Q: What was new and exciting at the 2010 ADA Annual Session?
A: As usual there were lots of interesting new products on display at the ADA annual meeting. Here were some of my favorites:
CarieScan Pro caries detection device. Image courtesy of CarieScan.CarieScan Pro comes to us from Scotland and is being sold in the U.S. by Patterson Dental. It is a simple-to-use caries detection device that minimizes false positives. CarieScan Pro uses AC impedance to quantify dental caries. (Don't worry -- the current is so low that the patient does not feel it.)
The tooth is air-dried and the disposable tip is placed onto the tooth (there are prompts to guide you through the process). The device provides a qualitative value based directly on the disease state, rather than the indirect optical properties of the tooth or surrogate markers, such as bacterial breakdown products. The device beeps when the measurement is complete, and a number is displayed on the LCD screen. It looks like an interesting caries detection device. The only potential downside it that the disposable tips cost $2 each.
With the CarieScan Pro, the tooth is air-dried and the disposable tip is placed onto the tooth. Image courtesy of CarieScan.I also had the pleasure of seeing Eaglesoft 16 -- another Patterson product -- in action. The improvements will make most offices very happy. Screens have been streamlined, and improvements to many areas make this software even easier to use. My favorite was the line-item accounting, which will make most office managers very happy.
Eaglesoft 16, which will be released slowly over the next few months, allows you to personalize your practice management software, giving you more power to run a smart and efficient practice. Look forward to many new features, including line-item accounting, customizable windows with dockable panels, family walkout for processing all family member appointments on one walkout, and date-based reporting.
Actionrun provides a software service to reactivate patients. The company's Practice Activator is a service for dental practices that allows them to bring back their lost or inactive patients. It uses advanced analytics to analyze patients' records in your practice management software database in regular one-month intervals and send personalized letters to a group of select patients who have not been to your office for a long time. Letters are tailored to the dental profile and the treatment history of each individual patient, thus generating a much higher response rate than usual recalls.
Lighthouse PLZ (which I use in my office for recare and patient reminders) is changing its name to Lighthouse 360. Look for many exciting features that will include looking at the data in your practice management software and evaluating it in real-time. The software will recommend ways to improve your practice.
I am a big believer in magnification and illumination. So it was great to see a new product from Orascoptic called Freedom. I have ordered the Freedom with 5.0 magnifiers and I cannot wait to try it! Freedom is the industry's first light system that does not employ belt packs, long electrical cables, or buttons. Features include:
The Freedom lighting system. Image courtesy of Orascoptic.- Lightweight battery pods that connect to the temple arms of the loupe, rather than heavy belt packs employed by traditional LED systems. Moving power to the loupe itself eliminates the issue with long dangling electrical cords that are prone to getting caught on chairs, doorknobs, and cabinets in the dental office.
- A universal mounting clip securely fastens the lightweight headlight to virtually any through-the-lens (TTL) loupe on the market.
- Capacitive touch technology eliminates the need for any buttons, knobs, or switches, and allows the practitioner to control the light while holding instruments in both hands. Capacitive touch also eliminates bacteria traps associated with traditional light system controls.
- Weight-neutralizing counterbalance between the battery pods and the headlight relieves forward pressure on the nose.
Triodent, makers of the V3 Matrix Rings, has released new titanium triple trays. They are so new they are not listed on the company's website. They are very rigid to prevent distortion and have a disposable mesh. I ordered some from the company and will let you know how they work out once I get them.
The Vibringe vibrating irrigation syringe is the first endodontic sonic irrigation system that enables activation of the irrigation solution in the root canal in a single step. The activation of the disinfectant enriches and completes your irrigation procedure and improves the success rate of endodontic treatments, without any hassle! Results have shown that this system significantly improves debridement. It also improves the disruption of the smear layer and biofilm by activating irrigation solutions.
Vidar Systems was showcasing its new dental film digitizer, which digitizes and enhances x-rays in or out of the mounts. It can do panorex and other sizes. Images can be enhanced. Good for offices still using film but looking to go digital.
The CAO Group is a company you have probably never heard of but will soon. They have a lot of interesting products. I got to try the company's new Sheer White bleaching film. This film sticks to your teeth for one hour and is simple to remove. (No sliding strips like other similar products.) Look for future products delivered in a similar method for dispensing desensitizing agents and chlorhexidine.
Many dental offices are sitting on the sidelines of digital radiography because of the perceived cost. But this is changing. Apixia Digital Imaging has released inexpensive sensors and a photostimulable phosphor (PSP) scanner. Cost for a number 1 sensor is $2,995 and for a size 2 sensor $3,495. The PSP scanner is $7,995. All imaging devices come with software and free support and upgrades.
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