Refresh Life, a book by Dr. Dan SindelarThis is the first book written for patients by a dentist that tells the story of how oral disease affects the rest of the body. In language that patients can understand, Dr. Dan Sindelar states his message, “Good oral health is essential to your overall well-being.” This is a proven message that dentists know is true, and well proven by study after study. As stated in the Washington Post (Sept. 3, 2008), “In diabetes … the body-mouth connection is clear-cut. You would think that physicians would be telling their diabetic patients to make regular visits to head off gum disease and that dentists would be advising patients who develop persistent gum disease to be tested for diabetes.” The great lack of communication between physicians and dentists must be changed if we are to make any progress in improving the lives of patients through proper care of the oral cavity. When was the last time a physician referred a patient to you for treatment of obvious periodontal conditions? How many physicians and dentists don’t treat periodontal disease as life threatening? In 2008, Science Daily published an article that said, “Each year, cardiovascular disease kills more Americans than cancer. And while most people are aware that lifestyle choices such as eating right, getting exercise, and quitting smoking can help prevent cardiovascular disease, they may not know that just by brushing and flossing their teeth each day, they might also be avoiding this potentially lethal condition.” This is information that patients need and deserve so they can make critical decisions about their overall health and well-being. In his introduction, Dr. Sindelar makes his purpose clear: “The research is mounting daily. Lack of oral health is a major risk factor to your body’s total health. The mouth is where life begins. So when, where, how, and why did the mouth become separated from the rest of the body? Medical research is finding oral bacteria to be associated with cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, preterm birth, and Alzheimer’s, just to name a few.” In another quote from his introduction, Dr. Sindelar states some of his observations. “Over the years as a dentist, I have noticed that most of my older patients in their 80s and 90s that were vibrant, living active lives, and had a lot of positives in their life, all had very healthy mouths. They had what I call young gums. I would often joke with them that they had the ‘gums of a teenager.’ On the other hand, I noticed most of the older, noncompliant gum disease patients who took poor care of their oral health and refused any recommended treatment lived very unhealthy, disease-filled lives. They looked older than their age, and were almost never a part of the group of patients in their 80s and 90s. They always seemed to ‘move on,’ passing away before they reached these decades of their life.” Refresh Life should be read by every dentist. In addition, dentists should buy extra copies to give to physician friends (especially cardiologists) so that they will begin looking at the condition of the teeth and gingival tissues. Then give them to patients to help them improve their health. I am proud to say that Dr. Sindelar was born and raised in St. Louis, Mo., and is a good friend of mine. In Refresh Life, he opens a door to your health and the health of patients by showing why it is so crucial to care for teeth and gums, and how to go about refreshing their whole lives by simply taking better care of the mouth. Patients and you will add 10 healthy, active years to your life by reading this book. Refresh Life is available on Amazon.com. For more information, visit www.drdansindelar.com.
To have Dr. Joe Blaes present his lecture, “Pearls For Your Practice®,” for your study group or dental society, please call (866) 274-4500.
The Clinical PRO-HEALTH SYSTEM™ by Crest® + Oral-B®The body of clinical research is making a stronger connection between oral health and overall body health. I am a founding member of the American Academy for Oral Systemic Health (AAOSH), and I recently attended the academy’s inaugural meeting in Chicago. A group of more than 300 people listened as physicians, allied health professionals, and dentists quoted articles and studies that proved the relationship of oral inflammation to heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Now is the time for dentistry to become focused on truly helping patients improve their oral health so that they live longer and healthier lives. This puts the importance of the Clinical Pro-Health System™ in focus for all of us. Patients must learn once that bleeding in the mouth is not normal! Recommend this system for your patients with moderate gingivitis, and you will observe a reduction in bleeding sites and inflamed gingival tissues. The system includes use of the Oral-B Professional Care SmartSeries 5000 Electric Toothbrush with SmartGuide™ and its oscillating-rotating technology that loosens and sweeps away plaque. An extra three-minute mode on the SmartGuide will encourage longer brushing for patients with gingivitis. Now comes the hard part. Patients must learn to use the advanced Oral-B Glide® Pro-Health Clinical Protection Floss in conjunction with the toothbrush. The use of Crest Pro-Health Clinical Gum Protection Toothpaste has been clinically proven to help reverse gingivitis in four weeks, and it also protects against tooth sensitivity. Crest Pro-Health Multi-Protection Rinse provides 12-hour protection against plaque and gingivitis. The rinse will kill bacteria without the burn of alcohol. For more information on Crest products and to place an order, visit www.dentalcare.com/en-us/home.aspx.
EndoGuide™ Micro Endodontic Burs for Canal Access and Exploration from SS White®These are a unique set of eight burs for nonsurgical root canal treatment. The patented conical-shaped, microdiameter tip acts as a self-centering guide for straight-line access to canals to create an ideal guide path of endodontic files. This maximizes treatment efficiency and conserves healthy peri-cervical dentin. EndoGuide Burs facilitate increased tactile sense of dentin and calcified canals, provide a polished dentin surface for easier visual identification of hidden canals, and can reduce dependence on costly ultrasonic instrumentation. SS White codeveloped the EndoGuide Burs with Dr. David Clark, a general dentist, and Dr. John Khademi, an endodontist. These dentists are pioneers in microdentistry and share a philosophy of conserving tooth structure. I know that you will find these burs to be a great addition to your endodontic armamentarium, and that they will actually improve the quality of your endodontic treatment by conserving tooth structure and preventing costly mistakes such as perforation. EndoGuide Burs are available from your dealer in task-specific kits, for anterior/bicuspid or molar teeth, and in five-packs of individual burs. For more information, visit www.sswhite.com.
ET 3000 Composite Manipulation Instrument from BrasselerI have had the pleasure of watching the development of this instrument from a simple mock-up to a functioning new product during the past two years. I have used it along the way, and can say with no hesitation that it is a great new idea in the placement of composite restorations. The ET 3000 is a handpiece-sized, chargeable, cordless, lithium-ion, battery-powered instrument that is designed to speed and enhance the placement, manipulation, and sculpting of composite resins. It uses a specific oscillating action (3,000 rpm, ~45 times per second) that taps/strokes composite restorative materials in a manner such that the material does not stick to placement instruments. Note that this is not a vibrating device. Internal tests of vibration compared to oscillation showed that vibration has virtually no effect on composite resin. As dentists, we have developed many techniques to deal with sticky composites. The elimination of “pull back” due to composite restorative material that adheres to the placement instrument will increase productivity and allow for more contouring and sculpting of surface anatomy prior to curing. This potentially reduces time-consuming postcure trimming and finishing. The flow of the composite restorative materials is significantly increased, reducing the need for flowable composites in some restorations. The ET 3000 makes the placement of direct single- or multiple-layer composite veneers faster, better, easier, and more fun for the dentist and patient. For more information and to order, go to www.brasselerusa.com.
