Compiled by Thais Carter

Dr. Mark Colonna lives and practices in Whitefish, Mo., a small community of 6,300 only a few minutes’ drive from stunning Glacier National Park. The park encompasses 1,013,572 acres of alpine forest, snow-capped peaks and 37 glaciers. Despite the ruggedness of the land, Dr. Colonna’s practice is anything but rustic. He is a strong advocate of laser dentistry, being the first dentist to use only a laser to prep a crown, and he uses the cloud to manage his practice.

On March 11, 2011, a devastating earthquake and tsunami rocked Japan. Millions of people were glued to the images of the maelstrom that ensued. Few maintained that level of interest as the Japanese started on the less glamorous path of recovery.

The Eco-Dentistry Association’s Top Choices THE SET-UP The EDA publishes an entire product guide intended to make finding “green” products easier. THE CRITERIA The EDA measures “green” in four main ways: Reduces waste and pollution Saves energy or water High-tech Wellness based THE RESULTS

Dr. Todd Babineaux New Iberia, Louisiana General dentist, LSU School of Dentistry 1987

The Blackline® Highspeed Handpiece series features Carbon Fiber, the newest of Bien-Air’s technological advancements in dental handpieces. A light-weight core combined with optimal strength offers maneuverability and longevity for the user.

REALITY’s Top Choices THE SET-UP REALITY has chosen to designate two separate categories to highlight: Total-Etch and Self-Etch. THE RESULTS | Total-Etch OptiBond FL, Kerr Corp. With a clinical heritage second to none, it is the safe choice for all but metal-based indirects.

“I love teeth,” Sarah Wyssmann readily admits. “I am a teeth fanatic. I love to take care of my teeth-brushing, flossing.”

Top Innovative Product OraVerse, Novalar Pharmaceuticals

The Lab Drake Dental Laboratory, based in Charlotte, N.C. staffs 64 dental technicians and works with more than 600 dental practices nationwide. The Product

When it comes to using dental sealants on pediatric patients, we were excited to find that 96% of you are actively engaging in this form of preventive care. On the flip side, it was disappointing to find that in the instances when you wouldn’t (or couldn’t) place sealants, the majority of you (66%) said it was because insurance won’t cover the procedure. And, even as we all work toward encouraging dental insurance companies to cover more preventive procedures, as 39% of you indicate, educating patients is still a hurdle as well.

This time last year, we looked at the way that ultrasonic scalers were changing your practice patterns. This time, we went back to the basics-hand instrumentation-and find that while 97% of you are, in fact, incorporating ultrasonic scaling into your treatment planning, nearly 51% of respondents are using hand scaling more than half the time. Clearly, this is a category that is still relevant and worth being educated about.

With so many amazing dental hygienists in the profession, we want to provide an avenue for you to learn about and be inspired by your peers. Whether it’s someone from the practice down the road or on the podium at a CE event, everyone has a story to share.

Dr. Steve Carstensen owns and leads a successful practice in Bellevue, Wash. He has been a Sesame Member since 2010 and currently uses Sesame 24-7™, an integrated suite of services developed exclusively for dental practices, which include his website, mobile site, appointment reminders, online patient portal and search marketing strategies.

June 2010 | Dental Products Report Clinical 360°: exclusive survey The chemistry and engineering behind new materials and equipment are what make it into magazines. And, while the science is what you hear about in the lead, it certainly isn’t the whole story.

In early January, 3M ESPE announced that moving forward it would ensure the accurate fit of restorations created using its Lava™ Chairside Oral Scanner C.O.S., with a one-year guarantee for new doctors. The program is intended to highlight the system’s accuracy and demonstrate 3M ESPE’s commitment to customers who purchase this powerful technology.

Ten years ago, 3M and ESPE Dental AG merged to instantly form the second largest dental manufacturer at the time, known as 3M ESPE. This gave 3M and ESPE customers a whole new product catalog, while the combined R&D engines have resulted in an ongoing stream of new products year-after-year.

When first conducting this survey, the one data point DPR editors could never have anticipated was that nearly 80% would say infection control is something you are very concerned about.

Magnification is quickly becoming as essential as the instruments dental hygienists use to treat their patients. While  nearly 80% of our respondents indicated that the dentists they work with use loupes, only 16%  went on to purchase this product for their dental hygienists. The vast majority of respondents purchased their own loupes-but only half indicated they knew what to look for in a “good” pair.

I was a full-time faculty member at The Ohio State University College of Dentistry back in the early and mid ’80s when NuSmile Crowns became available. I published one of the first articles that looked at fracture resistance of NuSmile and other crowns available at the time. After I left academia to go into private practice, the practice I joined happened to use NuSmile crowns. I’ve been using them routinely for 15 years. What patients are a good fit?

Acknowledging the dynamic decision making that comes from bringing great minds and great dentists together, once again this year’s honorees were selected by a distinguished panel of dental professionals.

  G-Cem       Clearfil SA   RelyX Unicem REALITY’s Top Choices