language, one of humanity's most important innovations, and is the core of how we index with Google search! We also like that it means alpha-bet (Alpha is investment return above benchmark), which we strive for! I should add that we are not intending for this to be a big consumer brand with related products--the whole point is that Alphabet companies should have independence and develop their own brands.
We are excited about…
- Getting more ambitious things done.
- Taking the long-term view.
- Empowering great entrepreneurs and companies to flourish.
- Investing at the scale of the opportunities and resources we see.
- Improving the transparency and oversight of what we’re doing.
- Making Google even better through greater focus.
- And hopefully...as a result of all this, improving the lives of as many people as we can.
Monday, August 10, 2015
Why You Have Bad Breath & How to Get Rid of It
A short post today because everything you need to read is at Fox News.
Want better breath? Read this article for great tips!
Friday, August 7, 2015
Could a New Business Model for Mobile Phones Change What we Pay?
I came across an interesting article on the Time website recently that deals with mobile phones and their relatively low cost (or high cost after you read the article).
For years, mobile phone carriers have subsidized the cost of our phones. Basically you get a very expensive phone for a very low cost because the carrier uses a two year contract to maintain profitability.
By that I mean the carrier actually pays the phone maker for the phone at a high price, then sells it to you at a low price. However, because you are locked into a two year contract, they make that money back and more over the life of the two year deal.
That's why if you break the two year commitment, there are all kinds of charges you have to pay. That ensures the carrier doesn't lose money.
However, now it looks like wireless carriers may be letting customers buy a phone at the full cost and not lock them into contracts. Of course this means that a customer can leave if they find a better deal elsewhere, but it also means the carrier is not subsidizing the customer.
The Time article does a great job of explaining this is pretty good detail, if you are interested check out the article here.http://time.com/3989731/verizon-new-plans/
Thursday, August 6, 2015
Going on Vacation? Send your Surgical Telescopes for some R&R as Well!
When Dr. Huebner joined the practice, one of the first things he did was to replace his old set of surgical scopes from his dental school days to a higher mag XV1 system from Orascoptic. The XV1 is pictured below. It is a fully self contained magnification system. By self contained I mean that the batteries are located in the arms of the glasses which means no cords or battery packs.
This week, Dr. Huebner got an email from Orascoptic letting him know his scopes are now 1 year old & also reminding him that Orascoptic offers a service where Orascoptic staff will perform maintenance to make sure the scopes are in tip top shape.
If you are hooked on magnification like I am, you know how much you would suffer if you suddenly had to perform treatment without it. By having Orascoptic perform maintenance, you minimize the chance of a catastrophic problem (such as having an arm come off... which once happened to me) and are assured the scopes are returned to "like new" condition.
So my recommendation is while you are away this summer enjoying a relaxing vacation, send your surgical scopes out and have them given the "spa treatment" too. That way, you are not without magnification while seeing patients. This kind of preventive maintenance just makes good sense. One thing I've learned over my time in dentistry is that maintenance pays off.
If you are an Orascoptic user, you can call 800-369-3698 to schedule your maintenance & they will talk you through the process of sending your scopes to them in Middleton, Wisconsin.
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
If You are an Android User Don't Get Stagefright!
For mobile users, I really like Lookout to help keep your devices secure. I have been using it for quite a while on both Android and iOS devices and have been very pleased with what it provides for me.
The company is also very good at keeping users informed of potential problems and threats. This week, the good folks at Lookout contacted Android users with a warning about a new threat called "Stagefright". Below is the info from the email Lookout sent to its Android users, if you'd like even more info on the threat, you can get the lowdown from this Lookout Blog post.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
Mark Hamill's Autographs Are The Best
As a diehard geek, I've always had a special place in my heart for Star Wars. The first year it came out, I must have seen it 5 times That was serious cash, back in the day...
Fast forward to Monday August 3, 2015. As I am walking down the hallway in the staff area of our office, I hear laughter coming from the office of my dental cohort Dr. John Huebner.
He's as big a geek as I am and, it turns out, as big a Star Wars fanboy as I am as well. It seems that he had stumbled upon a page showing trading cards that Mark Hamill has autographed over the years. To say Hamill has had a bit of fun doing these would be an understatement.
Some of these are just plain hilarious. I've given you a sample up above, but for the full list, take a look at this impressive page of Star Wars trading cards. If you are a geek (and if you're not, what are you doing reading this?) you'll have a hard time not laughing out loud at some of these...
Monday, August 3, 2015
The Joy of ReCharging iPhones & iPads...
Over the years, I've bought several rechargeable Apple products. Between iPhones, iPods, and iPads I have quite a few of the little white square AC adapters. Look in my laptop bag, messenger bag, or one of my backpacks and chances are you'll come across one or more.
Recently my iPad 3 bit the dust and could not be repaired despite the best efforts of the Genius Bar. So I ended up purchasing a new iPad Air 2. When I brought it home & plugged it in, I noticed that at the top left of the screen it said "not charging". After some research, this is what I've learned.
Many of the white AC chargers are 5Watts. These are the most common chargers and that's because iPhones come with them. The iPad 1, 2, and 3 came with a 10W charger. This was because they came with a much larger battery and much faster processor than the iPhones. When the iPad 4 and the iPad Air came out, they had a 12W charger for the same reasons.
When the iPad Air 2 came out, it was sold with a 10W charger. I haven't really heard a rock solid reason why, but speculation is that it has a tad smaller battery, however that is just a guess.
So, the reason I was getting the "not charging" info at the top right of the screen was because I was using a 5W charger. Because all of those white squares look alike, I figured they were alike. Not so much!
Also, many of the iPad chargers that are purchased by users in the after market area are being sold chargers that are 5W or 10W and being used on iPad that just require more power.
I really wish Apple would have let us know about this and made the different wattage chargers different colors or shapes or something.
So there you have it. I went through all of my white Apple squares over the weekend and discreetly marked the power level on them with a Sharpie. I wrote on the side that faces the wall so I'm the only one who knows...
At least I've figured out why I was getting the warning.