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3D Mobile Press Release: Mobile NewTom Cone Beam 3D Imaging

February 8th, 2010 · No Comments

(Augusta, GA and Elmsford, NY, January 13, 2010; 3D Mobile Imaging of the CSRA and AFP Imaging
Corporation [OTC.AFPC.PK])

Dental practitioners in Georgia and South Carolina can now offer the latest technology and greatest convenience to their patients thanks to a new mobile dental radiology service. 3D Mobile Imaging of the CSRA is the only mobile NewTom Cone Beam 3D (CB3D) Imaging unit in the area to offer state-of the-art CB3D service allowing patients to be scanned at the dentist’s office. The new service is an alternative to the traditional “brick and mortar” dental imaging center and offers far less radiation than a medical CT scan. The mobile imaging approach eliminates the inconvenience to patients and practitioners of referrals to offsite specialty imaging centers. 3D Mobile Imaging is one of more than
24 different mobile imaging operations across the country utilizing NewTom Cone Beam 3D scanners, to deliver this unique service a market with an explosive demand. [Read more →]

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Health Care Reform: Implications for the Dentist

February 5th, 2010 · No Comments

Health care reform has been one of the major agendas of the new administration.  Everyone has been wondering how exactly it is going to work and what it means for them – both personally and professionally.  The dental community has specific concerns because  dental care is essential to the overall health of  every individual.  Unfortunately, the general public does not always realize how  oral health can literally be a life and death situation.  Recent tragic reminders, such as the case where a Californian woman’s gingivitis resulted in the stillborn birth of her child or the  12-year-old  boy in Maryland who died of a brain infection caused by a dental abscess, serve to raise awareness about how important oral  health  is and  why dental care needs to be included in the health care reform plan. There are several sides to the debate and it is important to dental professionals to know what the implications of health care reform are for their practice. [Read more →]

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Planmeca’s New Dental Chair offers unique features and controls for dentists

February 5th, 2010 · No Comments

New design introduced at California Dental Association Show

Roselle, Ill.—November 16, 2009–Planmeca’s new dental chair and ambidextrous left/right dental unit offers dentists unprecedented control of instruments while providing a custom fit with exceptional comfort for patients in the new PM 272 dental chair.

“Our new PM 270 Dental Unit and Chair has a unique feature that allows dentists to operate several dynamic instruments, the dental chair trim functions and programming, all from a single dual function  foot control. The PM 270’s dual mode foot control allows dentists to control chair position, turn the water on and off and activate several instruments with the touch of the foot.  Additionally, all chair movement locks in place while instruments are actively in use”, states Bill Kochelek, equipment sales manager for Planmeca. [Read more →]

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Make Your Dental Practice Thrive: CE in San Diego March 5-6, 2010

February 5th, 2010 · 1 Comment

Continuing Education Seminar located in San Diego, CA. – March 5th and 6th, 2010

During this exclusive event, Bill Blatchford DDS, Robert Lowe DDS and Ron Zokol DMD will be sharing proven clinical techniques and sound business rules to enable you to have a quality, profitable practice during any economy.

  • Not only will you Earn 16 CE Credits but you will gain valuable knowledge and understanding in:
  • New technologies, including dental lasers and digital impressions.
  • Implant procedures for General and Advanced Practitioners
  • New to market materials – and which materials to use for the specific clinical situation [Read more →]
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145th Chigago Midwinter Meeting for Dental Professionals

February 4th, 2010 · No Comments

Are you going? The 145th Chicago Midwinter Meeting is scheduled for February 25-27, 2010. Along with great courses and special events, 600 exhibitors will show off the latest and greatest products in dentistry today. Visit http://www.cds.org/mwm_2010/ for details!

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Dentist Hopes all Americans will Chip a Tooth

February 2nd, 2010 · No Comments

When Dr. Kevin Brunski of Crown Point, IN saw a news story about a missing child, then pet his dog, he got an idea. The lump in his dog’s back was an identification chip, so if the pet strayed, he could be located by computer.

Dr. Brunski’s idea developed as the I-Denti-Fied chip, and he’s so passionate about the product that he gave up a 20-year career as a general dentist to market it in the US. After finding that a Luxemburg manufacturer created the technology in 2007, Dr. Brunski began his research. Since, he has hooked up with a company that stores health records that can be “unlocked” with a code kept in the chip.

The small computer chip, about the size of a grain of rice, is implanted into to a prosthetic tooth or onto a tooth, where it’s not felt by the patient or rejected by the body. This particular I-Denti-Fied product is called The Tooth Tag™. It is FDA-approved, HIPPA compliant, and completely safe, according to Dr. Brunksi. A 16-digit patient record code in the chip can only be accessed with a special tool, a gun-style reader. Then, a call center, open 24/7, can access the information and send it to emergency care centers.

A person with the chip is given a keychain USB and a sticker for his driver’s license. This alerts health professionals that the wearer’s health records are accessible immediately. The stored records can include information about the wearer’s medical problems, as well as X-rays, DNR authorization, family members to contact in case of emergency, and more. All this for $150 the first year and a membership fee thereafter. [Read more →]

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New Technology Reverses Effects of Gum Disease

February 2nd, 2010 · 4 Comments

At the Griffith Institute for Health and Medical Research in Brisbane, Australia, Professor Saso Ivanovski has grown layers of cells, including stem and gingival varieties. The gingival cells are gathered from ligaments that surround teeth, then placed in cultures and grown in sheets. These cellular sheets can be transferred to teeth roots in guided tissue regeneration (GTR), then they fully integrate with periodontal tissue in approximately six months. The technique works with skin grafts, as well.

For more information, see the full report, “Periodontal regeneration” in Australian Dental Journal.

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Press Release:Lares Laser Cleared for Subgingival Calculus

February 1st, 2010 · No Comments

Chico, CA:  January 27, 2010—Lares® Research and Fotona announced today that they have received FDA 510(k) clearance to market the PowerLase® AT Er:YAG laser for the removal of subgingival calculus in periodontal pockets with periodontitis.  The new indication for use is an important element of the Lares Research laser treatment protocol for periodontal disease: Wavelength-optimized Periodontal Therapy™ or WPT™.    WPT™ optimizes the use of both Er:YAG and Nd:YAG laser wavelengths from the dual-wavelength PowerLase AT to treat both the hard and soft tissue sides of the diseased pocket. [Read more →]

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Rocky Mountain Dental Conference – Dr. Gary Radz

January 29th, 2010 · No Comments

I attended the Rocky Mountain Dental Convention in Denver. It ran last Thursday through Saturday. The one thing that impressed me was the number of attendees and the energy they created at the show. Compared to last year’s conference, this year was extremely upbeat. While I didn’t see a ton of new technology, there was significant interest in diode lasers. They seem to be dropping in price, and they’re now portable. Discus Dental offers a cordless model about the size of a large pen. It’s fascinating. And dentists are buying new technology, not just talking about it.

My team joined me at the conference. They updated their OSHA training and enjoyed the event more than last year. We’ll be attending the Chicago Midwinter Conference in February. I predict that the exhibit hall and classes will be crowded at Chicago, just like they were at Rocky Mountain. I think our industry, as a whole, sees a light at the end of the dark economic tunnel we’ve been in for a while now. It’s very exciting!

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Do You Care Too Much?

January 26th, 2010 · 2 Comments

by William D. Esteb

www.smilemarketing.com

One of the occupational hazards of dentists and others in the healing arts is setting appropriate boundaries around caring for patients and what they do. While some in dentistry tout how much they care, perhaps as a marketing ploy, the truth is few patients are looking for a caring dentist! Because “caring” is mostly a hygiene factor. If you show up care-less, that is, without enough caring, patients detect your aloofness and interpret your detachment as a lack of interest. If you show up caring too much, you create a patient obligation that can actually work against you. The objective is to find the sweet spot between the extremes.

Of course, most dentists are unaware of those instances in which they cross the line by caring too much. However, if you’re trading patients with other dentists in your area, having the equivalent of a series of “one night stands,” you may be guilty of this all-too common trait among the most empathetic dentists. [Read more →]

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