Lauren Burns

When husband-and-wife dentists Eddy Rodriguez and Sharon Schmeiser opened their dental practice in 2012, they began searching for help to learn how to better manage their practice. They experimented with a few different options, but they all fell short of their expectations-until they found MGE Management Experts late that year.
	
MGE, which uses the Hubbard Management System, was different, he says. Instead of sending a consultant out to his practice to do his marketing and patient communication for him, MGE gave his practice the sales tools they needed to start growing the business themselves.
	
Dr. Rodriguez first attended an MGE workshop called The New Patient Workshop in November 2012. The following month, he attended his first “ABC” seminar, Sales Seminar A: Taking the Stress and Pressure out of the Sales Process, and says his practice tripled in just the last two weeks of December.
	
“Once we became MGE students and became more and more involved with MGE, our office became bigger and bigger,” says Dr. Rodriguez.
	
Dr. Rodriguez soon finished Sales Seminar B: How to Connect With Any Patient and Handle Their Objections, and Sales Seminar C: How to Motivate Your Patients to Want What They Need. He says he attends the three ABC courses every year along with many other MGE courses. In fact, Dr. Rodriguez flies his entire dental team from Miami to MGE’s site in St. Petersburg, Fla., for the seminars.
	
“I think the campus is about 50,000 square feet, and I think they have about 100 or 150 doctors being trained there every week,” he says. “It’s basically a business school.”
	
Today, Dr. Rodriguez says his monthly collections are about five times as much as they were when he started his practice in 2012. That’s quite significant, given he works two and a half days per week, while his wife works three mornings per week.
	
He attributes the drastic change in collections to the way he approaches treatment plans with his patients, as well as how his front desk handles calls from potential new patients.
	
Before reaching out to MGE Management Experts, he says that his receptionist would tell a prospective patient if their practice didn’t take that patient’s insurance, which would result in a “lost patient.”
	
“Now, instead of focusing on the insurance, she would ask the patient why they called,” he says. “My staff is now trained to tell potential new patients not to worry about insurance, and make sure they know their first visit is complimentary. That gets the patient in to experience and approve of the office before they are even faced with making a purchase.” Today, he says his practice brings in 60 to 120 new patients each month.
	
MGE Management Experts also taught Dr. Rodriguez how to stop approaching patients “like a doctor.”
	
“MGE teaches you to talk to a human being,” he says. “They show you how to communicate with the patient so they can better understand what you are trying to do for them. The best person to present dentistry to the patient is the dentist. If a patient has a question about how they are going to pay for the treatment, the real question is that they don’t understand the treatment they’re paying for, so you have to clarify that. Before I would just walk into the room and say the patient needs a root canal, and my staff would take care of it. Now I stay and explain what a root canal is and give them all the options possible to save the tooth, and get case acceptance. Then my staff comes in and they handle the financial plans, and then we get started.”
	
Dr. Rodriguez says he no longer presents costs timidly because the patient won’t be confident the treatment is necessary. Instead, he says he is “upfront” about the cost, regardless of the number. That confidence, he says, and the extra time spent explaining the necessity of the specific treatment to the patient, is what has brought his collections to the high numbers they are today. 

A leader in dental practice management training, the MGE Power Program is a comprehensive series of courses, seminars and practical implementation steps. An approved PACE Program Provider, MGE training covers management, case acceptance, marketing, executive skills, financial planning, and leadership. The average MGE Power Client achieves an astounding 232 percent growth over a 5-year period.

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How sales training from MGE Management Experts helped one dentist raise his collections by 500 percent.

Teaching dentists the ABCs of Sales using MGE Management

	Last year, Dr. Lou Shuman wrote a Clinical Deep Dive article about a new nanotechnology that could change restorative dentistry forever (“A Composite Technology to Prevent Secondary Caries,” August 2018).

	He interviewed the founder and CEO of Nobio, a company that’s working on a nanotechnology that kills bacteria on the tooth surface without affecting the rest of the bacteria in the mouth. Nobio’s founder Dr. Ervin Weiss and CEO Yoram Ashery discussed in detail how the technology works and what applications might benefit from this technology.

	Nearly a year later, researchers presented the findings of two studies that featured Nobio’s nanoparticle at the 2019 International Association for Dental Research (IADR) General Session in Vancouver. The session was held in June. Attendees heard about an in vitro and an in vivo study on Nobio’s technology.

	The research showed this composite formulation is comparable to current market leaders in strength and other physical qualities, but it also offers patients antibacterial protection.

	For any clinicians who weren’t in the audience (or for those who are interested in a recap), here are the summaries.

	Dr. Weiss presented the findings of a study titled “Mechanical and Antibacterial Performance of Novel Resin-Based Restorative Material.” Researchers performed the study to see if there were any significant differences in the qualities of three formulations: two from Nobio and one commercial product from 3M™ (Filtek™ Supreme Flowable). The two formulations from Nobio included one with the antibacterial nanoparticle (quaternary ammonium bound to silica, or QASi) and one without.

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	Both the Nobio formulation without the QASi particles and the Filtek Supreme Flowable composite acted as control groups in this study. The researchers found all three composites were comparable in accordance with the ISO 4049:2009 specifications. In terms of flexural strength, radiopacity, depth of cure, water sorption and water solubility, there were no statistically significant differences. There was a significant difference in the reduction of E. faecalis when the QASi particle was present in the composite.

	Researchers concluded the addition of QASi to the composite resulted in an antibacterial composite that has comparable physical characteristics to the commercial product.

Michal Dekel Steinkeller, of Tel-Aviv University, School of Dental Medicine, presented the results of another study titled “In-Vivo Performance of Antibacterial Flowable Composite.” In this study, researchers aimed to assess the antibacterial activity of Nobio’s QASi composite after six and 12 months use in vivo. They measured the ratios of live versus dead bacteria on plaque removed from composites attached to the mandibular premolars of healthy volunteers by using a live/dead stain ex vivo and analyzing the results through fluorescent microscopy.

	The control group in this study was again the Filtek Supreme Flowable from 3M. The control (Filtek) sample was attached to a premolar on one side of the mouth, and the experimental (Nobio) composite to the opposite premolar on the other. After six months, biofilm was collected from each restoration with a periodontal curette, spread on a microscope slide, and stained to reveal dead bacteria (red) and live bacteria (green).

	Researchers found live bacteria on control (3M) composite were about 70 percent of all bacteria, compared to only 35 percent on Nobio composite, at both six and 12 months. These results indicate the Nobio flowable composite offers long-lasting antibacterial activity.

	I spoke with Dental Products Report’s technology editor, Dr. John Flucke, to get his take on what this could mean for dentists, patients and the industry as a whole.

Read More: A composite technology to prevent secondary caries

	“I think knowing that you can put a material in the mouth and not really worry about it is huge,” Dr. Flucke says. “It reminds me of when we were using amalgams; you didn’t see a lot of amalgams come back with recurrent decay because they would seal themselves by corroding and kill the bacteria. It probably wasn’t very healthy or pretty, but it worked.”

	Composite restorations are more prone to failure for that reason, Dr. Flucke says. They’re also technique sensitive, so any missteps in the preparation or placement of the restoration could lead to micro-gaps, which are susceptible to bacterial penetration and ultimately restoration failure.

	“Knowing that Nobio technology in the composite will kill the bugs is tremendous,” he adds.

	“Dentists have always had two choices to prevent restoration failure: local delivery of antimicrobials either through syringes, through a Waterpik®, or with oral rinses like chlorhexidine; or systemic options like tetracycline. But there is nothing like putting the material directly into the site where it needs to work; there is no better place to put the antimicrobial than where the microbes were two minutes before. Plus, it doesn’t have to be recharged like fluoride with glass ionomers.”

	Other researchers have tried to address the issue of the micro-gap, but nothing looks quite as promising. Dr. Flucke outlined Dr. Rella Christensen’s recent research and protocol development for placing composites with glutaraldehyde, such as with Gluma® from Kulzer. Dr. Christensen showed two one-minute applications of a glutaraldehyde product will kill bacteria in the restorative area, but there are major drawbacks to this technique: it’s time-consuming and expensive. (A 5 mL bottle of Gluma is $152 from Henry Schein.)

	“Using a composite with Nobio’s nanoparticle integrated into it would be a great thing because you wouldn’t have to change your process,” Dr. Flucke adds. “If you’re already doing the steps of etch, bond, place filling, you don’t change anything; you just etch, bond, and place filling with Nobio. You’ll get those results of eliminating bacteria in your preparation without the extra step or cost, and I think that’s a great idea.”

	Dr. Flucke speculates the technology can be incorporated into a variety of dental materials and procedures such as varnishes, dentures or retainers.

	“If it works as advertised, the sky’s the limit!”

	1. Zaltsman N, Zinger A, Malka E, Weiss EI. Mechanical and Antibacterial Performance of Novel Resin-Based Restorative Material.

	2. Steinkeller MD, Salzman N, Weiss EI. In-Vivo Performance of Antibacterial Flowable Composite.

New nano-technology from Nobio is powering the creation of novel dental materials capable of providing long-lasting antimicrobial properties to restore damaged teeth and provide ongoing, lasting protection.

How antimicrobial nanotechnology is set to empower composites

	A ccording to the FDA, cone beam CT systems have important roles in many dental subfields, including implants, endo, ortho and sleep breathing disorders. But is the major cost of a CBCT system (usually valued between $80,000 and $120,000) worth it?

	“Cone beam makes things more efficient, so you can treatment plan better,” says Dr. Flucke, chief dental editor and technology editor for Dental Products Report. “Things are easier with fewer unexpected outcomes. It also keeps you out of legal trouble because there are cases in which someone has been sued for an implant gone awry. A good attorney will want to see a cone beam scan right away.”

	It’s not all about fear, though. He predicts that the combination of a cone beam scan and bitewing images will become the norm within 10 years as a consequence of the information cone beam scans provide.

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	For those dentists who want to get ahead of the curve, the cost is often the first hurdle. That said, it can be managed.

	A CBCT scanner is just about the most expensive piece of equipment a dental practice could purchase, aside from an in-office milling system. Dr. Flucke won’t argue that the ROI is going to be substantial or immediate, but it will be there.

	He speculates that it takes about three years for dentists to recoup their investment on a CBCT scanner, but for those who aren’t ready for the financial commitment, sending patients to get a scan at another practice is also an option. In fact, that’s what Dr. Flucke’s practice does for many external patients. “The patients walk in, fill out their health history, get a scan, write a check and leave, and we send the CD of the scan to their dentists,” he says.

	“A lot of people will say that putting a cone beam in your practice will make you a lot of money. I don’t know if I necessarily agree with that, and I’m not really about doing something just to make more money, but I do love efficiency. If you could do something in 30 minutes instead of an hour, why wouldn’t you? It decreases stress on everybody.”

	Dr. Flucke doesn’t stand behind doing something just for the money, but he can get behind broadening one’s scope of practice. He credits a CBCT scanner as the reason his practice is able to place implants and treat patients with sleep-disordered breathing.

“It’s also great for orthodontics, endodontics and pathologies in general,” Dr. Flucke says. “If someone comes in with something strange on an X-ray or they have a strange complaint in general, you can take a scan and either find or eliminate situations with them.”

	Treating sleep breathing disorders is one of the most interesting trends that has popped up in dentistry lately. With so much talk about the oral-systemic link, it’s encouraging to see dentists and medical doctors working together so closely on an issue that silently plagues so many Americans. (Or not so silently, if that patient snores!) While dentists aren’t allowed to diagnose sleep apnea, giving them the resources they need to get their patients diagnosed by a medical doctor is a literal life-saving idea. That’s what 

, Dr. Flucke’s partner in treating sleep-disordered breathing, does.

Read more: The best tech to enhance your practice

	Because dentists are often the first step in identifying possible breathing issues in patients, SleepArchiTx provides online training to dentists that enables them to identify risk factors and symptoms of sleep disordered breathing in their patients, then connects those dentists with physicians who can diagnose breathing disorders and suggest the most appropriate treatment modalities for those patients. Dr. Flucke uses Anatomage software on his CBCT to analyze patients’ airways for constrictions and other issues, and then utilizes tools from SleepArchiTx to help treat those patients.

	“When you do a sleep study, SleepArchiTx provides the hardware that the patient wears at home, then they analyze the study and the cone beam that you send them,” Dr. Flucke explains. “The doctor that does the analysis then makes recommendations on the best treatment appliances for that particular patient’s clinical situation. They really do a lot of work in the background. You take the impressions, you have the device fabricated and fitted, and that’s kind of it.”

	Dr. Flucke adds that the follow-up the patients receive is a huge benefit.

	“When people go to the doctor and get a CPAP, that’s the end of it,” he says. “Nobody follows up and sees that it’s working. And SleepArchiTx makes sure it’s working.”

	Dr. Flucke does multiple sleep studies with his patients: one at the beginning of treatment, one in the middle and one at the end to make sure that the appliance prescribed is actually helping the patient.

	“Sixty percent of the people who are given a CPAP mask aren’t wearing it a year later. What is the point of treating a disease process if nobody knows if the patients get better?”

	Because SleepArchiTx treats sleep-disordered breathing like the medical disease it is, they can bring in the medical insurance with it.

	“It’s important for dentists to be aware that reimbursements are higher if you bring in the medical side, and that’s one of the things that SleepArchiTx brings to the table,” Dr. Flucke says. “Dentists don’t want or need to go out and reinvent the wheel to figure out how to code it and all of that.

	“It’s a turnkey system,” he continues. “The dentist does their part in dentistry, then they turn it over to them so that they can get the diagnosis, have the sleep studies read by a sleep physician, submit to medical insurance and everything else. When all of the billing is taken care of, the reimbursement comes back to the dental practice. Because SleepArchiTx helps get medical insurance to pay for it, the dental patient’s out-of-pocket remains pretty low. You can get into multiple thousands of dollars being reimbursed. They do all of the behind-the-scenes stuff that we dentists can’t and won’t do anyway.”

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	Many dentists think having more data means putting themselves at risk.

	“A lot of people aren’t trained to read the scans,” Dr. Flucke says. “Some people are afraid that if they have all this information and they don’t know how to read it, there will be some pathology on the scan that they don’t notice. Something could happen down the line and an attorney can come back and say that it’s been there the whole time and the dentist didn’t do anything about it.”

	Luckily, there exists what Dr. Flucke calls a “get-out-of-jail-free card”; radiologists who can read them for you, at around $50 to $70 per scan.

	“If you go to a hospital and an ER doctor orders a CAT scan, they aren’t the one who’s going to spend an hour going over it,” he says. “It’s going to be a radiologist that looks at it in real time. That’s their job. Dentists get hung up on being the doctor who has to do it all, but it’s not your responsibility.”

	We know that having cone beam CT scans opens up a world of possibilities now, but who knows what the data will be able to offer in the future. At the very least, it could provide a baseline for your patients to help you make predictive judgments.

	“The longer your patients stay in your practice and the more data you have on them, the better you’ll be at predicting what’s going to happen to their teeth in the future,” Dr. Flucke says. “If you have a baseline of your patients, you’ll know which ones need intervention and which ones don’t.”

	The benefits are there for everyone, no matter what level of commitment or involvement you want to take. You can send patients to another practice to get the scans and then send those scans to a radiologist for interpretation, or you could purchase the equipment yourself and learn how to read the scans. Either way, the data is available for any dentist to begin to widen their scope of practice. If you do decide to bite the bullet, Dr. Flucke advises choosing a system with the best image quality and ease of use of software at your price point.

Learn how a CBCT system could have a positive impact on your ROI and practice scope.

Is cone beam technology worth the cost?

	These dental professionals share what they like about a range of different products.

Dental Products Report talked to seven clinicians about seven different bonding agents on the market.

1. All-Bond Universal, BISCO | Jack D. Griffin, Jr., DMD, MAGD

	I am a general practitioner in a large restorative practice where we feature comprehensive rehabilitation and cosmetic dentistry. Our goal is BISCO All-Bond Universallong-lasting, sensitivity-free restoratives with a focus on esthetics. Efficiency is very important to me while minimizing materials and keeping techniques simple.

	I am lucky to test products for several different groups and teach adhesive, cosmetic and restorative dentistry. 

has become my favorite all-purpose bonding agent.

	There are several reasons for using a universal bonding agent. The versatility is unmatched. With the three different bonding techniques, All-Bond Universal is extremely effective. The best long-term bond in dentistry is to etched enamel, but removing the smear layer from dentin requires meticulous attention to detail. Total-etch has proven to be an excellent bonding strategy, but many practitioners experienced sensitivity so non-etch (or self-etch) techniques gained a foothold. There was certainly less sensitivity, but the nonphosphoric acid-etched enamel often resulted in leakage or a stained margin with time. All-Bond Universal works well with either of these techniques.

	Very popular in the academic/teaching world today is the third etching strategy: selective-etch. This technique is where phosphoric acid is used only on enamel and the dentin smear layer is left intact and modified by the universal bonding agent. Therefore, we have the benefits of the first two techniques without the issues many saw. All-Bond Universal works very well for any of these three methods whether etching all, some or none of the tooth.

	Its simplicity is unsurpassed. Its single bottle, easy application, versatility, low film thickness and clear color are very important in our bonding world today. All-Bond Universal is an excellent choice for whatever your bonding situation is.	 

2. BeautiBond, Shofu Dental Corp. | Dr. John Comisi 

	Simplicity is what every dentist wants when doing a direct adhesive procedure. Quicker, faster, better is what we look for in everything that we do. That’s the promise of self-adhesive bonding agents. One bottle, easy to apply and go. However, I also want an adhesive material that I can count on for it’s reliability and long term benefit.

	Well, that’s what I find when using BeautiBond. This HEMA-free seventh generation bonding agent, which comes in a convenient unit dose, has a very good initial bond strength comparable to other bonding agents available, a very low film thickness (5 µm) and two unique adhesive monomers to enhance bonding to the complete tooth structure.

	The phosphonic acid monomer creates a bond to the enamel surface of the tooth, while the Carboxylic acid monomer is involved with the creation of the bond to the dentin surface. Interestingly, the carboxylic acid is also an MMP inhibitor, which is critical, in my opinion, to reducing dentin bond failure at the hybrid layer.

	This is why I call for BeautiBond for all my conventional direct bonding cases. I know that, the MMP inhibition by carboxylic acid will help to maintain a strong hybrid layer bond to dentin and prevent the enzymatic breakdown of the collagen that makes up the dentin structure.

	It also is as simple as it can get: open the unidose bottle, insert a micro brush into the reservoir, apply a single layer to the tooth surface and leave it for 10 seconds, gently air dry for three seconds then increase air flow to a higher force level, finally light cure for five seconds, and then apply your composite restorative material.

3. CLEARFIL SE PROTECT, Kuraray Dental | Dr. Joe Willardsen

	I kept seeing CLEARFIL SE PROTECT as what most of the research articles compare all the other bonds to. It seemed to be the gold standard so I wanted to try it. As I learned more about it, I saw it has some different proprietary and patented chemicals that none of the other bonding agents have, including the monomer MDPD, which is an anti-bacterial agent that helps the tooth stay bonded longer.

	Most bonds break down over five to six years on average, but now we’re seeing they’re staying bonded longer in CLEARFIL SE PROTECT. Some dentists will take a chlorhexidine rinse to block the enzymes releasing from the tooth from breaking it down, but the rinse only lasts so long and doesn’t polymerize with the tooth. MDPD does, and that’s what makes it insoluble. Because of the strength of the bond, my patients aren’t experiencing post-operative sensitivity.

	The other thing I like about CLEARFIL is I have the option of using it as a dual-cure. If I have a deep cavity or the tooth has been root canaled, I can mix in the dual-cure activator so I know the CLEARFIL is cured and bonded and don’t have to worry about the light reaching down all the way.

	My technique has changed since [CLEARFIL was released]; now that I look back at some of my restorations, I can see a little bit of a gap between the dentin and the composite itself on X-rays. I’m not seeing any evidence of that now with restorations with CLEARFIL. I would definitely have more incidents with sensitivity-not a lot, because I was trying to be very careful, but now I never worry about it.

	It helps me be more conservative because it’s more conservative to do a strong bond and rebuild the tooth that way than to crown the tooth. The bottom line is that with CLEARFIL SE PROTECT, I don’t have to crown teeth. Instead, I can bond side to side and front to back and have a stronger tooth than I would if I crowned it. I’m also preventing patients from coming back for more and more work. Eventually when you work on a tooth too much, you end up losing it. By the time you replace a crown two to three times, there’s nothing left to work with. If I bond the tooth and keep its natural structure, I can go in and repair the areas breaking down.

	Using CLEARFIL SE PROTECT allows me to be confident and let the patient know it will last a long time and he or she won’t have sensitivity, and patients see the value in that. We’re known as a conservative practice, and patients like that. I always give them a choice between crowns and bonding, and 90 percent of the time, they choose bonding because they see the value.

4. Cosmedent Complete, Cosmedent | Dr. Bud Mopper

 because it bonds to everything you want to bond to: acrylic, metal, etc. It’s a total-etch technique. I always use total-etch; I don’t believe in self-etching. We have no sensitivity with it at all. I’ve always been a total etcher. I get tremendous results with it. I’ve been using total etching my entire career. I don’t care what bonding agent people use-it doesn’t make a difference-but everyone should have one agent that bonds to everything. There’s no reason to have five or six different ones. The big thing is to follow the instructions, do it the right way and take the time to do it properly. That’s how you get a good restoration. It takes a lot more than the agent itself to do the work well.

	There are other agents out there that are very good. I suggest people look for one that bonds to everything.

5. G-aenial Bond, GC America | Dr. Howard Glazer

	I’m a big fan of seventh-generation bonding agents because they’re self-etch and self-adhesive bonding agents that eliminate certain steps while still providing certain bond strengths to both enamel and dentin. G-aenial Bond is the improved formulation of G-BOND and provides even stronger bond strengths. However, I don’t use it exclusively. I also use other bonding agents within this category.

I like G-aenial Bond because it is easy to use right out of the bottle. You simply apply it, let it air dry, photo-cure it and go! It’s simple; it takes 30 seconds or less to apply. In terms of value, it brings high bond strengths to both enamel and dentin, and I place more value on its adhesion to enamel because most adhesion comes from the enamel.

	G-aenial Flo and Universal Flo are also excellent flowable resins. I prefer to stay in the same system so if I use that flowable then I’ll use the matching bonding agent. You can mix and match, but I prefer to use products that were designed to work together.

	Another plus is that it is available in unit doses as well as bottles. I prefer to use the unit dose because there’s no cross contamination possible and I’m not at risk of having the solvent evaporate if I forget to cap the bottle.

	I’ve been using it since it was introduced, so for about two to three years.

	I really don’t have a good answer for using several different bonding agents. You could say it comes down to the flavor of the day. There are advantages to each one depending on the indication of the tooth I’m restoring, but I would rate all three highly.

	None of the three have failed me. It’s really simple; you can’t elaborate on it because it’s just easy. G-aenial Bond is a very good product, but there are several good products on the market right now. I worry about people who use one thing exclusively. Either they’ve got blinders on or they’ve invented it.

	I like G-aenial Bond because GC America has an excellent flowable resin, and I’ll stay in-system often so if I’m using that flowable, I’m using the matching bonding agent. You can mix and match, but I don’t like to do so.

6. OptiBond XTR, Kerr | Dr. Greg Gillespie

 XTR because I can use it with any clinical situation I want without compromising my bond strengths or giving up quality in certain areas. Regardless of how or what clinical situation I use the product in, I’m very confident with the strength of the bond because I’m getting a proper etch on both enamel and dentin, which is very important in long-term stability.

	The gold standard in bonding is the fourth-generation system (a three-step etch-and-rinse system) in which you have a separate bottle for your phosphoric acid etch, primer and adhesive. Each step does something different, and it does it well. However, it’s also technique-sensitive, and I was looking for something a little more simple, but combining the primer and adhesive into one bottle means compromising somewhere.

	Long-term studies have shown the strength of the bond with an all-in-one bottle is not what you can get when you’re using a two-bottle system where the primer and adhesive are separated. It’s like using a two-in-one shampoo and conditioner, which works but not to the same degree. Ask anyone with a significant amount of hair, and they’ll always agree: Two-bottle shampoo and conditioner always works better. When you separate them, you have better chemistry, and when you have better chemistry, you have better bonds.

	Before OptiBond XTR came out, I had primarily used other etch-and-rinse systems. I learned about the chemistry of XTR from the chemist who developed the product and found the initial studies looked very promising. Between using OptiBond SoloPlus, DENTSPLY’s Prime and Bond NT and Kuraray’s CLEARFIL SE, which were all good products, I found I could substitute all of them for both direct and indirect indications with one product in Optibond XTR.

	Instead of choosing between Optibond Solo Plus for procedures in which I was etching and CLEARFIL  SE for those that didn’t require enamel etching, I can do either one with XTR. Since switching to XTR about four years ago, I have seen virtually no failures. My margins aren’t leaking, crowns aren’t coming off and post-operative sensitivity is very rare.

	It’s also great for my inventory and cost. I just reach for one bonding product for every procedure regardless of the situation.

7. 3M™ ESPE™ Scotchbond™ Universal Adhesive, 3M ESPE Dental | Dr. Jeff Blank

	The concept of a truly “universal” adhesive is predicated on its ability to be used in all three modes of dental adhesion; total-etch, selective-etch and self-etch. Prior to the introduction of 

, clinicians like myself had to research, stock and utilize a sundry of highly rated adhesives appropriate for each mode of adhesion. Naturally, each adhesive utilized different application protocols and often required the use of proprietary resin cements of the same brand when used for indirect cementation applications. This increased the potential for operator error, and some clinicians found the cost of maintaining the significant inventory of products prohibitive.

	What I like about Scotchbond Universal Adhesive is that it is a well-researched, highly rated product that can be used in all three modes of adhesion using same the application technique. This is true for both indirect and direct applications and not only eliminates the need to stock multiple adhesives but also significantly decreases the potential for operator error. Three years after release, I have not come across any product that’s been able to overshadow what it can do. I have yet to see a research study in which the product didn’t perform well-even in comparative studies conducted by competitors. That speaks volumes for the integrity of the product and 3M ESPE Dental.

	I’ve always gravitated toward companies that do a lot of research and take the time to release the products, showing they don’t count on emotional sales for products, and 3M has a history of researching things before releasing them. After reviewing the research, I felt it was compelling enough to introduce it into the practice, but I didn’t let go of everything else immediately. However, within a year, I had abandoned every other adhesive. What makes it unique is that the cements have a co-catalyst so you don’t have to cure the adhesive first, which was different from a lot of the products I used at the time. I’ve always trusted 3M ESPE Dental’s cements, and now I use them exclusively.

	In addition to the expense associated with having an entire inventory of adhesives and cements, you have to consider the frequency of using those products. I reached the point where I don’t have anything else in my office so Scotchbond Universal Adhesive has actually lived up to its billing.

am a general practitioner in a large restorative practice where we feature comprehensive rehabilitation and cosmetic dentistry. Our goal is long-lasting, sensitivity-free restoratives with a focus on esthetics.

7 clinicians discuss 7 bonding agents

	How often do we make mental lists of things we need to do, change and implement in our lives only to have time continually slip away without making any changes?

How often do we put things off only to find that the moment we finally took a much needed step in a new direction, everything changed for the better? How many times have you asked yourself how you got by without a certain piece of knowledge, a certain product or a certain technique, knowing that what you know now, you could never un-know.

One of the things that excites me the most about life is knowing that I’ll have experiences for the rest of my life that will make me think, “I can’t believe I didn’t know that/haven’t done that/haven’t seen that before.” It’s exciting to know that changes, both big and small, will come into your life for the better.

Free on-demand webinar: Understanding medical billing and its relationship with 3D

With that said, we’re taking another trip down memory lane this year with the 2015 “One Year Later” series, focusing on six new products that have made their way into dental offices in the last 12 months and how they’ve changed how dentists practice their craft. Take a look at the products below.

1. Spirit 3300 Dental Chair (Pelton & Crane)


	When Dr. Mike Nelson found himself with an irreparable dental chair, he found comfort in a new purchase: 

the Spirit 3300 Dental Chair from Pelton & Crane

“I went with the 3300 because of the company reputation and the abundance of features, including an adjustable headrest, sliding armrests, a narrow back and patient comfort,” he said. “When looking for a patient chair, I considered my ability to access the oral cavity in ergonomically correct positions, which this chair allows.”

Dr. Nelson also enjoys being able to focus and conduct sit-down dentistry with the chair, which allows him to work around the patient from the 10 and 11 o’clock positions without straining, bending or twisting. Conducting four-handed dentistry in a six-operatory practice, Dr. Nelson and his son, Dr. Chris, find the chair to be an excellent addition to their clinical setup and the only chair that gives both the patient and the doctor the most comfortable experience.

“I truly believe that narrow-back dental chairs are the only chairs that allow you to truly do sit-down dentistry!” he said.

Related reading: Pelton & Crane debuts new products, booth and clinician resources

2. Enamelon Preventive Treatment Gel (Premier Dental)


	For Maureen Harris, RDH, of Hillsboro, Ore., the encouraging news she heard about 

Enamelon Preventive Treatment Gel from Premier Dental

 was enough to know she would be encouraging its use to her patients.

According to the manufacturer, Enamelon is a safe and effective alternative to both 5000 ppm fluoride toothpastes and remineralizing pastes. It also helps to prevent caries and gingivitis and treat sensitivity. An exclusive formula combines stabilized stannous fluoride with ACP technology.

"I’ve been recommending prescription dose fluoride gels for a long time, particularly for my elderly patients,” Harris said. “It’s very sad to me to see these older folks struggling with their oral health. However, knowing that Enamelon gives an increased rate of fluoride absorption was great. I did research on my own and also read a paper that the University of Washington published and was very impressed. Additionally, the patients have been very receptive to this so I’ve been excited.

"When you put all of that together, it’s a great thing for me to be able to be offer to help my patients,” she said.

Related reading: Enamelon provides new alternative for patient homecare

3. Rite-Lite 2 Shade Matching Light (AdDent)


	Incorporating diffused LED technology to mimic varying lights, 

 has made shade selection for Dr. John Comisi, DDS, MAGD, so much easier.

“When doing esthetic dentistry, shade selection is critical. The Rite-Lite 2 makes shade selection so much more predictable in our office,” he told us.

With three modes of lighting used for taking shades, the product claims to pay for itself if it saves the dentist one remake, and it’s certainly kept Dr. Comisi’s shade selection consistent. No longer will shades differ from dental office to dental laboratory or from operatory to operatory.

"The three wavelengths of light that are used for initial shade selection and verification, coupled with the neutralizing color tabs and the new anti-glare filter, make our shade-selection process extraordinarily reliable.”

Related reading: New polarizing filter now available for AdDent Rite-Lite 2 Shade Matching Unit


	There’s an old saying that goes, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” For Dr. Dan Indech, a periodontist in Phoenix, Ariz., that saying held very true for him and his practice before he incorporated 3D imaging into his treatment mix.

“Over the years, I’ve used 3D imaging, and, I can tell you, it’s allowed me to make diagnoses that I couldn’t make with 2D imaging,” said Dr. Indech, who owns the 

. “It’s really taken me and my practice to the next level because now I have the data I need to make better diagnoses.”

Dr. Indech believes 3D imaging isn’t just something that “wows” his patients when he shows them the scans of their facial anatomy. It is also technology that provides fascinating results and discoveries for him and his team.

“I think this technology is game-changing for any of the disciplines that get under the gumline or do surgery,” Dr. Indech said. “I’ve had multiple applications of dealing with patients in orthodontic treatment where this has been so valuable. If you take a full scan, it’s amazing what shows up in other parts of the mouth. I’ve found decay that hasn’t been seen in conventional radiography just because of the location of the tooth. It goes hand-in-hand with other technologies that are arriving in our profession.”

For more information on the OP300 Maxio, visit 

Related reading: Why one Arizona dentists calls 3D imaging a "game-changer" for his dental practice

 for patient recall, there were a number of appointment mix-ups, said Jake Jackson, the practice’s hygiene coordinator.

Now, the practice relies on text message and email confirmations sent automatically by its appointment recall system, RevenueWell.

“I always say it’s easier to lose an appointment card than it is your cell phone,” Jackson said.
	By reminding patients of upcoming appointments from two weeks before to the morning of, Jackson says RevenueWell keeps the practice’s schedules organized and patients in the know.

“It definitely minimizes our to-do list because we don’t have to make phone calls to confirm appointments,” he added. “Plus, it’s easier for our patients to confirm by text rather than having to sneak away from their busy days to make a phone call.”

RevenueWell also keeps patients engaged with social media, automates routine office tasks and provides patients with the online tools they need, making sure the lines of communication and education are open and working.

Related reading: How the right practice management software helps one dental practice rock and roll


	With the Class II restoration procedure (specifically, the posterior amalgam) being the most common in dentistry today, doctors are looking to improve efficiency and speed of the procedure without sacrificing results, according to Dr. Nick Conte, DENTSPLY Caulk’s director of clinical research and education.

“We looked at longevity trends, which are going down on restorations, and decided to take a back-to-basics approach with these restorations and create an entire restoration solution in which all of the products work together, taking the most vulnerable interface of each procedure and turning it into a strength.”

 has been on the market for about three years, the newest products to the line launched a year ago. 

, DENTSPLY Caulk’s universal composite restorative, simplified shade matching by covering the entire VITA shade guide in just seven shades.

“The goal is to increase efficiency without compromising results, and with TPH Spectra, we simplified shade matching and reduced inventory for doctors,” Dr. Conte said.

, an LED curing light designed to deliver more energy over distance. The SmartLite Focus is very lightweight and ergonomic, and it retails for less than $1,000.

“The goal is to cure, not dazzle, so we took a basic approach to give good functionality in a curing light,” Dr. Conte said.

To learn more about the TPH Spectra, SmartLite Focus, and other products in the Class II portfolio, visit 

Related reading: How to make your practice more efficient with Class II restorations

 How often do we make mental lists of things we need to do, change and implement in our lives only to have time continually slip away without making any changes?