Dental Products Report-2011-09-01

Here are five reasons you should consider 3M™ ESPE™ Vitrebond™ Plus Light Cure Glass Ionomer Liner/Base.

Over the last 20 years, we have seen improvements in temporary crown and bridge materials that have contributed greatly to our daily practices. The traditional powder and liquid acrylics have been surpassed by innovative materials that allow us to syringe provisional material directly into a bite registration, pre-made matrix or a pre-made crown. Among other positive clinical benefits, these new formulations generate less heat and less shrinkage and have been very well received by the profession.

The new paradigm introduced by the Internet has drastically and fundamentally changed how consumers seek, evaluate and communicate with service providers. Google, Bing and Yelp have replaced the Yellow Pages as the lead sources of information. Word-of-mouth and referrals have transformed from neighborly conversations to Web communications through social media channels such as blogs, Facebook and YouTube. These changes have impacted all industries and dentistry isn’t immune to these transitions.

After more than 30 years in the dental distribution industry, Marguerite Walsh still feels the same passion she felt in the very beginning, dating back to her very first job working for a local dental distributor while still in high school. 

When Dr. Rella Christensen calls herself a “Mama Bear,” she is referring to her oversight of a close-knit team at the non-profits she co-founded. But it might also be extended to her wider role in the dental industry of helping ensure the efficacy of dental products and concepts.

Summing up her approach to her career as an advocate for raising the level of education and quality among dental labs, Laura Sheppard is guided by a simple principle. “If something can be made better, I’m all in,” said Laura, who is director of Quality and Compliance for Dental Services Group, a national network of full-service dental laboratories.

The E4D dentist CAD/CAM system scans, designs and mills restorations right at the dental office. Intuitive and easy-to-use, the system’s ergonomic design and efficiency suits the modern dental practice. GET IT DONE NOW: The system can produce same-day inlays, onlays, full crowns and veneers, which results in increased productivity as well as convenience for patients.

here isn’t a job at Harry J. Bosworth that Milly Goldstein hasn’t done, and that-starting from the beginning-gave her a broad view of how the nearly 100-year-old company operates. Her first job was as an administrative assistant at the family-owned business and she is now its president.

Shannon Pace Brinker, a certified dental assistant for 23 years, said she wants to give other dental assistants a voice. She has become a teacher, writer and started a magazine to do just that. Shannon got her first experience in the dental field when she got a job answering phones in a dental office while she was in high school. Her first employer trained her to be a chairside assistant and she graduated in 1994 from the dental assisting program at Bowman Gray School of Medicine.

Dr. Lori Trost has used both Take One Advanced and AlgiNot in her practice for years, and describes them as products that both she and her patients can rely on. From predictability to money and time savings to flexibility, these materials have become mainstays in her practice. Here’s why.

The number of patients seeking therapy for snoring and sleep apnea has increased by 60% in the past decade, making sleep dentistry a profitable new practice driver for doctors and one of the fastest growing segments in dentistry today. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, oral appliance therapy is first line treatment for snoring and mild to moderate sleep apnea.

Knowing that she can make a positive change in someone’s life every day is what Dena Lanier finds most rewarding about being president of The Lab 2000 Inc., a lab in Columbus, Ga.   Those changes involve improving peoples’ smiles through dental technology or helping colleagues operating small dental labs stay afloat in difficult economic times.

As I enter my 25th year of general practice, I have been fortunate to be able to divide my time between clinical practice, lecturing, publishing and working with dental manufacturers in helping develop and evaluate the products that the dental profession ultimately uses. I have seen some products not last the test of time and others have become reliable staples in our profession.

Julie Charlestein, president of Premier Dental, considers it her privilege to carry on the legacy of the company that was founded by her great grandfather and namesake,  Julius Charlestein, in 1913. The family-owned and operated company develops, manufactures and distributes health care products through a worldwide network of dealers.

An industry veteran of nearly 20 years, Linda Ruggiero-Gehringer has continually set a standard of excellence with the field of dental sales. “I’ve been fortunate to have been part of a period of rapid growth within the dental industry and I’ve loved the successes and challenges that came with it.”

Dr. Nancy Norling started her professional life as a dental hygienist. She followed her passion when she decided to pursue a doctorate in dentistry. Committed to providing the latest advances in restorative and cosmetic dentistry for her patients in Minneapolis, Minn., and all over the country, she has continued to pursue advanced education.

For more than 30 years, Cathy Jameson, founder and CEO of Jameson Management Inc., has been coaching dentists to improve the marketing, management and hygiene aspects of their practices.

Sheri Kay was on a dental mission trip to Guatemala when she learned some news that would change her life forever. She got a diagnosis of breast cancer. Sheri, who is lead practice coach for ACT Dental and has a BS and RDH, continued her demanding work counseling dentists and dental practice team members on how to better do their work even as she was undergoing a difficult phase of cancer treatment.

As the number of women in the industry continues to grow-in the practice, in the lab, in the schools and in the manufacturing sector-Dental Products Report wanted to develop an award that recognizes them for their many contributions. This year, our second soliciting nominations, the publication received more than 300 outstanding submissions among the five categories: dentists, team members, dental lab, research and education, and industry.

Twenty years of managing people and dealing with HR issues for number of large IT organizations prepared me surprisingly well for my first-hand work in the front end of a two-doctor dental office. The lessons learned carry over to address some of the challenges of running a successful practice.

Dr. Glenda Payas was volunteering on a dental mission in Nigeria in 2006 when she suffered a frightening and life-changing accident. She was in an elevator when the building’s generator shut off, sending the car crashing several floors to the ground. She broke both of her knees and was hospitalized in a Nigerian hospital before returning to the U.S. to undergo surgery and try to rebuild her life.

Bobbi Jo Muto’s passion for working with underserved populations was sparked almost 20 years ago after seeing first-hand the dire need for oral health care in her state, West Virginia.

A pioneer in the field of dentistry, Dr. Esther M. Wilkins has devoted her career to the practice and education of dental medicine. In 1950, she was founding director of the Dental Hygiene Program at the University of Washington, School of Dentistry in Seattle. She developed the curriculum and taught a majority of the courses during the growing stages.

SNAP cosmetic simulation software is specifically designed to increase cosmetic revenue by instantly generating more interest in cosmetic procedures. Essentially, SNAP turns non-cosmetic patients into cosmetic patients. PICTURE THIS: Patients can envision what they will look like if they accept your recommended cosmetic treatment. The “before” and simulated “after” photos demonstrate to patients how great they will look after whitening, veneers, replacing missing teeth, reducing a gummy smile and much more.

01 Electric handpieces have ranked as one of the top 10 most desired purchases by dentists since 2007. What are your plans for addressing this need?

our goal is to be totally paperless by 2012, and to get that accomplished we knew we needed to convert to digital x-rays. XLDent was able to provide the digital x-rays and other things we needed to benefit our practice. They’ve been wonderful in helping us get to where we want to be. We’re not 100% paperless yet as we still use paper charts on a minimal basis, but otherwise we’re pretty much all the way there.

Dr. Luisa Ann DiPietro had her sights set on being a general dentist, but a dental school class in immunology got her interested in doing research and took her down a different career path.  

Dr. Joyce Bassett operates a solo practice in Scottsdale, Ariz. and recently was inducted into the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry. She feels very gratified when she creates restorations that look beautiful, are functional, and long-lasting. “I like it when I’m done with a case and then I see it six months or even 25 years later and see how well it has lasted and changed a person’s life,” Dr. Bassett said.

Dentistry’s approach to diagnosis and management of dental caries has undergone a marked evolution over the last few decades. Thanks to advancements in instrumentation, techniques and restorative materials, as well as scientific developments in cariology and diagnostic systems minimally invasive dentistry (MID) is now the standard of care in the modern restorative practice.

Jane Ji Young Lee was  just 14 when she immigrated from South Korea to the U.S., where she first had to overcome the language barrier before becoming a teacher and then switching careers to find her true passion as a cosmetic ceramist for daVinci Dental Studio in West Lakes, Calif.