Modern Hygienist

The dual-purpose Baby Banana® Brush is a combination teether and toothbrush. Said to have an “a-peal-ing” design that is irresistible to babies,  the brush features 100% medical grade silicone bristles babies love to chew on. It cleans teeth and gums. The peels of the banana are easy for tiny hands to grab and hold. Safety is designed into the brush as it is virtually impossible for a child to hurt themselves while using it. Live-Right LLC

Beam Technologies' Beam Brush is a tooth brush with "app-titude"

Minimally invasive dentistry has become a hot topic over the last few years. New technology and techniques have focused on earlier diagnosis and detection as well as early intervention of disease.

A recent study published by The American Dental Association reports a direct link to breastfeeding infants and increased oral health. The journal report is an effort to keep dental professionals updated on health-related benefits of breastfeeding.

Dentists continue to search for new ways to provide their patients with better treatment. Advances in diagnostic technologies can help with this by allowing them to detect and monitor caries at its earliest stages.

The set-up “We are all looking for better ways to help our patients, and what better way than detecting and monitoring caries at its earliest stages. Several devices give dentists the opportunity to do just that. They not only allow dentists to see caries that might otherwise be impossible to detect, they provide valuable info to help guide treatment. So see what my buddy Dr. Marty Jablow has to say and see if one of these technologies is right for you.”-Dr. John Flucke, Team Lead

Round Hager Dry Mouth Drops hard candies are 100% sweetened with natural Xylitol. Xylitol is said to aid in saliva production, enabling the drops to provide an ideal Xylitol delivery system for helping to reduce oral dryness, along with other dental health benefits. The drops are available in mint, cherry and melon flavors. Hager Worldwide, Inc. 800-328-2335 www.hagerworldwide.com

I had the pleasure of meeting Tom Gillen, President /Design & Engineering for ClikTech, at the 2012 RDH Under One Roof in Las Vegas, where he was demonstrating both the ClikStik™ and the ClikRay™ system for digital and x-ray film radiography. With some hesitation I listened to what he had to say…from there my interest was sparked.

Alcohol-free Xyli-Spray fresh breath spray is 100% sweetened with natural Xylitol. It is said to help with bad breath relief while also providing a convenient and easy way for patients to enjoy the dental benefits of Xylitol. Hager Worldwide, Inc. 800-328-2335 www.hagerworldwide.com

Contemporary Product Solutions presents its review on this protective dental cream.

The American Association of Dental Office Managers (AADOM) is pleased to announce the launch of the AADOM Business College (ABC) to begin January 2013.

The American Dental Association (ADA) has announced that resin infiltration of incipient smooth surface lesions is now covered by a 2013 CDT Code classification.

You know how important it is to catch problems in the mouth before they get out of hand. Finding problems earlier rather than later not only keeps your patients happy and healthier, it saves everyone time and money.

The low-profile Floor Activator is an alternative to infrared faucets or peddle valves. It is adaptable to any style of sink arrangement including porcelain, drop-in counter, pedestal, wall-hung or traditional cabinets. It offers hands-free temperature selection and the ability to mount directly in the floor or optional surface mount.

Available in 21 exclusive label designs and in 11 flavors, these Personalized Lip Balm sticks are each all-natural, petroleum-free, offering SPF-15 protection.

The festive Holiday Toothbrush is said to keep younger patients smiling while they brush. The brush is available in green and red decorated with a snowman and snowflake and a “Happy Holidays” message printed on the small handle.

Organizations like the Alliance for a Cavity-Free Future are educating dental professionals as well as patients around the world on the importance of good oral health. With a goal to “Stop Caries NOW,” the Alliance is hoping to educate the public and challenge leaders to take action.

Plackers' GentleSlide® flossers suited for tight teeth. Learn more...  

Oral-B Deep Sweep™ cleans like power brush, feels like manual brush. Learn more...

Jon Newman, Digital Product Manager for Air Techniques, discusses the Spectra Caries Detection Aid from the ADA show floor. The Spectra has been a recipient of the Pride Institute's "Best of Class" Technology Award three years in a row.

Favoring bottled water over tap could be causing children to get more cavities. When the dentist had to fill six cavities in her 4-year-old son’s baby teeth, Amy Wilson was shocked. The New York City mother of three scanned her family’s habits, trying to figure how Seamus, now 7, could have developed such tooth decay so early.

The dental hygiene component of a general practice can and should be a profit center for the practice. Yet in too many practices it is viewed as a break even, or even worse, a loss leader. The following miss-steps contribute to the perception that a hygiene department is unprofitable:

Online Dental Hygiene Community, Friends of Hu-Friedy, reaches 25,000 members.

Practicon celebrates its 30th anniversary on Sept. 13, 2012. The company was founded in 1982 and has worked since then to help healthcare professionals improve patient care and professional success with distinctive products and services.

WASHINGTON (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new $200,000 grant has been awarded?to the American Dental Education Association Minority Dental Faculty Development ?(ADEA MDFD) program, to expand the program's existing critical efforts to improve?diversity among populations of dental students and faculty.

Philips is celebrating the importance of technology by asking you-dental professionals and dental professional students-to develop an essay describing how technology and innovation have impacted the dental industry and helped to increase patient satisfaction and compliance.

The hygienist’s take on American Eagle’s XP curettes.  

1. Sunstar America's GUM PerioShield oral health rinse represents a next generation solution to achieving and maintaining a healthy mouth. It inhibits bacterial adhesion to tooth surfaces and serves as an adjunct to normal mechanical oral hygiene. 2. The rinse provides a tool clinically proven to prevent plaque and gingivitis that could lead to periodontitis.

According to the National Institute of Health’s Consensus Conference on the Diagnosis and Management of Dental Caries throughout Life, “Dental caries is an infectious, communicable disease resulting in destruction of tooth structure by acid forming bacteria found in dental plaque, an intraoral biofilm, in the presence of sugar.

As dental practice marketing completely transforms from the simplicity of running a few ads in the Yellow Pages to the complexity of updating your website and regularly contributing to social media, photographs are becoming more and more important to your practice.