Compiled by Thais Carter

	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.

	When it comes to choosing hand instrumentation, almost 50% of respondents agree performance is most important with quality and ergonomics a close second and third. Your heads-and by extension, your hands-are in the right place! Doctors are realizing that as well, 71% of those who took the survey indicated that they are involved in selecting the instruments they use in the dental practice.

	Read on for more about what dental hygienists prefer and practice with. 

Articles

 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.

Exclusive Survey: Tipping the scales

	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. This month, we interview Laurie Ambrose, RDH, MS, a dental hygienist who is now Ultradent's National Endodontic Manager.
	
	

What sparked your interest in the dental hygiene profession?

	I always loved my dentist as a child. Whenever I got my card in the mail, I wanted to go immediately. Originally, I toyed with the idea of becoming a dentist, but at the time, it just seemed like too much school. The dental assistant in the practice I went to recommended dental hygiene.

After graduation, did you have a clear picture of the type of practice you wanted to be part of?

	While I was getting my Bachelor's in dental hygiene, I worked part-time in a lot of practices and used that as an opportunity to figure out what kind of dentist I wanted to work with. I knew I wanted someone who was caring, willing to go the extra mile for patients and who would help me grow as a hygienist, mentor me.

Why do you think it is important for a dentist to "mentor" his or her dental hygienist?

	It's not easy to find and, honestly, you need to learn to work with whatever dentist you have. But in the end, if you can't see your dentist as a mentor then you may be resigning yourself to limited professional development. You need to find someone who is willing to let you bring new technologies and ideas to the table, and then look at them in a serious way. Not all dentists want you outside the box. Try to find someone who is willing to keep learning and not just maintain the status quo.

Professional growth is definitely a theme in your story. Did you always have a desire to go beyond clinical practice?

	It's important to me to keep my knowledge base expanding constantly. I'll get to a certain point and know that I need more. Whatever I'm doing at the time is never the end goal. That's a big part of the reason I chose to get my Master's degree-I wanted to keep my options open. 

How did that work out with your transition onto the 

	I've always known that I can do more. At the time the Ultradent position became available, I knew I needed a change from clinical, something new and fresh-I had been doing it for 17 years. When the sales position came up, it was a great challenge. I could use my clinical and hygiene skills, but in a whole new way so that I could keep evolving.

What was the most difficult part of transitioning from clinical to sales?

	The biggest change for me was moving from the very structured world of dental hygiene, where you always knew your schedule, to the world of sales where it's never the same every day or every week. When I was an endodontic specialist, I was covering 10 states and always traveling with someone new.

Now, you're the National Endodontic Manager. Do you ever feel intimidated to be in a clinical realm so different from your dental hygiene background?

	In the beginning, it was a big, overwhelming thing. I knew what endo was, but not about the procedure. I never sat in on it because I had always been in the hygiene room. I threw myself into textbooks, articles, etc. I wanted to know as much as possible. A lot of times, that meant reading and training, but it also has meant being willing to ask questions of my doctors, especially when it pertains to their particular methods. That has really helped. This field is constantly changing, so I'm learning something new everyday.

What does your new day-to-day routine look like?

	As the National Endodontic Manager I am the manager for all seven regions in the U.S. I'm the person behind the tools that help them educate their offices, sales reports, and your overall "pinch hitter." I co-travel with my team, going all over the country now, and help with anything that comes up requiring support for seminars and tradeshows. Life has been exciting with some of the new product launches!

It's amazing that you've come this far, managing a team in an area that was never part of your original clinical education. What advice would you pass along to your peers?

	One of the things I've come across a lot-whether it was getting my Master's in Health Administration, starting in endo or now-is that people are constantly saying, "You're just a hygienist. How am I going to put you out there as credible?" I'm not "just" a hygienist. That "just" really bothers me because I can do anything I put my mind to. I would tell other hygienists: Don't sell yourself short or let someone pigeon-hole you into a category.

	We're intelligent people who work hard to get where we are. Whether we are training patients on preventive care, doctors on endodontics or company employees on a product, it's all working from the same basis of being a good educator. 

Having accomplished so much professionally, what are you hoping to conquer in your life outside of dentistry this coming year?

	I've traveled so much that now, with my kids a little older, I'm looking forward to traveling with them and showing them the things I've seen. The main goal is just to spend as much quality time with the kids as possible.

 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.

Hygienist you should know: Laurie Ambrose, RDH

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.

What made you choose Sesame Communications?


	I originally heard about Sesame from an orthodontist in the area. He told us about how he was using Sesame tools in his practice, and how happy he was with the results. When it came time to look at getting a new website, my relationship with the Pride Institute helped solidify my choice in Sesame. We had previously been working with another online marketing provider and we were not getting the results we needed. The Pride Institute recommended that we transition to a new technology provider for our online marketing efforts, and that provider turned out to be Sesame.

We were immediately happy with our decision. Working with Sesame is a resoundingly positive experience. Their staff is most interested in what we need as a practice, rather than what they can sell us. Most importantly, once they identified what we needed, Sesame delivered.

How does Sesame 24-7 helps you better connect with your patients?


	First, I’d say we have an excellent website thanks to Sesame. Patients often mention to my team and I how helpful the site is to them. It’s a pretty big deal that patients find it helpful enough to comment about it in the office. We’re really proud of that.

The patient portal and automated e-mail and text reminders also have been extremely impactful for our practice. They help us stay on the cutting edge. My staff and I constantly hear from patients about how much they appreciate that we are up on the latest technology, and how convenient these technology tools are for them.

The e-mail surveys we send after appointments also are great. We love the feedback we get from patients, both the positive comments and those we learn from. It helps us get a line of vision on what we’re doing well, and what we can still improve upon. I think it shows a degree of openness our practice has with patients.


	The reminders mean there is no longer a need to spend time on the phone leaving messages. That is a monster weight off the administrative team, because calling and leaving messages all day isn’t a positive or productive experience for the patients or the team, and it’s certainly not efficient. The automated reminders allow us to make that message much more positive. In general these tools help make our office a positive work environment, and help our team feel great about coming into work each day.

Sesame research indicates that automated reminders help reduce no shows. Have you seen an improvement in this area?


	These days, the only people who don’t show up for appointments at our office are the few patients who aren’t signed up for reminders. For the vast majority of our patients, the reminders are working 100%. No shows really aren’t an issue for us anymore.

A recent Sesame study found that practices using past due financial reminders secured patient payments faster than those using mailed invoices. The study revealed 50% of patients paid within the first 48 hours of receiving a reminder! Does this ring true for your practice?

The ability to offer online payment options for patients has been great. Clearly patients are taking advantage of this tool. I see a lot of patients paying after hours, or even on weekends. By offering online payment options, we remove barriers for patients, letting them take care of their billing in a way that fits their lifestyle, rather than limiting them to our rules.

We know mobile is one of the fastest growing trends in online marketing. One of the newest additions to your Sesame services has been your mobile website. What prompted you to leverage this new technology?

My wife and I both have smartphones, and I see patients using theirs all the time, too. I just couldn’t envision our practice managing to stay up on technology without a mobile site, especially here in the northwest, where so many of our patients are tech savvy. The fact that they can visit our website and request an appointment from their smartphone in a way that is user friendly is a big deal. Once I heard Sesame offered a mobile site solution, I signed up immediately.

In the past 6 months you’ve received more than 92 new patient calls from the SEO and social media campaigns you’re working on with Sesame. How would you say these new strategies have affected the new patient growth at your practice?

Our social networking and search marketing strategy would never have happened without Sesaame’s help. I talk to a lot of older dentists who say they should start getting involved with things like Facebook and SEO, but this new territory can be intimidating. Working with a provider like Sesame has made it easy for us to really take advantage of these new tools, and make it all that more beneficial for our practice.

One of the cool things about Social Marketing and SEO is they have even had a positive effect on the traditional referrals we’ve relied on for years. Prospective patients now visit our website and social networks to get to know our practice before even calling. These tools help reduce barriers for new patients to find us, and moves them to make that phone call.

What would you say to colleagues who are thinking about expanding their online strategy?

Sit with your team. Talk about what kind of experiences you want to offer your patients and the type of environment your team wants to work in. Ask yourself questions like “What would it be like if we didn’t have to make appointment reminder phone calls?” “How would life be if we had a great website?” “How will this support our practice values and help our patient experience?” Once you identify the needs of your practice, it’s time to talk to a professional on how best to address those needs. For us, that professional turned out to be Sesame, who helped us effectively fulfill the needs of our practice. As involved as I am with many dental organizations around the country, I have a chance to talk with dentists from all over. Whenever I bring up Sesame, I hear positive comments. It’s great to be associated with a winner and that makes me feel good about return on my investment.
	 

Products in Practice: Sesame Communications in my practice

	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.

	This month, we want to recognize the role relationships play in integrating products successfully into the practice, whether that be through customer service, outstanding sales reps or tech support.


	We placed a rather large order with our new (at the time) Benco rep. The following day, we didn’t receive our order; we received our order six times! One heckuva computer glitch! We call him up as angry as can be and basically accuse him of loading us up intentionally to make more commission. He comes to the office within the hour, assesses the situation and makes a call to Benco to pick up five of the redundant orders.

	My office manager scolds the rep for the problem and said that the action was not a good way to become our supplier. I’ll never forget his reply as it was a classic. With a straight face, he said, “Obviously this was a computer error and I’ve made arrangements for the extra orders to be picked up by UPS, tomorrow. If you prefer, I guess I can load them up into my car, but it would be best to handle it the way I’m doing it.” Then again with a straight face he said, “You know something guys, I don’t want to make light of the situation, but I think I can make some lemonade now! Do you realize that we shipped you your order complete, six times, without any backorders, delivered in one day’s time?” We immediately understood where he was coming from and he became our main supplier from that time on. We stayed with him even as he moved a couple of times throughout his career to different supply houses. I wish he was still servicing our office. He was “that” good. But he rolled his SUV over five times on the highway and suffered a TBI.

	The injuries he sustained from that accident, combined with injuries he received in a training accident as a young U.S. Marine, were too much for him to continue on in the dental field and he medically retired before the age of 50. We wish we could find another dental guy who knew his stuff half as well as he did. His customer service went well beyond the usual and customary!
	- Dentist

	After much pleading with our doctor, we managed to get a fancy new Cavi-Jet from DENTSPLY Professional. After the installation, we had a very minor problem with the unit. Our rep came nearly immediately, and on a day when his family was dealing with a very emotional situation with a young family member. We found out when he was on his way out that he was on his way to the hospital. We scolded him for coming, and he said he knew how excited we were and knew he could quickly fix our problem. You can’t get much better service than that.
	- Dental hygienist

	I am presently visiting Asia, and my colleague got held up in Switzerland due to the Icelandic volcano debacle, leaving our staff to supervise movement of our CBCT systems due to a clinic relocalization. Imaging Sciences International was quickly responsive to requests via e-mail to make sure the i-CAT systems were quickly recalibrated and up and running when this was requested via e-mail from me in Japan. In less than 24 hours, I had a happy e-mail from a previously distraught employee.
	- Dentist

	Ultradent’s marketing strategy includes providing samples of almost all its products. I’m sure that’s an expensive marketing tool, but it gives the dentist a taste of the product before making a decision of purchase, and if the manufacturer is confident of their product this strategy should be very rewarding to them.
	- Dentist

How do you measure customer satisfaction?

	Many dental practices often wonder why some patients leave and never come back. At a time when savvy consumers expect more out of the services they receive, relying on the gut feeling that patients are happy is no longer enough to ensure the success of a practice, no matter its size. Measuring patient satisfaction in a more systematic way offers many benefits.

	Patient feedback tells you what’s not working. If you don’t know what’s wrong, you can’t fix it! Giving patients an easy channel to provide feedback anonymously not only demonstrates willingness to proactively listen, but also offers patients the opportunity to identify immediate areas of improvements. This could be as simple as updating the selection of magazines in the waiting room, or as complex as addressing recurring staff issues.

	Patient feedback helps rally your practice staff. Every team member brings value to how patients ultimately feel about their experience. Sharing patient praise during weekly meetings or morning huddles motivates staff to take pride in delivering extraordinary care and service, while constructive feedback helps make them more accountable and nip unwanted trends in the bud. Patient satisfaction scores can inform staff bonus structures and set a positive tone in engaging the whole practice in a continuous quality improvement culture. 

	Patient feedback enhances your marketing efforts. Delighting patients ensures the level of retention and loyalty that eventually leads to word-of-mouth marketing and new patient referrals. Knowing what those specific strengths are from a patient’s perspective through ongoing feedback can help optimize marketing messages and target audiences. Finding the right words to interest prospective patients in advertising campaigns helps maximize marketing investment.

	Patient feedback helps benchmark your practice. By monitoring patient satisfaction scores over time, a practice can compare current and past performance. These scores take on a whole new meaning when compared with other practices in the market. External quantitative and qualitative benchmarks now exist to help dentists put their own scores into perspective and see how patients rate the experience at their practice relative to other practitioners.

	Patient feedback enhances your practice’s bottom line. Measuring patient satisfaction ultimately translates into long-term financial returns. Keeping a finger on the pulse of what patients think in real time enables practices to implement immediate change strategies that will ensure a recurring revenue stream from existing patients and create new patient opportunities.

	We use Patterson EagleSoft software in our office. They have the best tech support I have ever experienced with any support I have ever dealt with. Courteous, prompt and very qualified. It is always a good experience to deal with them.
	- Dentist
	
	Juan from Kodak came and worked on my x-ray head until it was working even though it wasn’t a Kodak product.
	- Dentist

	Teri Dervenis, our Patterson Dental Sales Rep, is considered a member of our dental team. She is an advisor to our practice, and fully committed to helping our practice reach our goals with educating us on the latest technology and products to help our productivity and patient care.
	- Dentist

	My office burned with almost a total loss on Thanksgiving weekend 1995. Jeff Hulsey, a rep with Nashville Dental Inc. (NDI), was at my house the next day on a Saturday and Sunday and helped me to locate a temporary location for an office. I was up and running in about 5 weeks from the fire at a temporary location. Secondly, NDI helped with renovation and set up a permanent office-that I’m still active in-by the middle of March 1996. NDI provides as much or as little involvement in your practice as you desire. They are like family to me. They have always been there for me since my practice opened July 1, 1991.
	- Dentist

	Patty Call, with Henry Schein is always high on life. She will come into the office, always bubbly, sometimes with homemade cookies, sometimes without cookies. She shares her family antics with us and always asks about our families. She personally will make out all of the rebates and makes sure they are all sent out for us-including the Dentacheques. She doesn’t “push” anything onto us, but knows what it is that we use and will call us with the information. We love her and others could take a lesson from her on customer satisfaction.
	- Dentist

	Kenny Meissner from Patterson always goes above and beyond the call of duty when we have a problem. Our lab was broken into, and our CEREC was damaged. Kenny came right out, stayed late and fixed our unit.
	- Dentist

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 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.  

Get personal

	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.

	As the digital impressioning field continues to grow-with several new competitive products slated for launch this year-Dental Products Report decided to follow-up with 3M ESPE about what this campaign means for the company and what it means for the end user. The following Q&A is excerpted from a phone interview between Thais Carter, Editor in Chief for DPR, and Chad Naughton, 3M ESPE’s marketing communications supervisor for Lava C.O.S.

 After the “soft launch” of the Lava C.O.S. at the 2008 Chicago Midwinter meeting, you launch this “Guaranteed Fit” campaign leading up to Midwinter 2010. To those on the outside, that seems like a huge leap in a very short time. The main question is: Why?

	When we launched this, it was all controlled and we did it methodically…opening up different areas of the country a bit at a time. We weren’t nationwide until the second half of ’09. Prior to that, it never made sense to do national marketing. We’ve had tremendous progress and what we’ve seen over the course of the last year is tremendously successful integration with our core group of customers. One thing that was clear was the remake rate was radically less than it was with traditional materials. We’ve always been proud to stand behind our products, and in the case of the Lava C.O.S., that evolved into a guaranteed fit.

 Why take such a dramatic stance instead of just promoting the lower remake rate?

	When you ask doctors about digital impressions, they see this is where dentistry is going. They know the technology is remarkable, but many don’t feel ready yet. One of the things we thought we could do, because we have confidence in our process and system-which leads to greater accuracy from the very beginning-is to guarantee fit for new doctors.

 How would you describe the Lava C.O.S.’s standing in the current field of digital impressioning systems?

	It’s simple. Our approach at 3M ESPE is to enter a category to be No. 1. We were a couple years behind Cadent in terms of offering a stand alone system, and CEREC, of course, has been around for many years, but only as a chairside system. We see opportunity and looking toward the future, we know we want to win.

 What is it about your technology that you think offers you a competitive advantage?

	Accuracy and potential. Every other system uses point and click technology which has been around for more than 20 years and we are just beginning to harness the power of our “3D-in-Motion” technology. For comparison, every time you take a picture with point and click you capture 1 3D data set. For every second you are in the mouth with our system it captures 20 3D data sets.

 Are you worried about having to compensate for people not using the technology correctly?

	One of the things we like to say is, we can’t make a bad dentist a good dentist, but we can make a good dentist a better dentist. The vast majority of customers are good dentists. What’s great about guaranteed fit is that if you have a challenge along the way or something doesn’t work, we try to capture that up front and correct it right away. We’re not just saying we’re going to compensate you for the lack of fit, but we’ll find out what was wrong and how to fix it moving forward. We don’t have to do it a lot, but that’s the promise we want to deliver.

 How do you define success for this type of ad campaign?

	At the end of the year, we’re all judged by making sure that we sell the units, but a great part of this campaign is making sure the doctors who do come on board have alleviated the fear. We want them to be 100% satisfied with their decision and 100% excited with where this is going.

 Is there anything that worries you about the growth of the category?

	Well, my concern is that we’re going to end up seeing a lot of “me too” companies. We try to emphasize to potential customers that when you are looking at a fundamental shift in how you do business, you don’t want someone who’s just going to sell you a system, but someone to partner with you.

 What closing thought would you like to leave readers with?

	We are not just guaranteeing fit of the restoration, but also standing behind the real benefits our doctors have told us about: Productivity, improved patient experience, improved communication with their labs and even a more engaged staff.

 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.

Guaranteed. Really?!

	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. To celebrate, we sat down with James Ingebrand, Vice President, Dental Materials and Gerd Brandhorst to talk about the company’s past 10 years and what they have planned for the next 10 years.

Why is the anniversary of this merger something you think dental professionals should take notice of?


	Brandhorst: It marked the coming together of two innovation drivers of dental consumables and systems with a huge potential to improve dentistry for dentists and patients.

	Ingebrand: Mergers often make the news when they happen but seldom do we get to hear the rest of the story except, perhaps, when things go terribly wrong. The 3M Dental and ESPE merger is important in that, at the time, it was a large and impactful event in a relatively small industry. Now, 10 years later, the effects are still very visible in terms of new products, brands’ geographical expansion and overall impact on the industry. 3M ESPE has been rated the most innovative dental company for 6 years running. The merger has been a positive factor in that success.
	
	

What was the atmosphere within the company like at the time of the combination?


	Brandhorst: Both companies were highly respected in the dental market, thus the atmosphere was like at the beginning of a longer journey with some unknown destinations.
	
	

Why did a partnership of this kind make sense for 3M Dental and ESPE Dental AG?


	Brandhorst: Combined innovation focus became even stronger, and additional benefits came with increased access to more markets globally.

	Ingebrand: The two businesses were quite complementary in terms of product lines and geographical coverage. Most importantly the two companies shared a company culture and philosophy that focused on innovation, quality, ethics and a profound passion for the dental business.
	
	

What was the dental industry’s response to these two groups coming together?


	Brandhorst: I think they knew to be more prepared for more competition in more countries based on the ability to launch more innovative  products through the now stronger combined marketing and sales organization.
	
	

What, if anything, did the employees of 3M and ESPE know about one another?


	Brandhorst: Not too much, but that changed rapidly after the closure.
	
	

In light of that, describe the process of integration-how did two successful companies with different cultures become one?


	Brandhorst: Meet, meet, meet and talk, talk, talk. Both parties were open to learn from each other.
	
	

 What was the most challenging part of the integration?


	Brandhorst: Aligning processes and overlapping responsibilities and areas.
	
	

 How do you think going through that process made the resulting entity better?


	Brandhorst: Respect for each other, supporting management and creating a new organization, in which one party does not conquer the other.

	Ingebrand: The initial process no doubt forced some immediate connections and debate. That willingness to debate and exchange ideas openly has delivered lasting benefit. 3M ESPE continues to benefit from an open culture that fosters new ideas and technology between our global business and laboratory teams.
	
	

Looking ahead, how does the 3M ESPE brand intend to continue to build upon the strengths first identified in one another 10 years ago?


	Brandhorst: Quality and innovation will further pave the way for 3M ESPE in the dental market.

	Ingebrand: The combined strengths of both organizations will continue to enable 3M ESPE to be a force for positive change as dentistry continues to evolve. In particular expect to see 3M ESPE: Continue to expand products and services in the digital frontier; develop new products in the core areas of restoratives and prosthodontics; further expand its presence around the world; investigate and market new treatments for the prevention of carries and other oral disease states 

 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.

A decade's worth of success

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.

Even though the ins and outs of infection control can seem very “ho hum” in light of new diagnostic technology and other innovative products, it makes sense that as one of the “go-to” team members for heading up IC protocol, that dental hygienists would find the meaning in the mundane.


	Founded in 1984 and formally incorporated as a non-profit organization in 1985, OSAP is a unique group of dental educators and consultants, researchers, clinicians, industry representatives, and other interested persons with a collective mission to be the world’s leading advocate for the safe and infection-free delivery of oral care. OSAP supports this commitment to dental workers and the public through quality education and information dissemination.

OSAP is a valuable resource for the dental profession and dental industry. Its checklists, issue foci and position papers provide practical, scientifically sound information and recommendations on specific issues like H1N1, dental unit water quality, “green” infection control, instrument processing, surface asepsis, percutaneous injuries and much more.

Exclusive Survey: Investing in infection control

	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.

	What respondents did seem to understand was the inherent ergonomic benefits. Properly fitted loupes will not only bring the patient’s oral cavity into better focus, but also will promote improved posture and optimal ergonomics for a long and productive dental hygiene career. Regardless of style-flip-up or through-the-lens-the most important factors, ergonomically speaking, are the working distance (measured from the opera tor’s eye to the work surface) and declination angle (determined by the head tilt).

 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.

Seeing is Believing

	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.

	In my opinion, for 2- to 5-year-olds with severely decayed primary anterior teeth, NuSmile is an excellent restorative option.

	For pediatric dentists who are used to stainless steel crowns, there is a  definite learning curve. The preparation is different from what they are used to making-not difficult at all, just different.

	When someone prepares a tooth for a stainless steel crown, you can make the crown fit the tooth by crimping, bending and squeezing the crown. With NuSmile, you have to prepare the tooth so that it fits the crown, because these crowns are rigid.

	I’ve been fortunate to see impressive results not just in my personal experience, but as a co-author on two papers offering a retrospective analysis of clinical performance and parental satisfaction with NuSmile Crowns. We saw only 10-13% of cases demonstrate chipping or wear at the incisal edge, which is similar to what we see in composite strip crowns (a popular alternative to NuSmile). When it comes to durability, they are at least comparable.

	The results of parental satisfaction with NuSmile crowns are very positive. We had an overall satisfaction rate of 93%. When asked, 91% indicated they would choose the same type of crown for future treatment of their child.

	When properly placed, NuSmile crowns deliver a very nice esthetic result and a predictable, durable restoration that you rarely have to worry about replacing or repairing. In addition, NuSmile Crowns are well-retained when cemented with a glass ionomer cement, even when there isn’t a lot of remaining tooth structure.

	Another big plus is that they are not affected by the presence of hemorrhage. Contrast with a composite strip crown-when the gingiva starts to bleed, you have to control any hemorrhage before you etch and bond for the crown. That’s not the case with NuSmile and that is huge in my book. Another benefit is these crowns also have high color stability. They retain their color over many years and rarely discolor.

 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?

“The results of parental satisfaction are very positive…”

	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.

	In each issue between now and October we will highlight four of the 16 honorees. You’ll find both general information about what the product brings to the table as well as feedback from one of the panelists on what helps the product stand out in its competitive set. 

	Interviews, education and hands-on demonstrations at the “Best of Class” Technology Fair at this year’s ADA Annual Session in Las Vegas will allow you to experience each product on your own and decide if it’s a good fit for your practice.

Q: How did you first find out about this product?


	A: I first saw a VELscope many years ago and thought that it had potential to help enhance my oral cancer screenings. I researched the device and it had good science behind it. The only problem was I could not justify the more than $6,000 price tag. Then, when the new VELscope Vx was introduced for $2,500, it became an easy decision to purchase this technology.

Q: Describe the situations in which you’ve seen the product in use.


	A: VELscope Vx is an adjunctive oral cancer screening technology that assists in visualizing dysplasia in the oral cavity. The device should be used at all examination appointments to help screen for areas of dysplasia or cancer that may be less visible when using your standard white light examination. I have personally found areas of dysplasia sooner than before or that I would have possibly missed. This allows the patients to get appropriate treatment at the earliest stages of dysplasia when the lesions can be destroyed and cancer can be averted.

Q: In light of the product’s performance in these situations, what, in your opinion, sets it apart in the industry?


	A: VELscope is “Best in Class” because it is the most researched oral cancer screening tool and it is the device that all other similar devices compare themselves to.

Q: If you had to summarize why a dentist should purchase this product or switch to this product, what three reasons would you highlight?


	A: Dentists should purchase a VELscope Vx because it’s portable and has become much more affordable. It is easy to use with a short learning curve, but most importantly, you can save lives by screening for oral cancer with this device.

The Panelist’s Perspective: Dr. John Flucke


	A: I first saw the Cadent iTero system at the ADA meeting in Las Vegas, October 2006. I had heard about it for the previous 6 months, but that was my first chance to actually see it in action.


	A: We brought the iTero system on board in our practice in January of 2010. Since then we have probably taken less than 30-40 traditional crown and bridge impressions. It has been used for everyday fixed prosthetics, study models and surgical guides for implant surgery. Because the software is open architecture, it’s being tested in even more applications and will continue to grow as more bright people figure out ways to use the amazingly accurate digital data.


	A: The device is easy to use, doesn’t require powder as a contrast medium, improves workflow and is open architecture, which allows it to work with a variety of devices that I get to chose from.


	A: Office efficiency-we are providing more care with lower stress. Accuracy-seating of crowns and bridges made with iTero is easier and faster because the capturing of data digitally is more accurate than with impression materials. Ease of use-patients hate impressions. They may tell you they don’t…until you do away with them. Using the iTero system allows us to have all the benefits of a digital workflow while also keeping the human element of lab fabrication in our fixed prosthetics.

The Panelist’s Perspective: Dr. Parag Kachalia


	A: I first learned about Spectra about 18 months ago at the California Dental Association North convention, just walking by the booth. I decided to sit down and test the caries detection unit, at which point I was immediately intrigued.


	A: I have personally used the product in my own office for about 6 months. We use it on almost every patient after the hygiene appointment as a caries detection screening aid. When I come into the operatory the images are already on the screen and we make a decision to monitor a given carious lesion or to treat it.


	A: The greatest benefit of Spectra is that it blends a numerical readout with a visual color scale. This is giving the practitioner a way to track changes in a lesion that may be monitored over time. Patients can take ownership of their own health. Patients do not really understand a “stick”of an explorer, but they do understand an area on a photo that shows up bright red or orange as being bad.


	A: First, the color blended with numerical readout allows for great patient education. Second, you can’t beat the ease of use. No calibration is needed as the system is literally a click-and-go type system. Third, integration into existing practice management software allows long-term objective monitoring of lesions.

The Panelist’s Perspective: Dr. Larry Emmott


	A: Dental R.A.T. is really a simple idea that solves several technology issues in the dental office. The dentist or hygienist can make computer data entries, especially perio pocket depths, using a foot control instead of a mouse and keyboard. It makes data entry faster, it allows the hygienist to stay focused in the mouth instead of looking up and moving, and it maintains asepsis.
	One other big plus: In my office we have tried out a lot of new technology. Dental R.A.T. had one important feature that was too often missing from other new products-it worked. It’s that simple.


	A: In dentistry we are used to using foot controls for our handpieces, cameras, chairs, ultrasonics and so on. Using a foot control for computer entry seems like an obvious next step. It allows the user to enter data in an aseptic manner without taking his or her eyes off the teeth, or employing another team member to type in the data.
	Computers in the treatment room used for clinical purposes have been a major, even revolutionary, change in dentistry. Now, with products like Dental R.A.T. we are seeing the next phase of that revolution with hardware and other computer components designed specifically for use in a dental treatment room.

Q: If you had to summarize why a dentist should purchase this product or switch to this product, what reasons would you highlight?


	A: One of the reasons I like Dental R.A.T. is that I like the people behind it. The hygienist inventor, Becky Logue, was faced with a problem-that is recording perio charting information on a computer in an efficient, cost-effective and aseptic way. Instead of complaining about it, she invented a clever device to solve the problem.

 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.