I recently attended the Chicago Dental Society meeting, and what a great meeting it was! The aisles were crowded, a sign of the tremendous interest that we have in coming to see what is new and how we can improve our practices. Let me share some of my observations as I walked around the meeting and the exhibition hall.
Some of the largest crowds were at the Philips Oral Health booth, the makers of Sonicare. The great Sonicare Intelliclean System giveaway had people wrapped around the booth, with representatives ultimately giving away close to 5,000 Sonicare Intelliclean Systems. Everyone was so happy walking away from that booth with their fresh, clean smiles, after having used the company’s brand new Sonicare Intelliclean Systems. It is always a sight to behold.
The interest in lasers is growing exponentially in dentistry. Companies that are involved with selling lasers were busy. Biolase, with a two-story booth, had attendees packed into its presentations to hear some of the top laser clinical experts, such as Dr. Mark Colonna and Dr. James Jesse. Nearly every time I walked past that booth, there were people three-to-four deep, wanting to test out the new Waterlase® MD hard- and soft-tissue laser, with its variable settings and all of its brand new features.
The Sunstar Butler Company had a lot of excitement in its booth, promoting a new root conditioner to eliminate sensitivity after scaling and root planing. It is called the NuCare with NovaMin™. This is a welcome addition to its strong armamentarium of excellent oral hygiene products.
All of the digital radiography companies seemed to be busy. Dentists love colorizing and using all of the features of these systems, which can enhance our diagnostic capabilities. There is no question that digital radiography is going to be the way to go as we digitize our practices. I recently added the Lightyear digital radiography system to my practice. Now I can’t imagine practicing without it!
Many opportunities were available to learn about providing faster, easier, and better dentistry for our patients, especially in the area of minimally invasive dentistry. So many of the company’s exhibition booths were set up to include either some kind of workstation or a mini-auditorium. Here, you could learn about new products or participate in a short hands-on workshop.
The Den-Mat Corporation booth featured a workstation where doctors could participate in a short hands-on workshop on how to place the exciting no-preparation Cerinate® Lumineers™. Dentists and staff always marvel at the “before” and “after” photographs and what can be accomplished with no-preparation Lumineers. The interest in this area has exploded over the last few years.
Heraeus Kulzer had a fabulous meeting as well. Heraeus was displaying what I consider to be the next generation in endodontics therapy, called InnoEndo (Innovative Endodontic Adheisive Therapy™), with resilon technology. You can’t get a better seal to the inside of the root than an adhesive-bonded restoration of the root canal system. InnoEndo and the Miltex Liberator files combine to make the total endodontics package we have been looking for. It is an exciting new technology and new product.
Crest unveiled its new Pro-Health mouthwash with no alcohol. It was interesting watching people at the company’s booth trying out this new mouthwash and being able to keep it in their mouth for 30 seconds with no burning sensation. You can’t do that with a mouthwash that contains alcohol. The studies of the plaque-reducing benefits of this mouthwash are outstanding, and they also show it is highly effective in reducing gingivitis and bad breath. Good job, Crest!
Coltène/Whaledent had a great meeting as well. This company has released some new innovative products including a new LED curing light, a new simple-to-use retraction system called Magic FoamCord®, and a new endodontic sealer called GuttaFlow®.
Wonderful opportunities exist in general dentistry today, and they were on full display at this year’s CDS meeting. What an exciting time to be a dentist! Let’s appreciate how lucky we are to be able to provide our patients with such state-of-the-art treatment thanks to outstanding new products and technology.
Dr. Louis Malcmacher is an international lecturer and author known for his comprehensive and entertaining style. An evaluator for Clinical Research Associates, Dr. Malcmacher is a consultant to the Council on Dental Practice of the ADA. For close to two decades, Dr. Malcmacher has inspired his audiences to truly enjoy practicing dentistry by providing the knowledge necessary for excellent clinical and practice-management skills. His group dental practice has maintained a 45 percent overhead since 1988. For details about his speaking schedule, Dr. Malcmacher can be reached at (440) 892-1810, or via e-mail at [email protected].
