Innovator Profile: How Kerr's products have become the cornerstones of dental practices

Innovator Profile: How Kerr's products have become the cornerstones of dental practices

December 18, 2014

Dental Products Report, Dental Products Report-2014-07-01, Issue 7

A prominent thought-leader in the industry, Dr. Mike DiTolla shares his love for some Kerr products, plus check out an exclusive Q & A with Henk van Duijnhoven, senior vice president responsible for the KaVo Kerr Group.

A prominent thought-leader in the industry, Dr. Mike DiTolla shares his love for some Kerr products, plus check out an exclusive Q & A with Henk van Duijnhoven, senior vice president responsible for the KaVo Kerr Group.

Dr. Michael DiTolla has established himself as one of today’s prominent thought-leaders in dentistry. However, long before he was speaking around the country, he was working hard to build a profitable and successful practice. One of his practice’s cornerstones is relying on trusted products from a trusted name in the industry-

Kerr

. Looking back, Dr. DiTolla sees how far both he and the dental industry as a whole have come. “When I was in dental school, technology and materials seemed so state-of-the-art. Now that I look back on that, it was so much more difficult and less efficient to practice dentistry,” he said. “When I started practicing back in the Dark Ages, dentistry was fun. Now I see how far we have come and how everything is so much faster and more efficient today. “For example, look at a lot of direct composites that are being done today. We used to have to put on six to seven layers and cure incrementally. With SonicFill, I can do bulk fill in a single step.” SonicFill is just one of the products from the Kerr portfolio that has become a trusted part of Dr. DiTolla’s practice.

“SonicFill is an example of so many Kerr products,” he said. “There are so many products from the KaVo Kerr Group that save me time and energy. TF Adaptive is another example. It makes it so much more efficient and safe to do endo in my practice. I don’t have to worry about files snapping. The way that we can do things now is unthinkable from the way that we used to practice. It’s actually fun to do endo now. That sounds crazy, but it’s true.” While Dr. DiTolla may be well known, he still deals with one of the demons that tortures every dentist: postoperative sensitivity. Fortunately, he has Kerr’s OptiBond in his arsenal. “With OptiBond, I can use one bonding agent in every situation. It’s really a pioneer in self-etch adhesives,” he said. “It honestly makes practicing more enjoyable because I don’t have to worry about postoperative sensitivity. Ask any dentist what is the hardest thing that he or she has to deal with, and I will bet you the majority will say that it’s postoperative sensitivity. Any time the patient feels pain, he or she is going to blame you, no matter if it’s your fault or not. The ability to leave a smear layer in place is so important. I can confidently place a restoration and not worry about my patient having sensitivity.”

For Dr. DiTolla, it boils down simply to a matter of trust between his practice, his patients and the products he uses. “When I think about Kerr products, I think about two words: efficiency and worry-free,” he noted. “Think about the products I mentioned earlier. I don’t have to worry about breaking off files or sensitivity or a layer getting voids. Even on molar endo, I no longer have that sense of dread when I start the procedure. The technology behind all of these products has made our jobs easier. You can see the commitment to R&D to solve problems on a daily basis.” “There are certain companies in dentistry that have a reputation as a legacy brand. When those companies turn out new products, you know those products are going to be quality. Kerr is one of those companies. When Kerr brings something to market, you know it is going to be a quality product. They truly set the pace for releasing quality new products and ensuring that legacy brands will always perform at top levels. Look at OptiBond. I’ve been using it since dental school and, since that time to today, it’s consistently highly rated. If it has the Kerr name on it, I’m always willing to give it a try.” We asked Dr. DiTolla to highlight three KaVo Kerr Group products he uses and tell us why these products are at the top of his must-have list.

Read on to find out Dr. DiTolla's must-have KKG products

Dr. DiTolla on SonicFill

Because I practice in a dental laboratory, most of my restorations are indirect. I didn’t shed many tears when I made that change 10 years ago. Direct Class 2 composites always seemed to be one of the more difficult, time-consuming everyday procedures I would do … when I was doing them as I was taught.

SONICFILL PLACEMENT:

Placing composite incrementally on opposing walls was always easier to draw on a piece of paper than it was do in the mouth, especially in a narrow preparation on a bicuspid. The dream was always to bulk-fill, but there were so many things that could go wrong. Would my curing light get through 5mm of composite and cure the critical layer that is in contact with the tooth? Will I be able to get this mass of composite to flow down into the 90-degree angles at the base of the proximal box? So when I started at Glidewell and no longer would be placing Class 2 restorations, I was pleased. When doing a crown on tooth #14, it just always seemed easier to take out the old DO amalgam on tooth #13 and the old MO amalgam on tooth #15 and impress them for inlays. However, since the introduction of SonicFill, I’ve had to rethink that. SonicFill gives me the ability to bulk-fill 5mm of composite in seconds. The sonic activation of the composite lowers the viscosity, allowing the material to easily adapt to the cavity walls. I can now do posterior composites faster than I make an inlay temp - and all I was looking to do was replace the failing amalgam and get some nice proximal contacts for my crown. SonicFill has me doing posterior composites again!

Dr. DiTolla on OptiBond XTR

With the introduction of BruxZir Solid Zirconia restorations, I have been looking for a way to bond these restorations into place, whether I am using a total-etch, self-etch or conventional cementation. Zirconia has been notoriously tough to bond to, but OptiBond XTR has solved that problem for me and helped me reduce postoperative sensitivity too. And at 5-to-10 microns in film thickness, I am able to light cure it prior to placing crowns without worrying about them seating all the way. I simply apply the OptiBond XTR Adhesive to the inside of the BruxZir crown, air thin and light cure. To bond to the tooth, I apply the primer with a scrubbing motion and then air thin. I then apply the OptiBond XTR Adhesive to the tooth, air thin and cure. Fill the BruxZir crown with the cement of your choice and you’ve got a virtually unbreakable crown with a high strength bond to the tooth.

Next page: Dr. DiTolla explains why he loves TF Adaptive.

Dr. DiTolla on TF Adaptive

Earlier in my career, I had to be honest with myself: I needed to update my endo technique. Like many of you, I was taught in dental school to shape canals with Hedstrom hand files, irrigate with sodium hypochlorite in a disposable syringe and obturate with gutta percha using lateral condensation. Looking back, that’s not exactly the picture of efficiency. After a few weeks of investigation, I settled on Axis|Sybron Endo’s TF Adaptive system with the Elements motor for instrumentation, the EndoVac system for irrigation and the Elements Obturation system. The good news is you can get better results with less effort for the same fee. That’s what technology is supposed to do.

When set on TF Adaptive, the Elements motor rotates clockwise, and depending on the load on the file, adapts and reverses counter-clockwise by coasting in a reciprocal motion. This keeps excessive stress off the file and avoids the “screw-in” effect of pure rotary systems. I am able to treat almost all teeth with just two files-one to create the desired taper and one to enlarge the apical portion of the canal. Three files are provided and are color-coded to a traffic signal, which my assistants love. To me, shaping has never been simpler. EndoVac is a negative pressure irrigation system. The MicroCannula can reach the canal working length, and provides suction through small openings around its tip while the sodium hypochlorite is introduced from the top of the canal. Irrigant can finally get to the apical 3 to 4 mm of the canal with no fear of extruding past the apex. Search “EndoVac Animation” on YouTube to see it in action. The Elements Obturation unit is two instruments in one. The System B handpiece is used for downpack, and as a heat source for vitality testing. The System B pluggers match the canal shape and maximize condensation forces, moving gutta percha and sealer into all areas of the canal, including lateral canals. The other instrument, the extruder, uses disposable cartridges to deliver gutta percha. Filling the entire coronal two-thirds of the canal with dense, void-free gutta percha in three seconds is an amazing feeling. If you have ever wished that endo could be done with three or less files, wished you could safely get irrigant to the apex, or wished you could fill later al canals as you have seen in magazines, then you should check out this system.

Note: Dr. DiTolla is a paid consultant for Kerr.

The formation of the KaVo Kerr Group strategically unites the leading dental consumable, equipment, high tech and specialty brands under a single global platform. But what does this mean for consumers?

Dental Products Report Content Director, Kevin Henry, recently had a chance to get to the bottom of the KaVo Kerr Group formation with Henk van Duijnhoven, senior vice president responsible for the KaVo Kerr Group.

Q. What’s the one message you want dental practitioners to know about KaVo Kerr Group?

A. Great question. Two things that we want to share. First, we simply want our customers to know that KaVo Kerr Group is a halo that represents an outstanding portfolio of brands that they use and trust every day and that we are committed to enhancing clinical outcomes, improving clinical workflows and simplifying dentistry. Second, we are committed to the dental community and will continue to invest in the lives of our distribution partners, clinicians, patients, educators, charitable groups and the entire dental profession.

Q. What are the core values of KaVo Kerr Group and how does that affect its products?

A. Our values are trust, experience, choices, quality and smart innovation. As I’ve alluded to before, we simply want to enhance clinical outcomes and simplify the lives of our customers. The way it plays out is that we are relentless on defining, developing and ultimately delivering products and services that yield this promise. If our products don’t meet this standard, then we don’t launch them. Our brands have established a relationship with our customers over the years, and we take the responsibility of being good shepherds of our brands very seriously.