Introducing Renamel® Bulkfill™ - The Amalgam of Composites

 

The industry continues to see expansion in the market for bulk fill composites.  The latest that I've become aware of is Renamel Bulk Fill from Cosmedent.  The company has recently made the product available for ordering.

Cosmedent introduces Renamel Bulkfill, an advanced posterior composite bulkfill that is packable, sculptable and polishable. Designed for rapid one-step placement, this material is even faster than amalgam. Renamel Bulkfill has 5 natural shades that are not overly translucent like most other bulkfills, but provide an esthetic match to the tooth surface. Renamel Bulkfill’s new nanotechnology gives you easy handling, an esthetic color match and a great polish. Plus, it cures up to 4mm. For information please contact us toll-free at 800-621-6729 or visit www.cosmedent.com. 

Owandy Radiology Adds Cephalometric Radiography Options to its I-Max 2D and I-Max 3D Units

 

Owandy Radiology makes some pretty impressive products.  Over the past few years, the company has brought several cutting edge products to market and has cut a nice niche into the dental market.  I was recently made aware of some of the latest and greatest improvements the company has made.  Here they are:

Owandy Radiology Inc., a global leader in the manufacture of dental radiology hardware and imaging software recently added two cephalometric radiography options to its popular I-Max wall-mounted product line. The two new offerings are the I-Max Ceph 2D Panoramic Unit and the I-Max Ceph 3D Panoramic Unit, which can easily switch between 3D and 2D modes at the touch of a button.

According to Owandy company spokesperson, Boris Loyez, “Both of these I-Max Ceph options are affordable and compact in size. They were designed to fit virtually any budget and office size while delivering superior performance.” 

The I-Max Ceph 2D and I-Max Ceph 3D share the following features:

• Small footprint

• Ultra-sensitive sensor with short exposure time

• Standard and reduced dose ceph exam options 

• Intuitive and user-friendly interface

• Compatible with most practice management software

• 5-Year warranty

The I-Max 2D cone beam or I-Max Ceph 3D (3-in1 unit) include the following additional features:

• Multi FOV from 12x10 cm to 5x5 cm

• Exceptional image quality of up to 87 microns

• 3D object scanning

• Airway study capabilities

• CAD-CAM .STL file import

• Printable implant surgery guides

The I-Max product line’s new ceph capabilities provide a higher level of versatility for diagnosing impacted teeth, TMJ, airway obstructions and some oral malignancies. The new ceph options are also invaluable for practices providing orthodontic treatment.

For more information about the I-Max Ceph 2D and I-Max Ceph 3D wall-mounted panoramic digital radiography units, visit www.owandy.com, call 516-858-5695 or send an e-mail at sales@owandyus.com.  Distributor inquiries are always welcome.

About Owandy Radiology, Inc.: 

Headquartered in France, and serving North America from Roslyn, 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 80 countries world-wide, on every continent. 

Garrison Anterior Matrix System is a Winner!

 

The smart folks at Garrison Dental Systems make some really terrific products... and I use a bunch of them.

One of their latest is a really nifty system for anterior composite restorations.  For years now clinical dentistry has used sectional matrices in the posterior to create proper contours and contacts.  The whole idea of those posterior systems was to make placement easier and clinical results more predictable.  As more and more doctors adopted these matrix systems, our results got better and better.

The funny thing is that those posterior sectional matrix systems were a really great 'outside the box' concept, but when it came to anterior restorations, we continued to place them the way we had since probably the 80s.

To the rescue come Garrison's Fusion Anterior Matrix System.  It consists of properly contoured matrix bands paired with curved plastic wedges in 4 different sizes.  The bands are pre-bent at the necessary proper  angle.  The images below do a pretty good job of explaining how they are used.

The one mistake that many first time users make is to place the matrix band in 'usual' way meaning the curve points toward the incisal edge.  Instead, they are designed to be placed 'sideways' to the normal alignment so that they curve in the direction of the tooth being restored.  Using this system is greatly aided by a high intensity curing light.  This allows the restoration to be cured at initial stage which then allows the operator to remove the band and cure again to ensure that the light has reached the entire restoration.

This system works incredibly well.  I've got to give a lot of credit to Garrison for creating a system that allows for consistent and predictable clinical results in the anterior region.  This product is *highly recommended*!!!

The Dental Compliance Institute Publishes Free Guide “How to Survive a Surprise OSHA Audit”

 

The Dental Compliance Institute (DCI), a leading provider of training and certification programs designed to help dental professionals achieve full compliance of HIPAA and OSHA regulations and to also learn the essentials of patient risk management, recently published “How to Survive a Surprise OSHA Audit,” the first in a planned series of “survival guides” for OSHA, HIPAA, and dental risk management.

Dentistry has changed during the past year, and this includes OSHA regulations. According to DCI founder, Linda Harvey, RDH,  “All it takes is for an unhappy employee or patient to file an anonymous report, and you may receive a surprise visit from an OSHA inspector. To make matters worse, you may be fined as much as $13,000 a day per violation for non-compliance.”

Rather than being taken by surprise, Harvey suggests that dental professionals download the free guide, “How to Survive a Surprise OSHA Audit,” at www.SurviveOSHA.com. “This is the first of a series,” explains Harvey. “Over the next several months, we will be publishing additional “survival guides” on HIPAA compliance and risk management.” 

For more information about the Dental Compliance Institute and its comprehensive training and certification programs for proficiency in HIPAA and OSHA compliance as well as risk management, visit www.DentalComplianceInstitute.com

About the Dental Compliance Institute:

Founded in 2014 by and based in Jacksonville, Florida, the mission of the DCI has been to provide dental professionals, including dentists, hygienists, dental assistants, and office managers with the comprehensive and up to date training and certification regarding OSHA and HIPAA regulations as well as dental risk management. For more information, visit www.DentalComplianceInstitute.com

The Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act Becomes Law

 

Somehow I missed the announcement of this and I thought to myself, that if I missed this, probably some of you also missed it.  It seems that on January 13th of this year,  The Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act became law.

The truly important thing about passage of this legislation and it being signed into law is that it removes health and dental insurance companies from the protection of many antitrust laws enacted by the federal government.  For decades, insurance companies have been protected by a limited exemption established in 1947 under the McCarran-Ferguson Act.  Those protections no longer exist.

My hat goes off to the ADA for their hard work on this one.  Dentistry's premier organization has been working for years (literally) to achieve this and I salute them for all the hard work that went into this. 

The organization put out a press release about this.  Give it a read:

The Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act, legislation that repeals the McCarran-Ferguson antitrust exemption for health insurance companies, became law on Jan. 13.

The law is the “culmination of a multi-year effort by several organizations, including the American Dental Association, to persuade Congress that health care insurance, including dental plans, should no longer be protected from some of the federal antitrust laws,” according to an ADA news release.

The new law is aimed at improving transparency and competition in the health, dental and vision insurance marketplaces. The ADA hopes this will lead the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice to investigate alleged anticompetitive practices and activities of health care insurers, the release said.

“Over time, we will expect to see some changes in the dental plan marketplace that would benefit all,” said ADA President Daniel J. Klemmedson, D.D.S., M.D. “If dental plan companies are compelled to compete fairly and transparently, we should begin to see increased innovation and choice for consumers and providers as the dental plan market place changes over time.”

Dr. Klemmedson said that the law could lead dental plan companies to “look for ways to distinguish themselves by offering better levels of coverage, with lower premiums and reductions in copayments with expanded provider networks and services, and other improved features.” Letters posted on the Consumer Reports website show that “experts believe that the antitrust exemption [have] suppressed the health insurance market dynamic,” he noted.

The new law should also open up more opportunities for new insurance companies to enter the market to compete in offering better and more affordable coverage to consumers and better terms to doctors, hospitals and providers, Dr. Klemmedson said.

“Ultimately, expanding choices under health and dental insurance plans will mean better plans for consumers, and improvements for health care professionals who seek to provide health care to patients within a more consumer-friendly framework,” Dr. Klemmedson concluded.

 

The clinical image above is from CR

The Ultradent Umbrella retractor system is pretty amazing.  I've been lucky enough to have watched it evolve from a concept to a full fledged product on the market.  That evolution took a few years as the Research and Development team at Ultradent worked and worked to get it *just right*.

There are a lot of retractors on the market, but I've yet to find one I like better.  It took the smart people at Ultradent about 5 years to develop this device... and it shows.

The Umbrella is more than just a retractor.  It is designed to be used for many aspects of clinical dentistry.  In addition to supporting the lips and keeping them out of the field, it also holds the buccal mucosa out of the way as well.

Its distal hinge is actually set up to be distal to the terminal teeth so that even with it in place, a patient can completely bite down and checking the occlusion is easy.  One of the greatest features in my opinion is the pillows that are visible in the first photo above.  Those little pillows are strategically placed where the pressure points of a retractor occur.  

I once had to have some work done and I was sore for days where the old style retraction was used.  The Umbrella is kind to the tissues, holds the tongue and makes multiple procedures and photography a breeze!  This product is *highly recommended*!

Practicing Intermediate Speed Dentistry

 

Tonight, please join me for a free one hour CE event on the Viva Learning platform.  It is sponsored by Bien Air and will revolve around a discussion of the advantages of electric handpieces.

Here is the program description:

When considering equipment, the focus is all too often on power, not finesse. Electric handpieces can provide both, and the ability to harness intermediate speed can improve your clinical practice in numerous ways. In this CE webinar, join Dr. John Flucke as he walks through clinical scenarios where intermediate speed dentistry benefited him and his patients, including: Finishing & shaping anterior aesthetic restorations Reduction of softer buildup materials Working in close proximity to the pulp Preparation of bonded post spaces.

I hope many of you can make it.  I promise it will be informative *and* fun!!!