The 2023 Version of - What I'm Thankful For...

 

I haven't done this for a few years, so I thought I'd get back in the swing of a post that lets all of you know what I am thankful for this year.  You know, life is funny sometimes.  We, as human beings are sort of programmed to look at things a bit negatively.  Not always horribly, mind you, but just not quite as positively as we probably could.

Now, maybe that's just my perception.  I'll gladly admit that.  However I do think it is because of our 24 hour news cycle that we tend to focus on the problems and not on the good.  So here's a brief list of what I'm thankful for...

• My best friend - she knows who she is
• The dolphin trainer
• The rocket scientist
• The artist
• My friends who are there to celebrate when things go great and who hold me up when things go bad
• Baseball, because the game is timeless and numbers are fascinating
• The office gang, because I couldn't do it without you
• My patients because your trust in me has made my dreams come true
• Z-Cat because of those soft paws and your effort to win me over no matter how much I claimed to be a "dog guy".
• God, because nothing exists without the almighty
• St. Michael because... well, because he is St. Michael
• Cool autumn evenings
• Santa because he lets me see the world through the eyes of children
• Tech because without tech, where would I be now?
• All of you, because you have given me an outlet for my creativity and a voice to help make things better...

Go spend time with ones you love.  Remember that love is one of the few commodities we can't run out of, so spend as much of it as you can!

The Best Orascoptic sale EVER!!!

You heard it here first!  If you order on November 27, which is Cyber Monday, and schedule a demo for December, my friends at Orascoptic are giving you $500 off!!!

You read that right.  A $500 discount will be applied to your order.  How cool is that?

The link doesn't work... yet.  

On Monday November 27 follow this link, schedule your demo, and get $500 off.  It is THAT simple!

I receive no compensation for this.  I just happen to love the brand and I know you will have a great experience with their magnification too.

ADA Survey Looks at Dentist Workload and Impact from Staffing Shortages

 

I have been a member of the ADA for a very long time now.  The simple reason is that I feel dentistry needs a unified voice.  When I started practice there weren't many large group practices and almost every dentist practiced in a small business kind of setting.  Due to that, it was difficult to get the messages and concerns of those singular to those who needed to hear it.  The ADA was the answer to that problem.

The ADA is involved in a lot of ways to make dentistry better and since the pandemic they have been doing a lot of surveys and number crunching to give America's dentists a better idea of where the profession is going and what it is going through.

The pandemic also created a workforce shortage.  Many team members left the profession during the Covid shutdown and a lot of them simply didn't return when things settled down.  Those impacts are *still* being felt in the industry.  To try and find out the impact, the ADA Health Policy Institute (HPI) has been doing a series of surveys.

There is some very important data in this most recent survey.  If you would like to review the entire workload impact information (which I strongly suggest), head on over the ADA website for all the details.

Admira Fusion BXL - VOCO Announces New Shades for the Admira Fusion Line of Composite

I've been a fan of VOCO products for a long time.  I use VisCalor, Grandio blocks (in my DGShape DWX-42W mill), and I also use Admira Fusion.  For those of you who aren't familiar with the Admira Fusion line, it is a composite that actually incorporates ceramic particles into the mix.  This gives the material incredible shade stability as well as allowing for phenomenal finishing and polishing.  It is very hard to stain a ceramic and that is why Admira Fusion looks so good for so long.  Now comes word from the smart minds at VOCO that they have added some new shades to Admira Fusion.

VOCO Expands Bleach Shade Offerings Within its All Ceramic-based Packable Nano-ORMOCER Restorative

Further enhancing the esthetics of its universal nano-ORMOCER material, VOCO has added to its bleach shade offerings with Admira Fusion BXL, bringing the total number of available shades for this material to 19. This new shade is available in both 0.2g caps and 3g syringes.

Admira Fusion is a universal nano-hybrid ORMOCER (Organically-Modified CERamic) restorative material that provides extremely low shrinkage (1.25%), immediate and long-term esthetics, easy handling, and superior biocompatibility, without any BPA or traditional monomers (BisGMA, UDMA, TEGDMA, UDMA or HEMA).

It is a universal restorative material, indicated for Class I to Class V restorations, composite inlays, core build-ups, and as a base for Class I and Class II cavities. It is the world's first all ceramic-based direct universal restorative material, and features Pure Silicate Technology, with fillers and matrix based purely on silicon oxide. This technology reduces shrinkage and shrinkage stress by up to 50% and features outstanding shade stability.

Admira Fusion is compatible with all conventional bonding agents, has a non-sticky consistency for easy handling, and offers a perfect balance of translucency and opacity for natural looking restorations. It is easy to polish to a high shine luster and has a high 84% fill rate for high wear resistance.

 

DMG to Launch Ecosite Elements Universal Composite

 

If you are planning on attending the Greater New York Dental Meeting later this month, make sure you go by the DMG booth to take a look at their new composite... Ecosite Elements.  Here is what the company has told me about it...

The new exceptionally esthetic and efficient composite system with maximum shade combinations and unbeatable handling 

DMG will formally unveil its new Ecosite Elements nanohybrid universal composite shade system at the Greater New York Dental Meeting, November 26-29, 2023. It will be available for dental professionals to purchase beginning November 1st, 2023. The company’s latest breakthrough can be used to master composite restorations, especially esthetically challenging cases. 

Ecosite Elements is the result of countless discussions and workshops with leading clinicians, coupled with innovative research conducted by DMG scientists. The nanohybrid composite is intended for dental professionals to deliver esthetically exceptional restorations, quickly and efficiently. 

Dr. Scott Chanin, one of the material system’s original evaluators, states “There’s a wide range of flexibility with this Ecosite Elements that allows you to obtain an ideal result easily. Everything you need in one system.” 

The keys to Ecosite Elements’ unique capabilities are as follows: 

• Amazingly compact to simplify your life o The Ecosite Elements line’s compact range of shades across three modules (Pure, Layer and Highlight) represents a much more manageable selection than some other competitors’ systems may require, which means significant reductions in storage and inventory expense. Packaged in ergonomically optimized dispensers the shades provide all the options needed for dentin or enamel replacement, layering, individualization and covering discolorations, with simple and accurate shade matching. 
• NC1 (non-clustering) technology for perfect polishability and esthetics o Ecosite Elements’ state-of-the-art mechanical values are perfectly suited for the anterior and posterior regions. With the precise silanization of individual ultrafine filler elements enabling exceptionally homogeneous distribution, its NC1 technology delivers optimum working characteristics and polishability and esthetic results. 
• Push-and-Flow restorative technique makes handling a dream o The NC1 technology makes the novel Push-and-Flow technique possible, enabling the material to adjust to each situation. The initially firm consistency quickly becomes noticeably softer during sculpting, allowing the material to be securely adapted to the cavity walls and eliminating bubbles or cracks. With perfectly accurate anatomical details, the finals restoration look lifelike. 

“Even in anterior cases, the restoration looks incredibly real,” Dr. Alan Pressman said. “The base VITA shade matches the opacity or translucency of the tooth next to it, and then you can cover that with the next shade module. If you are trying to match a veneer on tooth No. 8 with tooth No. 9 and there is some imperfection on the enamel, you can't tell the difference.” 

Ecosite Elements is the latest addition of innovative composite offerings from DMG, which include such industry-leading, award-winning materials as Luxatemp bis-acrylic provisional material and LuxaCore Z Dual core build-up and post cementation composite. 

The new composite can also be used in concert with other advanced materials in the Ecosite family, including Ecosite Bulk Fill and Ecosite Bond. 

Demonstrations and complimentary samples of Ecosite Elements will be available at the DMG booth #2822 during the Greater New York Dental Meeting on November 26-29, 2023, that will be held at the Jacob Javitz convention center in New York City. 

For more information about DMG, please visit https://www.dmg-america.com/. 

About DMG 

DMG manufactures and distributes a full range of market-leading dental materials and equipment that are internationally recognized for their quality and innovation. Known for its breakthrough dental technology – including flagship products like Luxatemp® and LuxaCore® Z Dual, the revolutionary Icon® resin infiltrant, LuxaCrown® long-term crown and bridge material, and new additions such as Ecosite Elements universal composite and DentaMile® 3D printing solution, complete with software, hardware and resins – DMG is committed to helping provide holistic solutions and streamlined workflows for dental and lab professionals to meet their needs through innovation, collaboration, and dedication. For more information about DMG products, or to find a sales representative, please visit online at www.dmgamerica.com, or call 800-662-6383.

Want Your Own QR Code? - Try QR Code Talker

 

Back in the early days of the commercial Internet, I stumbled across a website called Karen's Power Tools.  It turns out that there was a very talented computer code writer who's name was Karen Kenworthy.  This was back in the days when most of us were still connecting to the Internet via dial-up.

Back then, technology was primitive and the online world was a bit like the wild west.  However, a lot of the first people to get online were people that wanted to make the world a better place and they fostered a spirit of giving, often helping each other for free with tech problems or writing a short program someone might need.

I never met Karen, but I began using her programs.  They weren't glamorous, but they performed exactly as they were designed and I loved them!!!  One of the Power Tools was called "Karen's Replicator" and it was the easiest to use and implement replicator backup software that I had ever seen.  I am still using it to backup my Windows systems.  I began talking about Karen's Replicator in the lectures I was doing on "paperless offices" and I would always advise folks to download and use it.

The most amazing part of all of these programs?  Karen had a big heart and was generously giving them away for FREE.  She asked for donations if the user could afford them, but it wasn't necessary.  Needless to say, I always encouraged doctors to send some money to Karen.  Anyone who is willing to do nice things for people and expect nothing in return, deserves to be rewarded.  I placed an order for the Power Tools CD and was thrilled when it arrived in a small padded envelope via US Mail.

Sadly, Karen passed away on April 12, 2011.  I'd never met her, but I was sad nonetheless.  She had a "Power Tools Newsletter" that I subscribed to and over the years , I got a feeling for the type of person Karen was.  She was a truly giving person and I felt the world had lost a 'good soul' when she passed.  However, in her memory he family and friends continued to keep her website www.karenware.com up and running.  That means that everyone can still access all of the programs that Karen had made available for download.  I still *highly* recommend Karen's Replicator!  Those friends have even worked to provide updates to the original code.

I thought keeping her site up and running was a fitting memorial... that Karen continued to give to others even though she was gone from this world.  

I am still subscribed to the newsletter and every once in a while I receive an update.  The site is now run by her friend Joe and he sends things out occasionally.  Recently I got a newsletter that announced that for the first time since her passing, the site now has a new program.  It's called QR Code Talker and Joe wrote it and is following in Karen's footsteps to provide it for free downloads.  

If you are in need of an easy way to create your very own QR code, give Joe's new program a try.  It's a great way to carry on the memory and the work of a very giving lady.  Karen Kenworthy may be gone, but she left a legacy of free software for the rest of us.  Thanks, Karen!

Join Me on Thursday for a Webinar "Endodontic Advancements for the General Practitioner"

Just so no one things I've "slipped a cog on the reality wheel", I realize that today's post is a repeat of the one I made Thursday.  It's just that I *really* want to make sure people see this announcement.  Join me Thursday November 16th!!!

Repeat, repeat, repeat!!!

___________________________________________________________________________________

Thursday November 16th, I'd be honored if you'd join me to learn about new and exciting ways to make endodontic procedures easier and more predictable.

I recently gave a version of this lecture at the IAPA meeting in Las Vegas and I had a blast doing it.  There are *lots* of new technologies and tools that are changing dentistry for the better.  Many of those tools and tech can enable the GP to make better diagnoses and provide better care... especially in the realm of endodontics.

The good folks at Medidenta are allowing me to give this 1 CE course at no charge to all of you and I am very excited to see what you all think of it.  As Technology Editor and Chief Dental Editor of Dental Products Report, I get to see a lot of pretty impressive developments in the profession and this webinar will give me a chance to get that info to you.

Please follow this link to register.  We're going to have some fun and I *know* you will walk away from this with info that you will be able to use to change your practice for the better!