The American Dental Association (ADA) sent a complaint letter to the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) Bureau of Consumer Protection raising concerns over aspects of SmileDirect Club, L.L.C.’s (SDC) marketing and direct-to-consumer sales of plastic teeth aligners. The letter was sent approximately two months after the ADA filed a citizen’s petition with the U.S. Food and … Read more
On November 4, 2018, Dr. Neil J. Gajjar of Canada became the first South Asian and youngest president of the Academy of General Dentistry, the world’s largest dental organization for general dentists with over 40,000 members. Dr. Gajjar, who was born in Stephenville, Newfoundland is the son of parents from Ahmedabad, India. He frequently travels … Read more
Nearly 10,500 students applied to attend dental school in the U.S. this fall. Just 16 of those students are Native American, according to the American Dental Education Association. The Native American pre-dental student gateway program, an initiative between the University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine and Seneca Nation Health System, aims to reduce the alarming … Read more
He knows he’s hated, this pinata of medicine. Dr. Bryan Laskin gets that it’s not really about him. It’s not personal that for many a trip to his office is as much the stuff of nightmares as that fanged creature beneath your bed, waiting for the lights to go out. But he’s a dentist. Hall monitors … Read more
The Hong Kong inventor who created a space tool for a Mars rover has co-designed a “breakthrough” that he says can revolutionise toothbrushing. Dr Ng Tze-chuen, honorary associate professor of the University of Hong Kong’s faculty of dentistry, and Jin Lijian, professor of periodontology, unveiled their NJ Toothbrush on Monday, which they said is the … Read more
IR Scientific Inc.’s Sensi-IP provides relief to those with sensitive teeth. A Halifax-based company is getting a $500,000 repayable contribution through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) to move forward with a new product that provides relief to those with sensitive teeth. IR Scientific Inc. chief scientist, Dr. Daniel Boyd said Sensi-IP can be added … Read more
The July edition of Oral Health regularly highlights new products, new techniques, and new technologies. These are the innovations that improve our patients’ oral and general health, and make clinical dentistry better, faster, and easier. Inventive approaches make the practice of dentistry more exciting, something to look forward to each and every day. It should … Read more
Bonding agents were tentatively introduced in the early 1970s. Since then, the evolution of adhesive techniques has transformed the scope of dental practice. Arguably, the high impact of bonded, appearance-transforming dental restoratives has propelled the dental profession into its greatest prominence in history. In fact, most direct and indirect restorations are adhered to natural tooth … Read more
Introduction The last few years a plethora of 3D technology seems to have inundated the dental market(Fig. 1). Whereas the initial efforts to 3D scan the dentition of a patient or to convert dental impressions or study casts to 3D digital models appealed mostly to the 3D cognoscenti, current technology and end-users seem to have … Read more
Technology is changing the way we live and work, improving our lives. Smart phones and watches keep us connected to the world, monitor our heart rates, detect and alert atrial fibrillation, check glucose levels, count our steps, record our hours of sleep and keep an eye on numerous vital statistics (Fig. 1). Devices respond and … Read more
Nowhere in dentistry is technical progress as rapid as in modern endodontics. The development of flexible nickel-titanium files in the late 1980s created entirely new and hitherto unknown opportunities in the mechanical preparation of root canals. Numerous recent innovations have made endodontics significantly easier. The introduction of nickel-titanium alloy rotary files was a major milestone. … Read more
The goal of the implant surgeon is to place an implant in the ideal position, that will support a prosthesis with the best long-term prognosis, while managing important anatomical landmarks. With the aid of Cone Beam CT scans the implant surgeon is able to evaluate, in three dimensions, the ridge, important anatomy, as well as … Read more
Introduction Normal pneumatization of the maxillary sinus frequently when combined with the loss of teeth provides inadequate volume of bone, specifically related to height to house an implant. This process is further complicated with periodontally failing posterior teeth are to be extracted. To achieve sufficient bone height to allow implant usage, augmentation of the maxillary … Read more
Placing tooth colored direct composite restorations is a clinical challenge for even the most experienced clinician. Aside from the technique sensitivities involved in adhesive bonding, determining a shade (whether single or layered) that predictably and precisely matches the natural tooth each and every time can be extremely difficult. Shading for most composite materials relies on … Read more
Matching odd shades (particularly if they do not appear in shade guides) can be a challenging task for a dental professional. A skillful practitioner who is familiar with principles of colour (Value, Chroma, Hue and Translucency) and composite systems, colour modifiers and shade matching principles, can create and match a restoration to the existing dentition … Read more
We are tasked to help our patients attain a more desirable cosmetic outcome; often, there is a choice between direct and indirect procedures. Direct procedures are generally less invasive; the practitioner only needs to remove old restorations and any pathology present. Restoring to achieve a long-term desirable outcome requires proper planning and execution to create … Read more
Abstract The use and popularity of both zirconia and lithium disilicate have increased dramatically over the last several years (Fig. 1). In fact, if current trends hold¹ it is entirely possible that that the escalating use of both zirconia and lithium disilicate will soon lead to the demise of traditional PFM’s. This article will focus … Read more
Successful procedure raises hopes technology could avoid problems caused by human error and help overcome shortage of qualified dentists A robot dentist has carried out the first successful autonomous implant surgery by fitting two new teeth into a woman’s mouth, mainland media has reported. Although there were human medical staff present during the operation, they … Read more
The American Dental Association (ADA) today announced that Biotene Dry Mouth Oral Rinse is the first product to earn the ADA Seal of Acceptance in the Dry Mouth product category. The ADA Council on Scientific Affairs in June accepted the oral rinse, a product of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (GSK), based on its finding that the … Read more
NeoDiamond, the pioneer and #1 single-patient-use diamond, is celebrating its 30th anniversary. Three decades ago, Microcopy co-founder Thom Maas, Jr. achieved his vision to offer a high quality, sterile and efficient dental diamond bur — even coining the phrase “Single-Patient-Use”. NeoDiamond launched, outfitted in the distinctive magenta packaging, in early 1989. The original NeoDiamond line … Read more