Help with determining the “correct” tooth shade

VITA Linearguide 3D–Master® by Vident

VITA Linearguide 3D–Master® by Vident — The “correct” shade is more than a question of perception. The scientifically developed VITA 3D–Master shade guide offers consistent and even distribution of shades in the tooth color area, providing consistent coverage of the range of natural tooth color, and making determining intermediate shades much easier. The Linearguide features a sleek, linear design that makes the process of precise 3D–Master shade determination fast and easy.

To use it, remove the VITA Valueguide 3D–Master from the opened Linearguide. Determine the lightness level (value) by making your first selection using the Valueguide. This way you determine the level of lightness from 0 to 5. To determine the chroma/hue, make a definitive selection within the determined level of lightness from step one using the corresponding chroma/hue guide. This way you can determine the correct tooth shade quickly and reliably. Order from your dealer, visit www.vident.com, or call (800) 828–3839 for more information.

VITA Easyshade® Compact by Vident — Is there a tougher concept to grasp than “shade” in dentistry? I don’t think so. Do you consider value, chroma, and hue? Do you consider the light source that the shade was taken under and the light source that will be used to reproduce that shade in the dental lab? Now there are all kinds of shade guides available, even electronic ones that give too much information. Over my career in dentistry, I have lost many hours of productive time due to inaccurate shades. Now that process has been simplified. I no longer have to rely on my eye to give me the right porcelain shade. Do you remember the name VITA and the 16 classical shades they introduced 50 years ago? Now there’s an even faster, easier way to measure accurate shades, regardless of differences in color perception. The VITA Easyshade® Compact incorporates multiple color spectrophotometers at varying angles to measure exceptionally accurate shades.

The VITA Easyshade® Compact gives you the ability to conquer the trickiest shade challenges all day, every day, instantly and accurately. Now you can measure natural teeth, check restoration shades, and track the bleaching progress with the push of a button. VITA Easyshade has an on–board calibration block for consistent accuracy assurance, and a rechargeable battery that holds a charge for a full week of typical use. Measure a single central, check crown accuracy before seating, or get a more detailed shade analysis with a detailed map — it’s all there with Easyshade Compact. With a built–in memory that stores the last 25 measurements, you never have to worry about forgetting the result. This product is what I call a no–brainer. Every office should have one! Order from your dealer, visit www.easyshadecompact.com, or call (800) 828–3839 for more information.

Sonicare FlexCare+® by Philips — This is the most advanced toothbrush yet. It motivates patients to achieve consistent oral homecare for improved gum health. Sonicare FlexCare is known as an excellent plaque remover. Now the Sonicare FlexCare+ has been introduced with advanced features, including a new Gum Care mode that provides two minutes of overall cleaning followed by one minute of gentle cleaning to focus an extra effort on trouble spots along the gumline. FlexCare+ will improve gingival health, help prevent gum recession, reduce bleeding sites and gum inflammation, and even reduce gingivitis in smokers, a population at high risk for periodontal disease. This product is specifically designed to motivate patients to achieve consistent oral homecare for improved gum health. FlexCare+ motivates patients by providing a positive brushing experience they can feel and see, including clean–feeling teeth, excellent stain removal, and less handle vibration. To order or for more information, visit www.sonicare.com/dp.

E–Lieve™ by Centrix

E–Lieve™ by Centrix — Do your patients complain of soft tissue irritation after bleaching? Before I discovered E–Lieve, I cut open a Vitamin E capsule and put some on the irritated tissue. This was fairly messy and hard for the patient to do at home. E–Lieve is a unit–dose topical Vitamin E moisturizer that provides a soothing treatment for any soft tissue irritation. Applied to tissue after bleaching, especially with peroxide, E–Lieve provides relief to patients. Painful white spots go away in about an hour with treatment. E–Lieve can also treat damaged gingival tissue after laser or electro surge procedures. The convenient single dose LolliPack™ package leads to easy application and take home use. No more cutting open Vitamin E gel tablets or awkward application. Each unit contains a single dose (0.3ml) of E–lieve Vitamin E plus one clean Benda® Brush applicator. Simply peel back the cover, dip in the brush, and apply. This product provides easy clean up, easy inventory, and no waste. This is easy for patients to just dip, brush, and throw away. Centrix makes post bleaching tissue treatment faster and easier. Ordering is easy. Call (800) 235–5862 or contact your dealer. For more information, visit www.centrixdental.com.

The Dental Documents Booklet & CD–ROM, 6th Edition, by Dr. Gordon Christensen — Have you ever wished that you had forms for patient education, forms to reinforce the procedures you have told patients about, forms for instructions for proper post op care, or forms for informed consent? Many dentists have never taken the time to put these crucial forms together. Sometimes they use instructions that a product company has issued for their products, but these don’t say it the way the dentist really likes. These dentists need a set of custom developed forms for their practices, but that’s a lot of work that never gets done. Here’s your chance to put together forms for your office.

Dr. Gordon Christensen has developed a manual of dental documents that gives you the words to start your own custom documents. The book comes with a CD that you can download and then customize each form for what you want it to say. Gordon greases the skids for you so that you can quickly put together the forms you need for your practice. Some practices print the forms as is, while others redesign them and print them to fit their needs. Many of these forms can serve as legal informed consents. If you plan to use them for this purpose, place a date on the form, sign it, and have the patient sign it as well. There are probably some forms you did not think of, and maybe even some that Gordon didn’t think of, but at least he got you thinking. This is an inexpensive way to get the process started. Order from Practical Clinical Courses by calling (800) 223–6569 or visit www.pccdental.com.

Hemostasyl™ by Kerr Corporation — This highly efficient hemostatic agent is an ideal choice when moderate bleeding occurs and gingival retraction is not required. It is easy to place using a convenient 2g syringe with an angled tip for easy access and precise placement, and a viscosity that stays in place and controls blood and other fluids. The bright turquoise color offers sharp contrast with all tissues to easily see the product and facilitate cleanup. With a concentration of 15% aluminum chloride, this material is an effective way to stop bleeding in many clinical applications, such as Class V composite placement, cementation, and scaling in perio cases. Compromising the esthetics of the procedure is not a worry. Hemostasyl contains no ferric sulfate, unlike similar products that can stain proteins black, including soft tissue and dentin. The stains are very difficult to remove. This is a great product to have on hand when difficult bleeding situations arise. The major problem that takes the fun out of most dental procedures is bleeding tissue. So learn to control those problems with Hemostasyl. Order from your dealer. To learn more, visit kerrdental.com or call (800) KERR–123.

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Travel Brief

By Irv Green

As travel columnists Irv Green, DDS, and Andrea Gross work their way across Canada, they learn about the country by speaking with its artisans.

“Talking about crafts inevitably leads to talking about place,” Green said. “Often the conversation gives us surprising glimpses into ways of life that we’d known nothing about.”

Blacksmith Leonard Arseneau at La Forge a Pique–Assaut outside Quebec City was delighted to find that Green was a dentist. “In the old days, blacksmiths were the village dentists,” he noted while brandishing a pair of pliers.

Green later did a quick Google search and learned that, while some old–time smithies undoubtedly yanked rotten teeth, most simply made instruments for professional “tooth pullers.”

For more about crafting across Canada, go to www.dentaleconomics.com and click on the tab for “Travel News.”