Pride Institute's 2015 Best of Class winners: Part 2

July 17, 2015

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In Part II of our three-part series, we feature eight award-winning companies and their innovative products.

In part two of our three-part series, Dental Products Report features eight of the products that have been honored with the 2015 Pride Institute “Best of Class” Technology Award.

To kick off part two, we sat down with Dr. Marty Jablow, a New Jersey dentist, dental technology expert and panelist for the annual Best of Class Awards. During our time together, we chatted about the awards and how they have changed through the years.

How have you seen the Best of Class Awards evolve?

They started with a small space on the convention floor, and they’ve slowly grown into a large lecture area-booths that are a great source of information for dentists who are looking to purchase the award-winning technologies. There is coverage in many dental journals.

It’s been amazing to watch the Best of Class Awards mature. What is different now then when it was early on is that companies come to us to show us their products for consideration. Companies truly covet this award. When a product wins, the company knows it is because we, as a committee, voted on it and someone on the committee has actually used or continues to use that product in his or her practice.

See more 2015 award winners: Pride Institute's 2015 Best of Class winners: Part 1

Explain how the voting process works.

The process starts with the committee members making recommendations on products. This starts with creating a list of products months before the voting. We can get the committee members to evaluate different products in an effort to truly judge if a product is a winner. If any individual on the committee has a relationship with a company or a product, he or she can’t vote on who wins the award in that category. We know each other very well. We don’t hide things from each other, and we have a lot of heated debates in the one night we all get together to decide the award winners.

We also are very clear with each other that not every category has to have a winner, and some products are voted down. That doesn’t mean they are a bad product, just not a Best of Class. The products have to be truly extraordinary to be named Best of Class.

Is there a product category that has been silent for a while?

Early on, we named winners in the practice management software category. However, the committee has come to the conclusion in recent votes that there haven’t been any major breakthroughs that distinguish one good software product from another. At this point, there really aren’t any software products up for consideration. Hopefully, some changes will be made and we can add practice management software back into the discussion.

More on Best of Class 2015: 2015 Best of Class Technology Award winners announced

AMD LASERS Picasso

Since its launch in 2009, Picasso reportedly has been loved, celebrated and endorsed by clinicians, hygienists, universities, hospitals, dental clinics and patients around the world. Picasso is said to offer a complete laser solution for dentists looking for the extra power, control and flexibility when integrating laser technology into their practice. With 7 watts of power, the Picasso features a color touchscreen and eight customizable presets. It also has customizable continuous/pulsed modes, a multiple languages menu, adjustable volume and aiming beam intensity and a two-year warranty.

What Pride Advisory Board member Dr. Parag R. Kachalia said:

Diode lasers have been available for dental usage for more than 20 years, yet mass adoption among dental practices has only started to occur recently. AMD LASERS, under the direction of its founder and president, Alan Miller, had the goal of bringing a quality laser to every dental operatory, and, today, this is a true possibility. In years past, diode lasers required an investment of more than $10,000 per laser, and they tended to be big and bulky. These older lasers required an extensive setup procedure and cleaving of a fiber to make the laser operable.

AMD LASERS helped changed this paradigm by bringing one of the first self-contained lasers to the market. The Picasso line of lasers has a very small footprint and utilizes a wireless foot pedal and bendable and disposable fiber tips to allow for a very easy workflow.

The panel selected AMD LASER's Picasso line of lasers as a “Best of Class” recipient because the lasers simply work at a price point that makes sense. At a $2,500 entry point, an office does not have to think about ways to justify the expense. Rather, an office can focus on doing the right thing for patient care and having a technology that makes dentistry more predictable.

What AMD LASERS Picasso user Randy B. Bautista, DDS, Pleasant Hill Dentistry, said:

Within a couple weeks of having the AMD LASERS Picasso, I was able to integrate several soft-tissue procedures into my practice. I have found the laser to have a quick learning curve, and seeing the success with the laser, my staff even wanted to get some laser procedures performed. Aside from the comparable high power and longer warranty, the price was very reasonable.

CrossTex DentaPure^®

is said to take the guesswork out of providing clean, safe dental water. Used according to labeling, DentaPure is designed to meet all known microbiological water standards and recommendations and has eliminated the need to mix tablets or chemicals. It is designed to create no daily, weekly or monthly protocols and has no risk of leaving caustic cleaning chemicals in your waterlines. There is also no need for shocking, monitoring or testing. The elemental iodine in DentaPure contains no allergenic proteins.

What Pride Advisory Board member Dr. Paul Feuerstein said:

Offices that use bottled water normally need to add tablets or use line-cleaning solutions to remove and prevent biofilm while creating something safe for intraoral use. CrossTex DentaPure^® has taken a cue from NASA and uses a purification system similar to the one that allows astronauts to have drinkable water. This cartridge can be placed in the bottle and uses iodinated resin-bead technology to ensure water consumed is free of bacteria, viruses and any other harmful organisms. EPA-registered as antimicrobial, DentaPure meets and exceeds ADA water-quality standards. The simple-to-use and easy-to-install cartridge is a complete system that is easily installed on any dental unit (bottle or municipal) and lasts for 365 days. It couldn’t be easier.

What CrossTex DentaPure^®user Ben Crockett, DDS, Sisters Dental, said:

The DentaPure^® cartridge is the commonsense answer for dental waterline sanitation. We use the 365-day bottle kit in all our operatories due to the simple installation, compatibility with our existing equipment, reliability of sanitation and low maintenance workload. DentaPure is the easiest way to ensure our waterlines are safe and clean.

Glidewell Laboratories BruxZir^® solid zirconia

BruxZir^® Anterior is the latest advancement in Glidewell’s BruxZir solid zirconia product line. This highly esthetic restorative material is designed specifically to satisfy the esthetic and functional requirements of the anterior region of the mouth. Exhibiting an average flexural strength of 650 MPa with translucency and color similar to natural dentition, BruxZir Anterior is a reportedly ideal, esthetic solution for your anterior cases.

What Pride Advisory Board member Dr. John Flucke said:

In cases where there is a strong occlusion, this material provides amazing strength and esthetics. With an average flexural strength of 650 MPa, as well as translucency that is similar to the natural dentition, BruxZir^® Anterior can be used in cases where a doctor might have concerns about an all porcelain crown fracturing.

It also requires less reduction than monolithic glass ceramic restorations. Recommended reduction is 1.25 mm, but the material can function with as little as .8 mm.

As demand for esthetic metal-free restorations continues to grow, BruxZir Anterior provides a material dentists can turn to for cases that require strength and beauty.

What BruxZir^® Anterior user Dr. Michael Ditolla said:

When BruxZir^® solid zirconia launched in 2009, it was intended to be a high-strength posterior restoration. As dentists started prescribing it for bicuspids and then anterior teeth, the message was clear: Dentists want a solid zirconia option for all teeth. That started a research project that became BruxZir Anterior, which debuted in March 2015. By increasing the amount of yttrium oxide, BruxZir Anterior became translucent enough to be confidently prescribed for any anterior restoration. With 650 MPa of flexural strength, BruxZir Anterior is strong enough to withstand anterior biting forces while being esthetic enough to rival your favorite esthetic crown.

i-CAT^® FLX

The i-CAT^®3D imaging solution is said to help clinicians quickly diagnose complex problems with less radiation and develop treatment plans more easily and accurately. It features 3D planning and treatment tools for implants and restorations, oral and maxillofacial surgery and orthodontics, plus TMD and airway disorders. Features include a QuickScan full-dentition scan, SmartScan STUDIO touchscreen interface and integrated acquisition system, ergonomic stability system, i-Collimator to adjust the field of view and limit radiation, a small footprint and i-PAN for traditional 2D images.

What Pride Advisory Board member Dr. John Fluckesaid:

Cone beam technology has made a dramatic impact on the practice of dentistry. By being able to see the total picture of the patient, doctors are now better able to treatment plan and deliver predictable and long-lasting treatment with less stress and greater efficiency.

However, one of the big concerns for 3D imaging has always been radiation dosage. The i-CAT FLX is a game changer in that regard due to its QuickScan+, which allows a 3D scan to be taken with less exposure than a 2D panoramic image.

The i-Cat FLX also has multiple field-of-view options that let doctors image only the area they need. This also helps keep patient exposure low while giving doctors the information they need, which is critical for the patient’s treatment.

What i-CAT FLX user Jeffrey T. Kozlowski, Kozlowski Orthodontics, said:

As a “digital” orthodontist who wants to provide the best for my patients, the i-CAT FLX allows me to do this in two ways. First is the incredible power of diagnosis and treatment planning in 3D as compared to the traditional 2D pan and ceph images. Utilizing i-CAT’s Tx STUDIO software allows for an infinite number of ways to view each patient’s 3D images to provide the most valuable information. One of the most powerful benefits of 3D imaging is that the images can be viewed from entirely different viewpoints, again and again, unlike a static 2D radiograph.

The second way the i-CAT FLX helps me provide the best for my patients is through its game-changing technology, which allows me to take one 4.8-second low-dose scan with the QuickScan+ setting and obtain the 3D image for less radiation than with either a digital pan or ceph. There was once a time where 3D X-rays were considered by many in the profession to be too much radiation for the amount of information generated. But that time is no longer thanks to i-CAT’s R&D team, which is driven to continue to make a difference on this front.

Kerr Demi Ultra

The Demi Ultra LED ultracapacitor curing light is described as a new generation of cordless curing light technology, providing dentists with a battery-free option. It is powered by the revolutionary U-40 ultracapacitor-exclusive technology that reportedly enables a full charge in less than 40 seconds for incomparable convenience. The LED light system also features Kerr’s proprietary C.U.R.E. technology, which is designed to rapidly deliver uniform depth of cure with industry-leading low temperatures. Furthermore, Demi Ultra’s Easy Suite feature set is said to combine simple and intuitive operation with worry-free cleaning.

What Pride Advisory Board member Dr. Parag R. Kachalia said:

Millions of dental procedures involving light-cured restorative materials occur every year, and a properly functioning curing light is of paramount importance if these procedures are to be successful. The fact that a curing light emits blue light does not guarantee it will properly cure resin-based restorations. In fact, there are estimates that nearly one-third of all light-cured resin restorations are insufficiently cured.

To achieve a properly cured restoration, Kerr’s research and development team created a curing light that focuses on activating camphorquinone, the primary photo initiator in most dental composites. In a recent study conducted by the American Dental Association, Kerr’s Demi Ultra proved to have the highest degree of resin conversion of all curing lights tested. The Demi Ultra is able to achieve this high degree of conversion while keeping pulpal temperature change very low.

The panel selected the Demi Ultra as a winner in the emerging technologies category because Kerr has blended the functionality of a high-quality curing light with futuristic ultra capacitor technology. This quick charging ability allows the light to be available when it is needed and minimizes the long-term operating costs because batteries will not need to be replaced.

What Kerr Demi Ultra user Dr. Abdi Sameni said:

Besides its balanced weight, great modern look and highly ergonomic and cleanable design, I am a big fan of the Demi Ultra for two primary reasons that I don’t find in other curing lights on the market. First, it is powered by ultracapacitor technology, similar to that used in electric cars, and thus reaches a full charge very quickly (in 40 seconds). This technology also means holding a charge is no longer an issue. The second thing is the LED light source in the Demi Ultra is located in the light tip, which requires less power for the same energy required to cure a composite. This is significant because heat can be a factor when curing direct restorations that are deep and close to the pulp or when bonding indirect restorations, such as porcelain onlays or veneers, which need to be cured for longer periods of time.

The Demi Ultra is also a great buy, especially if the light needs to be shared between operatories. It is awesome to finally never be without a battery-charged curing light.

Orascoptic EyeZoom^™

Orascoptic’s patent-pending EyeZoom^™ technology provides unprecedented edge-to-edge clarity and high-definition resolution. Designed for an ideal symmetry between style and performance, the lightweight magnesium bezel is said to offer an esthetically pleasing style to the device. EyeZoom is available on Orascoptic’s Legend, Rave, Rydon and Victory frames and can be configured as a through-the-lens loupe.

What Pride Advisory Board member Dr. Marty Jablow said:

I am a big fan of magnification when treating patients. The better I can see the teeth and soft tissue, the better I can diagnose and treat patients. I started years ago at 2.5x magnification, but, over time, I went to 4.8x. I did all procedures at 4.8x, but there were times I wished I could get a bigger field of view but was too lazy to change my loupes.

Surgical loupes were kind of a one-magnification-fits-all solution. Many dentists just stay with 2.5x magnification for this very reason while missing out on the benefits of increased magnification. EyeZoom has solved all those problems. I can dial in the exact magnification I need-3x, 4x or 5x-without having to change my surgical loupes. I get the exact magnification and field of view I need to accomplish the task at hand. At 2.5x, I can do my patient exams and occlusal or denture adjustments. When I need to see really close, 5x is what I use to prepare my crown margins or check those margins when seating the crown. The best part is the EyeZoom fits in the XV1 frames so I can get the custom magnification I need with the cordless illumination system I desire.

What Orascoptic EyeZoom^™user Jason Vandehaar, DDS, Total Care Dental, said:

I had the pleasure of field-testing the Orascoptic variable magnification loupes. I currently have 3.3x Orascoptic loupes with an Endeavor light that I have been very happy with for three years now. The telescoping feature has proven to be very useful when performing endodontic procedures, allowing me to locate canal orifices with greater speed and efficiency. I spend the majority of my time on the lower 3x or 4x settings, but I will zoom in to the highest settings when checking margins on crowns and examining deep carious lesions.

The overall design is very easy to use without interrupting the flow of patient care. I have found the telescoping loupes to be an added benefit in providing the highest quality of dental care to my patients. If you do not have loupes that are at least 3x, I would recommend upgrading to the variable magnification loupes to improve your speed and posture.

Planmeca Sovereign^®

Planmeca Sovereign^® is a combination of sophisticated engineering and the latest technology wrapped up in award-winning design. It has been built with the future in mind, easily upgradeable to the latest features and innovations in dentistry. Motorized movements reportedly open a new world of possibilities to organize your clinic based on the different clinical treatment needs. Daily work at the dental practice is said to be made straightforward, pleasant and efficient without compromises.

What Pride Advisory Board member Dr. Paul Feuerstein said:

At first look, the Planmeca Sovereign chair and dental unit is a sleek, modern system. Several things set it apart, starting with the completely motorized chair that allows swivel positioning of the back as well as a full 90° drop of the footrest, allowing the patient to sit erect for consultation and providing easy exit and entry. The unit can also be programmed for any number of operators, storing their preferences, which can be accessed with the foot control or touchscreen. It also seamlessly integrates with PlanScan. The features are numerous, but the magic is the software integration and network connectivity of the chair with a monitoring system.

The Planmeca Romexis Clinic Management software offers accurate, real-time information of all dental-unit operations, which is highly useful for clinic business planning. The system automatically generates mileage reports, just like your car, so preventive maintenance can be planned based on actual usage. Such preplanning allows dental unit servicing to be carried out proactively, resulting in cost savings. Before every service visit, the intelligent system provides exact and accurate information on service needs, and the visit can be carefully planned. This is truly a high-tech and innovative product.

What Planmeca Sovereign^®user Kim Berthelsen, Ribe Dental Clinic, said:

Flexibility was the main factor behind our choice of unit. We chose to invest in eight Planmeca Sovereign^® units for our clinic because they give an incredible number of options to fit the individual user and patient. Patient comfort was also a deciding factor, and our patients have been very satisfied. The Planmeca Sovereign fully meets our demands of flexibility and comfort.

Propel Excellerator

The Excellerator is a patented medical device specifically designed to create micro-osteoperforations (MOPs) using a disposable driver with a stainless steel edge that is sterile to ensure patient safety. A New York University clinical study published in the November 2013 issue of the American Journal of Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopedics said micro-osteoperformation is “an effective, comfortable and safe procedure to accelerate tooth movement and significantly reduce the duration of orthodontic treatment.”

More on Propel Excellerator: A safe sterile way to create micro-osteoperforations

What Pride Advisory Board member Dr. Marty Jablow said:

The one thing all orthodontic patients wish for, besides straight teeth and a nicer smile, is that treatment could be accomplished faster. There are many benefits to faster orthotic treatment, such as increased case acceptance and reduced risk of enamel decalcification and periodontal issues.

Propel is a minimally invasive system to speed up orthodontic treatment. It uses micro perforations of the cortical plate to soften the bone and allow orthodontic movement to occur faster. Propel can be used with both aligners and bracketed orthodontics. The patient’s soft tissue is anesthetized, and, using the small handheld perforator, two to three micro perforations are made per selected site. This is truly minimally invasive. In my office, we refer to it as “acupuncture for the gums.” To date, I have had no patient decline Propel and I have included it in the fee. I have gotten no post-operative complaints as I perform the service on the braces at the appointment. In my office, I am seeing orthodontic treatment being completed 40- to 60-percent faster. I get increased profitability because of less chairtime, and patients get the straight teeth they want faster. Propel is really a win-win situation.