The exhibit hall floor at the 2010 Chicago Dental Society Midwinter Meeting was bustling with vendors promoting the latest cosmetic dentistry products to the more than 31,000 attendees. Advances in teeth whiteners, shade-matching guides, and clear aligners were just some of the products that caught our eye.
Teeth whitening
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| The Dash in-office teeth-whitening system from Discus Dental. |
The whitening gel is used in three sessions of 15 minutes each, and the entire whitening procedure can be done in one sitting, according to the company. Other advantages of the system include the following:
- The gel does not need to be refrigerated.
- Dash is a nonlight-activated system, so it can deliver close results for offices that prefer not to use a light.
Meanwhile, Heraeus Kulzer launched its new Venus White max and Venus White ultra teeth whitening kits at the Midwinter Meeting. The Venus White max kit entails three or four 15-minute in-office treatments with 38% hydrogen peroxide gel.
According to the company, the advantages of the system include the following:
- The kit contains potassium nitrate, which helps decrease sensitivity associated with bleaching.
- The 38% hydrogen peroxide is the highest concentration within in-office whitening kits that the company is aware of.
- The system does not require a light.
The Venus White ultra is a take-home kit that contains disposable trays prefilled with mint-flavored 11.2% hydrogen peroxide gel. It is a once-a-day treatment for use up to seven days. It contains seven upper and seven lower trays that are sized differently for a better fit.
And the IQ Dental Supply booth featured SelectivBright, a new prefilled tray teeth-whitening kit. The kit features a disposable whitening tray that is soft and flexible, adapts to the shape of teeth, and whitens both the front and back of teeth. The system eliminates the need for measuring, mixing, or taking impressions.
SelectivBright comes in both in-office and take-home kits:
- The take-home kits contains 6% hydrogen peroxide and works in two 30-minute sessions over two days. Cost: $45.
- The in-office contains the more potent dose of 16% hydrogen peroxide and works in one 30-minute session. Cost: three packages for $80.
IQ Dental does not manufacture SelectivBright, but is the sole distributor of the product.
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| The new ShadeAssist software from Vident. |
Shade-matching software
Vident demonstrated its new ShadeAssist software, introduced earlier this year. It can be used as standalone software for case planning and patient data storage, or in conjunction with the Vita Easyshade Compact.
The ShadeAssist software allows dentists to either enter Vita shades manually or import them from the Vita Easyshade Compact and create a prescription and case planning document that can be printed or e-mailed.
Dentists can import case-related photos and adjust them with cropping and contrast tools to display characterization details. The software also has the ability to draw a characterization sketch and add notes.
Cost: $99 (free with purchase of the Vita Easyshade compact).
Invisalign improvements
Align Technology showcased the latest Invisalign upgrades, most of which were launched in late 2009. The new features include the following:
Optimized extrusion and rotation attachments: These are designed to optimize aligner forces for improved anterior teeth extrusions and canine rotations. The attachments are customized to a patient's specific tooth anatomy using 3D modeling technology.
Power ridges: These are meant to optimize forces on upper central and lateral incisors to help deliver lingual root torque. Power Ridges can be used when uprighting retroclined incisors, such as in Class II Division 2 cases.
Velocity optimization: This feature is designed to provide more controlled tooth movement for the entire tooth, including the root. Improved ClinCheck setup protocols are designed to limit the speed of crown and root movements, including rotations, to optimal ranges.
Interproximal reduction (IPR) improvements: Invisalign's improved ClinCheck protocols are designed for IPR to be performed when the teeth are more aligned, and prescribed IPR is now set up in later stages of treatment for crowding cases.
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