by Dr. Joe Blaes
GUM® Soft-Picks® from Sunstar - Here is a great new way for your patients to clean interproximally, especially patients who do not like to use string floss. We all have our favorites that we advise patients to use on a regular basis. For the past year, I have used Soft-Picks that I purchased retail, and recommended to patients. They are now available to dental offices. Soft-Picks interdental cleaners resemble brushes, but do not have metal or fiber bristles. Instead, they have small, soft, elastomeric fingers protruding perpendicularly from a plastic core. The fingers both remove plaque and reduce gingivitis. This is the only soft toothpick on the market today. The narrow, tapered design works well for all patients, and is particularly handy for those with bridges, pontics, implants, and ortho appliances. Soft-Picks are latex-free and tissue-friendly. They are my wife’s favorite cleaner because they are much easier to use and more comfortable and effective than string floss. They come in dispensing packs of five picks in a little plastic case with 36 sample packs per box, and can be ordered from your dealer or by calling Sunstar at (800) 528-8537 or by visiting www.sustarbutler.com.
KODAK P712 Dental Digital Photography System - The type of camera you choose for intra- and extraoral images depends upon who’s using the camera. If you’re looking for a camera system that everyone in the office can use successfully, then the new Kodak P712 system is the best. Whether you use the images for insurance documentation, patient communication, presentations, or e-mail referrals, digital photography can greatly enhance patient care and improve your practice. Designed with ease of use in mind, the Kodak P712 system is configured for optimal dental photography - so you and your team can concentrate on patients instead of technology. The improved Kodak dental flash and close-up lens 2 provides even, shadow-free lighting, and a new custom setting enhances mirror images. The distance guide helps you position the camera quickly and easily, while the large 2.5-inch LCD screen with positioning grid makes it easy to get the shot you want. The built-in image stabilization feature helps steady the image seen on the LCD screen, making intraoral photography easy for everyone in the office (even the doctor). Its huge 7.1 megapixel sensor enables clear, high-resolution images. Order from your dealer or call (800) 944-6365 for more information.
Micro Stix™ Adhesive Tip Applicatorsby Microbrush - I often have problems holding on to small veneers and inlays while trying to seat them. Usually my gloves are slick from cement, and the restoration usually lands in a puddle of saliva. Micro Stix now comes in two adhesive strengths: Smart Hold and Original Hold, providing more options for use depending on the type or size of restorations. The Original Hold is great for crowns or small bridges. The new Smart Hold is just right for smaller restorations that we sometimes struggle to seat. Smart Hold features a new advanced technology with a pressure-sensitive adhesive that lets you determine the holding strength by the force exerted on the applicator’s tip. Use less pressure for easier release when placing delicate items, or more pressure to securely hold larger items. Micro Stix bend easily for easy placement of restorations and they can be used multiple times during a single patient treatment. Like all Microbrush products, Micro Stix are disposable for easy clean up and infection control. Order from your dealer.
Clearfil® Esthetic Cement Kitfrom Kuraray Dental - For many years, Kuraray has been considered a leader in adhesives for dentistry. Dentists have many products available for cementing indirect restorations, including many that require us to follow complicated instructions. Kuraray introduces a new cement that produces beautiful, long-lasting results for all types of ceramic and metal restorations. Clearfil Esthetic Cement is a dual-cure, resin-based cement system for luting porcelain, ceramics, hybrid ceramics, composite resin, and metal restorations - really for any indirect restorative situation. Superior mechanical properties, such as a high filler load and a tough, self-etching seal, make this system a highly effective and exceptionally workable cement. The secret is a new adhesive designed especially for this system. Clearfil® DC Bond is a self-etch, single-step, dual-cure adhesive that can be used with any restorative procedure, indirect and direct, including the cementation of endodontic posts. This adhesive assures little or no postoperative sensitivity because the dentin is sealed. Clearfil DC Bond with Clearfil Esthetic Cement will benefit your patients with long wear and margins that are sealed against microleakage. Kuraray has done extensive research with hundreds of dentists to discover what we expect in a cement. Most dentists gave a high ranking to easy shade selection. We all know that selecting from a lot of shades is both difficult and time consuming. Kuraray has created a new color selection system that minimizes the time necessary to choose a shade by developing four essential color families arranged by restoration type. This cement provides color stability, which means the color will not fade or change over the life of the restoration. No deterioration equals no discoloration. Preparation is simple. With any type of ceramic material, including porcelain, Zirconia, Leucite, or Alumina, use Clearfil® Ceramic Primer (included), a single-component ceramic primer that ensures an excellent bond. The cement dispensing kit contains a compact auto-mix syringe, so there is no messy mixing or extra steps. For veneers, an easy-to-use try-in paste conforms to the color and film thickness of the composite. Use Clearfil® Alloy Primer (not included) for cementation of any type of metal or PFM crown. The entire cementation process was designed with you in mind. Order from your dealer or visit www.kuraraydental.com for more information.
