Tetric®EvoCeram by Ivoclar Vivadent - If you are currently using Tetric Ceram, I have some really great news for you. This proven direct composite has evolved into Tetric EvoCeram, a universal composite material featuring nano-technology. For those of you who have not tried this, you are in for a surprise. I had the opportunity to see the launch of this product in Germany and have used the material since last October. You will be thrilled with this new material. Tetric EvoCeram utilizes three types of nano-particles in a composite formulation that gives you less wear, low shrinkage, and much faster and easier polishing. This material will make placing composites easier and faster, thus enhancing production. Nano-modifiers have made the material easier to handle, mold, and sculpt. Nano-pigments provide a natural chameleon effect that allows you to use a single shade of Tetric EvoCeram. I suggest doing most of your carving of pits and fissures with instruments before you cure the material. You will find that the composite will have a fairly smooth surface that will achieve a high gloss very quickly. Tetric EvoCeram gives you a composite to use in both anterior and posterior locations that will make your clinical esthetic practice faster, better, and easier. Order Tetric EvoCeram from your dealer or visit www.ivoclarvivadent.us.com for more information.
D/Sense®Crystal by CENTRIX - I am constantly asked in my seminars and lectures about how to control sensitivity after preparing a tooth. I recently came across D/SenseCrystal, a one-step, dual-action desensitizer and cavity liner. It reacts with dentin to build a crystaline structure that penetrates deeply into the tubules to seal the dentinal surface with a continuous, acid-resistant complex. Obviously, this is a great adjunct for hygienists. If a patient comes in complaining of sensitivity, the hygienist can apply D/SenseCrystal before the prophy to ensure a pain-free experience. Apply it after the prophy to stop postoperative sensitivity and to enhance the patient's oral care. The material is dispensed directly from the delivery syringe for fast, easy application and rapid desensitization. I have used it on cervical erosions. I apply it to the margins of my veneers to ensure the patient will be comfortable in the temporary phase. After I cement my temporary crowns, inlays, and onlays in the posterior, I will apply D/SenseCrystal to control sensitivity while they are wearing the temporary restorations. I have used it in cases of very deep cavities to seal the tubules without any preparation of the tooth surface. This is a sure-fire way to prevent postoperative sensitivity, and a faster, better, easier, and less expensive way to control sensitivity! Order D/SenseCrystal from your dealer or visit www.centrixdental.com for more information.
TOPEX®HandiCaineStix™ by Sultan Dental - For years, I have disliked the way we have dispensed topical anesthetic. We used cotton-tipped applicators from a package that was opened and stored in a drawer. We dipped those applicators into a jar of topical anesthetic and then placed the material in the mouth. It seemed to me there was a lot of room for improvement in the technique. Cross-contamination is a huge problem. At the Greater New York Dental Meeting, Herb Wolfe of Sultan Dental showed me his solution to this problem. TOPEX HandiCaineStix is a premeasured, self-contained unit that delivers .40 gm of the number-one-selling cherry TOPEX topical anesthetic. The single-use packaging also contains a sterile cotton swab for convenient, fast, no-mess application with no chance of cross-contamination. The compact design allows for quick setup of treatment room trays. The material does not have a bitter aftertaste so excessive salivation is not a problem. It also is ideal to give to your patients to take home to alleviate the pain often associated with oral lesions. TOPEX HandiCaineStix comes in cherry and piña colada flavors in packages of 24 or 120. This is a must-have product! Call your dealer today and order the 120-count package so you don’t run out and start using those dirty cotton swabs again. For more information, visit www.sultandental.com.
Isolyser®/ SMSby WCM - Here is a product that will actually save you money and hassles. It is a remarkable system that every dental office needs to be aware of. The Isolyser SMS is a self-contained system that provides management of sharps and biohazardous waste. This product costs less than traditional collection/treatment and disposal services. It is definitely more convenient. The product is safer, better for the environment, and reduces your liability because your untreated waste never leaves your office. By using SMS, you render your waste nonbiohazardous before it leaves your office. Traditional collection services use antiquated systems, i.e. trucks (expensive, polluting, and contributing to traffic congestion), drivers (expensive), multimillion-dollar treatment facilities (expensive, potentially polluting air, water, and soil), and in many cases your untreated waste is driven hundreds of miles before it arrives at an approved treatment facility. Then the waste can sit for days before it is actually treated. All of these steps are expensive and harmful to the environment. By comparison, SMS is simply more efficient. The SMS product is purchased through distributors that you already work with and is delivered with your other supplies. Purchasing SMS from a distributor also reduces the number of separate payments processed each month. It is simply a better way for small- to medium-sized biohazardous waste generators to handle their waste.
You are not required to sign a service contract to use the product - a problem many dental healthcare professionals have been recently stuck with. Typically this product offers a 30 percent to 75 percent savings compared to “traditional” collection/treatment/disposal services. That is a significant savings as well as being more environmentally conscious. WCM also offers products for all regulated waste streams generated in a dental office including fixer/developer, glutaraldehyde, and scrap amalgam and lead foil. All of these products offer a less-expensive, more convenient method of handling regulated waste. This company aims to make compliance as easy, inexpensive, and convenient as possible. Order from your dealer, visit www.wcminc.net, or call (866) 436-9264 for more information.
Dental Insurance Coding Handbook - 2005 by Carol Tekavec, RDH - This new and improved handbook contains all ADA codes for the CDT-2005 plus detailed information to help get patients’ claims paid. The manual contains more than 275 pages of detailed, code-by-code guidelines including insurance industry tips, processing parameters, “by-report” narrative wording, sequencing for prophys, perio scaling, and perio maintenance, the things that typically constitute insurance fraud, and much more. This is the only book you need to have all the codes required and mandated by HIPAA legislation. It is written by Carol Tekavec, RDH, a columnist for Dental Economics and a sought-after speaker for the ADA Seminar Series. Call (800) 548-2164 to order or go to www.steppingstonesto success.com to read an excerpt and get more information.
Pearls update: HiRes™ by Orascoptic - Hygienists are finding they can perform at a higher level if they can see better. Many hygienists are selecting the new HiRes high-definition loupes that provide a wide-viewing field and lightweight comfort. The result is maximum comfort, visual acuity, and optimum performance. To order, call (800) 369-3698 or visit www.orascoptic.com for more information.
