Gain insider knowledge from the masters of tooth whitening, Dr. Jaimeé Morgan and Ms. Shannon Pace Brinker, to boost your business and give your patients outstanding results!

Ports of call in Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta!

• Learn the latest in tooth whitening from renowned lecturers Dr. Jaimeé Morgan and Ms. Shannon Pace Brinker
• Discover tips and tricks for improving your whitening business, digital photography, case presentation, and more
• Enjoy fun onboard events including the Whitening Cocktail Social, the Bright and Beautiful Bash, and the Whitening Trivia Game
• Earn 18 CE credit hours

Rates and fees:

• Course registration fee: $99
• Special Opalescence discounted cruise rates (based on double occupancy):
• $655.70 per person/inside cabin*
• $895.70 per person/balcony cabin*
  (*Includes taxes, gratuities, and port fees. Airfare, travel to piers, and excursions not included.)

Whiter, Brighter, Healthier Teeth with Shannon Pace Brinker, CDA, CDD

• Practical techniques for in-office and take-home whitening
• How to do a whitening consultation and understand who is a candidate for each procedure
• The differences between carbamide & hydrogen and what type of whitening the patient needs
• Giving proper home-care instructions and tips to acheive patents’ goals
• Contributing factors associated with tooth discoloration
• Hands-on demonstrations to improve whitening skills
• Impressions for home whitening trays
• Pouring and trimming of models
• Fabrication of whitening trays
• Each participant will receive a home whitening package

Put a Sparkle in Your Patients’ Smiles and in Your Practice with Tooth Whitening with Dr. Jaimeé Morgan

• Tooth bleaching and the Dental Cosmetic Pyramid
• Treatment planning to achieve the best results
• Take-home bleaching
• In-office/power bleaching
• Light activated vs. chemically activated in-office bleaching agents
• Competing with over-the-counter bleaching systems
• Using tooth whitening as a marketing tool to build your practice
• Finesse your orthodontic cases with bleaching to improve dental health and esthetics
• Safety and efficacy of tooth bleaching
• Achieving optimal results inexpensively, easily, quickly, safely, and consistently

Please Call 800.520.6640 for more information or to reserve your spot or visit Whitening Cruise with Ultradent!

Indications

• After whitening
• After professional cleaning
• Prevention and control of hypersensitivities

Advantages

• Triple protection of fluoride, hydroxyapatite (calcium and phosphate) and Xylitol
• Hydroxyapatite restores the mineral balance
• 61% more fluoride (1,450 ppm) than the leading brand
• Contains Xylitol which has cariostatic properties
• No risk of milk protein allergies as with other brands
• Fast acting and great tasting
• Easy to apply with the finger or toothbrush

The application of a fluoride varnish is an easy procedure and the outcome can have successful results for our patients if utilized correctly. Using fluoride varnish over  traditional trays has several advantages.  It doesn’t require any special dental equipment to apply, is less messy, is faster, dries immediately upon contact with saliva, is inexpensive, and is well tolerated from infants to adults.  A prophylaxis prior to varnish application is not necessary.  Most insurance companies including Medicaid will even cover the procedure.

Typically, fluoride varnishes dry clear, but some may temporarily discolor the teeth.  Warning the patient and parent that the varnish can be brushed off the following day can help acceptance.

Fluoride varnish can come in a tube or a single unit dose.  If using a tube, massage the tube to insure even distribution of fluoride within the varnish before dispensing.  Single unit dosing is very efficient, and comes with an applicator brush to mix the varnish prior to application.

TIP: Tube dispense: 1-2 pea sized drops for infants with 1-8 teeth;  2-3 drops on full primary dentition.

Some clinicians put the varnish on the back of their glove after mixing to lessen the time to reach for the dispenser when they are ready to apply.

Once the varnish has been properly mixed, the teeth need to be dried using a gauze.  Next, apply a very thin layer of varnish to the all tooth surfaces, making sure to avoid any deep cavity surfaces with nerve involvement.  The fluoride varnish dries instantly with saliva contact, so moisture contamination isn’t a concern.  Post op instructions include soft foods for the rest of the day, avoiding crunchy foods for at least 5 hours. It is recommended that normal brushing and flossing be resumed the following morning.

Since the residual varnish can clog the dental suction lines, it is important that care is given in the application.   It is recommended that fluoride varnish be applied every 3 months to high risk caries patients and every 6 months to low caries risk for cavity prevention.

One of the most common problems with implants is the emergence profile of the final restoration.  Nearly all stock healing abutments are round (Figure 1) and this creates a problem, particularly in the molar area where the cross section of the root at the CEJ is more oval or even rectangular.  This leads to problem of having a large crown on a narrow stem emerging from the gingiva (Figure 2).  Aesthetic and hygiene challenges of open embrasures are the norm.  Often cement cleanup is a nightmare (Figure 3) and can lead to recurrent gum infections and implant failure.

While one solution is to fabricate custom healing abutments chairside, this requires extra time and is a pain in a bloody surgical field (Figure 4).  A new product out with FDA approval (actually developed by my dentist) is a much better solution.  It’s called the Contour Healer and it is a stock contoured healing abutment (Figure 5).  It can be placed at surgery or uncovering and it contours the tissue to allow a natural emergence (Figure 6).  With greatly improved aesthetics, and preserved papilla, the tissue contour allows for easy access for cement cleanup too.  These are made for multiple implant platforms, just refer to the website.

For more information go to  www.contourhealer.com

The Price is $60, but you can put in a discount code “top20″ under “platinum members” tab on website for a 20% discount.

Figures

FIgure 1	FIgure 2
FIgure 3	FIgure 4
FIgure 5	FIgure 6

Join hosts Hogan Allen & Richard Train, along with occasional clinical guest hosts, for “The Whole Tooth”. The show airs every Tuesday at 8 P.M. EST, with a weekly conversation with not only the “who’s who” in dentistry, but many other experts who you ‘should’ get to know.

Topics include: clinical dentistry, what’s “hot” in hygiene, practice management, internet strategies, finance and more. “The Whole Tooth” is a fun half hour filled with great information and can fit into any schedule.

To aid in our diagnosis and treatment of your esthetic concerns, please take a moment and answer the following questions.

 Please circle your answer.

• Do you dislike the color of your teeth?   YES   NO
• Do you have spaces between your teeth that bother you?   YES   NO
• Do you have chips or uneven edges on your teeth?   YES   NO
• Do you feel that your teeth are too long or too short?   YES   NO
• Do you have dark fillings that show when you smile?   YES   NO
• Do your gums show too much when you smile?   YES   NO
• Are your teeth crowded or crooked?   YES   NO
• Do you have existing crowns or dental work you consider “ugly”?   YES   NO
• Are you self-conscious of your teeth and/or smile?   YES   NO
• Has anyone (family member, friend, etc.) ever suggested that you should have something done with your teeth or smile?   YES   NO
• Do you avoid smiling when you have your picture taken?   YES   NO
• Would you like to improve your existing smile?   YES   NO
• Do you wish you had a “new smile”?   YES   NO

Place a checkmark next to which of the following are concerns you have regarding dental treatment to improve your smile:

 __Fear of treatment

__Time of treatment concerns

__Financial concerns

__Distance to office

__Not understanding treatment

__Embarrassment

__Other:____________________________________________________

Download Patient Smile Evaluation Form

For more downloadable resources please click here

After going thru all the necessary steps to create the ideal smile via photos, diagnostic wax up, diagnostic records and interviewing the patient to find out their aesthetic expectations, we get to the try-in and insertion appointment. Following removing the provisionals and cleaning the preparations, we try in the porcelain restorations to verify fit, marginal adaptation, aesthetics and patient approval. Once we are given the approval from the patient to now insert the case, we need to remember that the try-in pastes, saliva, have contaminated these restorations and hopefully there is no trickle of blood in the restorations. So what is your technique for cleaning the ceramic undersurface prior to the bonding or cementation process? We also needed to verify that they were treated appropriately with HF acid by the laboratory. Assuming that was done correctly, there are various techniques to clean the porcelain restorations from applying phosphoric acid followed by the rinsing with water or placing the units in a beaker with alcohol and placing it in an ultrasonic unit. All to be followed by drying and applying a silane to enhance the bonding strength of these restorations.

But will these techniques work with all indirect restorative materials: Feldspathics, Zirconia or Lithium Disilicates?

Ivoclean by Ivoclar is a “Universal” cleaner for glass ceramics, Zirconia, Al Oxide, precious to base metal alloys as well as processed composite restorations. All it takes is a 20 second application of Ivoclean followed by a water rinse; air-dry the applying your silane/coupling agent like Monobond. It’s that easy!

Download the PDF

CPS Skylight – A first look into a new product launch that provides the dental team with a sneak peak at the latest dental products and equipment.

CPS produced the following comments and reviews following its skylight evaluation of our editorial Board. Full Evaluation from the rest of the team in our next issue of CPS Magazine.

 First thoughts and Comments

• “Very easy to place the Barrier”
• “Makes Cross Contamination an non issue”
• “A Great addition to our standard of care in our practice”
• “Patient’s appreciate the consideration of a disposable barrier in the aid of cross contamination”

Description

i-Barrier is a single use, touch sensitive disposable tablet sleeve by Crosstex.

Packaging

The i-Barrier comes with 100 disposable sleeves in a cardboard box with instructions for use.

Clinical Indication

For the use in covering any tablet such as an iPAD to prevent contamination after contact with any infectious materials.

Why do we need it?

We all know that OSHA states “all equipment and environmental and working surfaces shall be cleaned and decontaminated after contact with blood or other potentially infectious materials. The use of disinfectants on some dental surfaces and equipment in the dental practice, which can damage surfaces. The i-Barrier is recommended instead of using a surface disinfectant that could cause potential Damage to the iPAD or Tablet.

The i-Barrier for Operatory Use

1. Insert the iPAD or Tablet into the sleeve, with adhesive strip facing back of tablet.
2. Remove the Adhesive
3. Fold over and close the i-barrier for a seal-tight fit
4. Remember the i-barrier has given the IPAD room for the operator to swipe the tablet to maneuver the applications

Keypoint

The cover of the i-Barrier is smooth to not take away the detail of the IPAD presentation. Make sure the patient has a good hold of the IPAD not to drop it on the floor. 3 sizes will be available to allow the IPAD cover to be completely cover if needed. Eash cover can be removed and discarded after every patient. If taking a photo of the patient, your digital camera or intraoral camera is recommended while using the i-barrier.

One of the things that I learned as a student at The Pankey Institute was the concept of balance. Learning something and actually putting it into regular practice are two very different concepts. Over the last ten years what I have come to understand is that I will always be “Working At Balance” in my life. There are days, weeks and even months that life is very skewed in the direction of work. There are other times. like now, that it is very skewed int he direction of family. Multiple days this week I have rushed out the door at the office leaving the rest of the team behind to finish up and close the day because of Lacrosse games that I didn’t want to miss.

For me, this is the norm, and it works. Implementing the concept of balance was about having it be top of mind, a concept I am aware of and work to accomplish, versus something that happens beyond my consciousness and without choice. I have added things to my list to balance, like time for myself. You may have others that are key pieces of being fulfilled, content and happy. You get to say where you will spend your time, energy and heart, and how that pie gets divided.

So the question I’d ask, is how much of your time, energy and heart gets grabbed by activities that aren’t of interest and importance to you. Often it is the things that simply occur as most urgent that get our attention and keep us occupied. Identify the things that are important and create a way to get them back into your life in a significant way. Next expect that things will ebb and flow in and out of balance and you will have to re-prioritize, often!!!

To continue our conversation about provisionals let’s discuss interproximal contacts. It is critical to create a contact between the provisional and the adjacent natural teeth to prevent the prepared tooth from drifting. Drifting results in an open contact or an overly tight contact, both if which are challenging to solve chair-side. One of the challenges is to create a tight interproximal contact and the proper size and shape of the contact surface to prevent food impaction and allow for gingival health.

Upper Quadrant of Provisionals

The first dimension to control is the buccal to lingual width of the contact point.When I teach hands on provisionals courses I commonly see a broad flat contact area that ends abruptly at the buccal and lingual line angles. This shape will prevent the tooth from drifting but is sure to create tissue irritation and may even be awkward to the patient’s tongue. The area of the tooth from the flat surface of the contact must emerge into the line angle and create a rounded tooth form to the buccal or lingual. The shape of the embrasure should be a rounded “V” to allow the space to be self cleansing.

Interproximal Embrasure Form

The contact must also be gradualized into the gingival embrasure to the apical. This allows adequate room for the papilla, without creating too much room and a space. We also want to avoid the creation of a ledge that traps food and bacteria. I do these adjustments from the contact out to the tooth shape with a silicone polisher and do not run over the main portion of the contact itself to avoid lightening the pressure until I have flossed.