Tapping into social networking

Social Networking Solutions from Officite — Now is the time to tap into the power of social networking. You can no longer sit on the sidelines and watch this phenomenon. Imagine a patient just received a whitening treatment at your office. She's so happy that she takes her picture and uploads it to her Facebook page, promoting your practice to everyone in her virtual network. When her friends notice her new and improved smile, they want to know where she received her exceptional treatment. This translates into timely and valued referrals for your practice. It's clear that your patients rely on social networks to communicate and share information, especially photos. So isn't it time for your practice to join in on this social networking revolution? Launching an effective blog and social networking campaign requires time and energy that doctors don't always have. But Officite offers a new social networking solution that makes it easy to broaden your referral network and increase new patient leads. Drawing on elements from your dental practice Web site, Officite will build professional profiles for your practice on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and YouTube, the top four social media Web sites. They'll also establish a blog for your practice, extending your Web site's quality and content and significantly increasing your search engine rankings with up–to–date content. Setting up a social networking platform isn't enough to bring in new patient leads, however. Regular updates and fresh content are essential if you want to increase your online visibility and attract new patients. Officite will take care of the maintenance for you. New blog posts will be written and placed on your practice's Web site twice a month, and your social networking profiles will be synced with your blog postings. There's no extra effort on your part and you'll reap measurable results from the best marketing the Internet has to offer. Your visibility on social media sites is often enough to lead a patient your way when he or she must choose between your practice and that of a competing dentist with no social media presence. Infusing this technology into your practice will help distinguish you from the competition, engage you with existing and prospective patients, and grow your practice faster. You can learn more about Officite's social networking program at www.officite.com/products/social_networking/ or by calling (800) 655–9819.

Vertise™ Flow from Kerr Corporation

Vertise™ Flow from Kerr Corporation — Dental materials were pretty simple when I graduated from dental school. We used amalgam, silicate, gold foil, gold castings, occasionally a gold crown with a resin facing, or sometimes an all–porcelain crown. That was about it. Nobody ever dreamed we would stick fillings to teeth. Now here I am, about to write about another advancement in adhesion technology. Vertise Flow™ is Kerr's first self–adhering flowable composite. Kerr has long been a leader in resin restorative dentistry due to its decades of advancements in composites and expertise in adhesives. Now this expertise comes together in Vertise Flow™. By incorporating the bonding agent into the composite, the self–adhering flowable composite technology eliminates the need for a separate bonding application step. With Vertise Flow™, you can start your restoration with a flowable that will not only fill in all the “nooks and crannies,” but will also bond to the tooth. Powered by Kerr's renowned OptiBond® adhesive technology, this product greatly simplifies the direct restorative procedures for today's time–challenged dental practices. This is another great step in our direct restorative procedures, and is the result of the Kerr research and development team. You will enjoy adding this product to your direct restorative armamentarium. I guarantee that you will reduce the time you need to produce your direct composite restorations. To view clinician endorsements and learn more about this new product, go to www.kerrdental.com/vertiseflow.

COMFORTdrive® from KaVo Dental — I've used an electric handpiece in my practice for 20 years, and I know that my dentistry is much better because of it. I know that many women dentists are challenged when trying an electric handpiece because their hands are small, so I've been looking for a smaller electric. I think I've found it. COMFORTdrive® features precise cutting performance in a lighter, shorter, and quieter handpiece. This product's unique patented design weighs approximately 40% less and is 15% shorter than market–leading electric options. The integrated motor reduces the distal length after the pivot point in the doctor's hand, allowing for a better degree of control. KaVo's innovative design reduces forearm and finger fatigue with the comfort and familiar feel of air–driven high–speeds. This next generation handpiece is the high–speed doctors will want to use all day, every day. The COMFORTtronic control module features an auto–calibration “Plug–n–Prep,” which allows for air–like “feathering” between 30,000 to 200,000 rpm with the foot pedal. It works off the current air source and no adjustment is required of any other equipment in the office. It works the way you are accustomed to working with air–driven instruments. Therefore, doctors using air driven handpieces can seamlessly transition to COMFORTdrive® with no learning curve. Simply dedicate the high–speed slot in your dental unit to COMFORTdrive® and maintain your existing low–speed option. The chuck strength of this handpiece will give you exceptional bur concentricity for precise cutting. This is one of the features that made me a fan of using an electric. COMFORTdrive® operates at only 55dB, making it one of the quietest high–speed handpieces on the market today. Contact your authorized KaVo dealer or KaVo rep for an in–office demonstration. Call (888) ASK–KAVO or sign up for a demo online at www.kavocomfortdrive.com.

CoMax™ Composite Dispenser from AdDent Inc. — This is a better way to handle new composites. Have you noticed that it is hard to dispense the new heavily filled composites? You can use brute strength to handle them, or you can get the new AdDent composite dispenser. Its special patented ergonomic mechanism with an easy–to–hold trigger and handle minimizes the dispensing force needed to express heavily filled composites. The CoMax™ also features an easier way to load and unload compules. CoMax™ unloads quickly with one hand and is ready to load. It will accept all composite compules and has an ergonomic handle and trigger for the comfort of the dentist and assistant. CoMax™ works for you with a high mechanical advantage mechanism. It is made of high tech plastic and stainless steel, which makes it completely autoclaveable. CoMax™ gives you a composite dispenser with a long life expectancy and greatly improved asepsis. You will want to add this instrument to all your treatment rooms. Order from your dealer or visit www.addent.com for more information.