Dental Tribune International

First hand-held dental laser approved by US regulators

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:38:15 +0100

NEW YORK, USA/LEIPZIG, Germany: The US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has given 510(k) clearance to iLase, the world's first hand-held dental laser from Biolase. The decision will give the California-based manufacturer the right to market their new product in the USA and other countries worldwide. Shares of the company went up over 20 per cent yesterday morning after the clearance was announced by the regulators.

ADA says panels need working dentists and more should receive care

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:34:49 +0100

WASHINGTON, DC and NEW YORK, NY, USA: The Institute of Medicine Committee on Oral Health Access to Services was taken to task recently by the American Dental Association for its decision to exclude private practice dentists from two panels it is convening at the behest of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

How can hygienists ‘straighten up’?

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:25:39 +0100

Hygienists are the health drivers for the dental practice. We are very fortunate to be able to create lasting relationships with our patients. We see our patients many times per year. At each visit, we perform comprehensive oral cancer examinations, thorough periodontal examinations and caries screenings.

Broke a tooth? Grow another!

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:01:04 +0100

BOSTON, USA: To all those who have made deals with the tooth fairy in the past: You probably sold your teeth below their fair value. Dr. George Huang, Herbert Schilder professor in endodontics and director of the postdoctoral program in endodontics at Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM), said those baby teeth and extracted third molars we are throwing away hold valuable dental stem cells.

Troubleshooting calcified canals: clinical case review

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:52:10 +0100

The patient pictured in Figure 1 was referred because the first clinician could not locate the canal(s). The patient had pain when chewing on #13 and mild spontaneous pain leading to a diagnosis of a non-vital pulp before referral. The referring doctor accessed the tooth without canal location. The patient was subsequently referred.

An endodontic absurdity

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 19:31:19 +0100

Over time, it has become increasingly clear that teaching K-files is devoid of common sense and makes endodontics more difficult and fraught with procedural mishaps. Such a statement might be met with outrage by those who teach the use of K-files, but I would ask them to ask themselves (if no one else) what has been the greatest impetus for the introduction of rotary NiTi.

Den-Mat snaps on smile with major acquisition

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:15:46 +0100

NEW YORK, USA/LEIPZIG, Germany: Snap-On Smile is now part of Den-Mat Holding, LLC. In a press note released earlier this week, the company announced that its LUMINEERS Smile Design Studios in Santa Maria, USA, has acquired all intellectual property and production rights of the brand. Snap-On Smile, a crystallised acetyl resin-based removable appliance, was developed by New York City dentist Dr Marc Liechtung in 1996. It can be used as an aesthetic provisional in implant cases or cosmetic removable partial denture

Tooth wear and new technology to manage dentin hypersensitivity

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 03:10:41 +0100

Dentin hypersensitivity is growing in incidence and can be a major concern for patients. The dentin is normally covered by enamel or cementum. As a result of a number of factors — e.g., abrasion or periodontal disease causing gingival recession, or erosion, the underlying dentin and dentin tubules can become exposed.

Levin shares his views on challenges facing dentists

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:42:25 +0100

Dental practice management consulting company Levin Group is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. Founded in 1985 by Dr Roger P. Levin, a third-generation dentist, the company has grown from a small, part-time business into one of the leading dental consulting firms in the world.

Do what you do best: A statement to live by

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 02:23:40 +0100

There was a time when people were forced to focus on and improve areas they were not strong in. It was widely accepted to spend enormous amounts of time trying to get good at things that just didn’t come naturally. If spelling was an issue, hours were spent on reciting the correct spelling of words. If math skills were weak reams of paper were used practicing long division.

Insect glue could seal wounds in oral surgery

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:55:27 +0100

NEW YORK, USA/LEIPZIG, Germany: Silk spinned by caddisfly larvae underwater could one day suture surgical wounds, new reseach from the University of Utah suggests. It found that the sticky fibres used by the insects to built protective shells that keep intact in aquatic environments and do not fall appart. These chemical and structural properties could make the material valuable as an adhesive tape in medical and dental surgery.

Astra Tech's latest implant system available in the US

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 12:03:53 +0100

NEW YORK, USA/LEIPZIG, Germany: Dentists in the USA now have access to the new OsseoSpeed TX line from Astra Tech. The Sweden-based manufacturer launched the latest version of its implant system last week at the Annual Meeting of the Academy of Osseointegration (AO) in Orlando. It will be available through Astra Tech’s subsidiary in Waltham, Massachusetts, and feature a modified tapered apex design for easier implant installation especially in soft bone where under-preparation is often desired, the company said.

Maintenance of periodontally compromised teeth with direct splinting

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 14:00:33 +0100

Periodontal disease is initiated in the main as gingivitis, which in a smaller subset of individuals progresses to the more advanced form referred to as periodontitis. Gingivitis is restricted to the marginal gingival area and does not lead to destruction of osseous tissue. Gingivitis is the progression to periodontitis, which encompasses extensive loss of bone surrounding the tooth.

Dentists to gather in Atlanta for Hinman meeting

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 18:15:51 +0100

NEW YORK, NY and ATLANTA, GA, USA: The Thomas P. Hinman Dental Meeting will be held 25-27 March. The theme for the meeting is ‘All Roads Lead to Excellence at Hinman.’ The Hinman meeting has a world-renowned reputation of excellence — bringing together the highest quality programming from the foremost authorities in the field of dentistry.

US$22 billion for health information technology, but not quite so much for dentistry

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:55:58 +0100

When the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) was signed into law in 2009, US$22 billion was set aside to improve patient outcomes through increased use of electronic health records (EHR) by clinicians during the next five years (2011–2015). The proportion expected to go to dentistry: negligible.

D. Walter Cohen: An iconic icon

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:48:19 +0100

Each generation has a different concept or image of an icon of contemporary culture. D. Walter Cohen is such an icon of dentistry. He is a pinnacle of energy and accomplishment with a glitter of idealism. Even today, in his 80s, he will play tennis early in the morning before he practices periodontics at his office.

Enhancing dentistry with the dental-video procedure scope

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:37:41 +0100

Every once in a while a dental product comes along with the ability to change our lives for the better, such as the high-speed handpiece. The Dental Procedure Scope is also one of those powerful tools.

Practice transition planning

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:26:30 +0100

For most dentists, ownership of their dental practice is the major focus of their energy expenditures, financial situation and professional lives. Years of blood, sweat and tears, coupled with the relationships formed with both staff and patients, have caused dentists to form a deep-seated emotional attachment with their practice.

Dentists should limit staff access to drugs

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 17:01:23 +0100

TUCSON, USA: Dental offices and the pharmaceuticals used there present the risk of drug abuse, but dentists can put policies in place that help reduce the chance of illegal use of controlled substances, according to an article in Anesthesia Progress (2009, 56:112–113). Dr Joel M. Weaver writes that dentists who place too much trust in their employees make themselves and their practices vulnerable to people who abuse controlled substances.

Britons should have free dental care, Green Party says

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:59:06 +0100

LONDON, UK: Everyone in the UK should be able to access free, basic dental care, according to the Green Party’s new dental health policy. In the policy, the party claims that only half the UK population is provided with free dental healthcare and calls dentistry charges by the country's National Health Service (NHS) a ‘regressive tax’.