ViscoStat® Clear by Ultradent - I am not an advocate of using astringents in dentistry. I feel strongly that you can avoid cutting tissue through the use of instruments to protect the tissue and by carefully prepping teeth. If you have to chase decay under the tissue, or you are removing a large amalgam from under the tissue, the tissue is usually inflamed. I recommend removing that tissue with an electro-surgery unit. It has been my experience that the tissue will heal faster and the restoration will fit better. In the event you have bleeding tissue, ViscoStat Clear should be your hemostatic agent of choice. This product from Ultradent is the next generation in aluminum chloride hemostatic agents, and is designed to rapidly stop minor bleeding and sulcular fluid without leaving any messy residue. ViscoStat Clear is different because it is a viscous material that stays where you put it and allows for better control. The gel’s direct-syringe delivery provides added convenience in placement. With this product, you do not have to worry about staining your temporaries or the teeth you have prepped. No more black lines! If you have trouble with bleeding tissue, try using ViscoStat Clear before you start seating your next anterior esthetic case. ViscoStat Clear is “clearly” my material of choice for any preps in the esthetic zone. It is available in three convenient and affordable configurations, including a four-syringe trial pack, a 30 ml IndiSpense kit for direct unit-dose dispensing into 1.2 ml disposable syringes, and an IndiSpense refill. Ultradent’s Dento-Infusor tips are included with the syringes, providing a complete delivery system. For more information about ViscoStat Clear, call (800) 552-5512 or visit www.ultradent.com.
Expasyl™ ergomonic applicator for Kerr’s gingival retraction paste - Expasyl, Kerr’s fast, painless alternative to packing retraction cord, now features a new, ergonomic manual applicator that fits smaller hands, improves intraoral access, and delivers smooth extrusion of gingival retraction paste with minimal effort and improved control. Cleanup is simple and effective - the capsule holder is easy to remove and clean, and both the capsule holder and applicator are autoclavable. Expasyl opens the sulcus, physically displaces the gingival tissue and leaves the field dry, providing the retraction you need for impression taking or cementation. It’s easy to apply and easy on the patient. Simply place it directly into the sulcus, leave it for one to two minutes, then rinse. Unlike cord, Expasyl requires little or no pressure to apply, which greatly minimizes the risk of rupturing the epithelial attachment. Bleeding and crevicular seepage are controlled through the presence of aluminum chloride. With Expasyl, you’ll save time and leave the tissue less traumatized, setting the stage for quality restorations. For restorations with subgingival margins and when moisture control is a concern, make Expasyl your first choice. For more information, visit KerrDental.com or call (800) KERR.123.
NobelGuide™ by Nobel Biocare - If you restore or place dental implants, you have had the experience of misplacing one - even though you were very careful and used a surgical guide. Sometimes, stuff happens! Say goodbye to these problems with a new treatment concept. NobelGuide enables you to transform preplanned treatment into an easy, predictable, and fast clinical reality using the guided surgery system. This is a revolutionary treatment-planning and surgical-implementation system that enables you to transfer extraoral planning into the patient’s mouth with unrivaled accuracy and ease. With NobelGuide, placing the implant, abutment, and restorative crown or bridge can be simultaneous. It is applicable to any patient indication by using either conventional modeling or computer-aided 3-D design. You will know the exact position and depth of the implants before surgery. This information enables Nobel Biocare or your lab to produce a surgical template, which guides the flapless procedure from start to a completely predictable placement. In practice, this means beautiful teeth for your patients in just one visit. You have to see this to believe it! Contact them at www.nobelbiocare.com for more information.
EasyNotesPro - We all want to produce the most accurate record of our patients’ treatment. There are a number of ways to enter a patient’s notes into a record - 1) the dentist can manually write notes in the patient’s chart, however, often the doctor’s notes are unreadable, incomplete and, this input method is time-consuming; 2) the dentist dictates patient notes and a transcriptionist types them. This input method is expensive, and there is a time delay in obtaining the finished notes; 3) the dentist types notes directly into the software. This is extremely time consuming, not to mention the potential misspellings; 4) the dentist’s software program types a standardized note into the patient’s chart and the doctor manually edits the note. Seldom are the patient’s problems “standard,” and this solution allows no flexibility for the doctor in inputting text; 5) voice-recognition software is used to input patient notes. This solution doesn’t work well for this purpose because there are too many variables in individuals’ pronunciations and accents. Enter EasyNotesPro. This software enables the clinician to write detailed, precise patient clinical notes in just seconds without typing or using voice recognition. The key to this software is the toolbar, which is completely customizable by the user. The toolbar attaches itself to other Windows®-based software programs. This allows EasyNotesPro to enhance your current software, whether it’s a word-processing or practice-management program. All you do is “link” EasyNotesPro to the screen where your clinical notes are typed. From the toolbar, a simple click initiates a series of question-and-answer “pop-up” screens. These questions and the answer choices are customizable by the user. The doctor answers each question as it pops up by clicking the appropriate answer choice. The answers are held in memory until all questions are completed. Then the note is typed into the designated software program automatically, with the answers strategically placed inside the text at the appropriate locations. The clinical note is written exactly the way you want! Go online to www.easynotespro.com for more information and a 45-day trial version.
ContactWedge® from Danville Materials - This product was invented by a good friend of mine, Dr. Tom Hughes. Tom is always looking for faster, better, and easier ways to do things in the dental operatory, and he’s found a winner. The ContactWedge has a simple design with an “interproximal relief feature” that assures fast placement and reliable gingival adaptation of your matrix systems. It provides great marginal adaptation, and simultaneously wedges from both the buccal and the lingual. The ContactWedge is compatible for use with all matrix systems, including Danville Contact Matrix™ rings, Garrison Composi-Tite® rings, Palodent® BiTine™ rings, and all band-type matrices. You really need to try this one! Visit their Web site at www.danvillematerials.com or call (800) 827-7940 for more information.
