So what was new at the Chicago Mid Winter Meeting?

 It was that time of year and as always I was looking forward to attending the Chicago Mid Winter meeting where many new products for dentistry are introduced. This year there was not a lot of new technology present.  Still there were some items that look promising along with some products I was able to view that are not quite ready. Unfortunately I cannot comment about those products but will let you know when they come available.

The most exciting products I saw at the meeting revolved around dentures. Yes Dentures! Not much has changed in dentures in many years but two companies Avadent and Dentca are changing the way dentures are fabricated. Through the use of CAD/CAM technology impressions are taken and the denture is then fabricated and can be delivered at the next visit. In just two appointments you go from impression to insertion of the denture.

AvaDent (www.avadent.com) takes the impression and digitizes the entire process for fabricating the denture. The interesting part of AvaDent process is the denture base is milled from a special acrylic base that is stronger and more stain resistance then a conventional denture. Should a denture be lost or broken a brand new denture can be milled form the file. Dentica (www.dentca.com) takes a different approach to the two appointment dentures the denture base is printed using stereolithagraphy.  So both of these approaches save valuable chair time and give you a better ROI on fabricating dentures for your patients.

Aribex Nomad (www.aribex.com) the handheld x-ray unit has added a rectangular collimator adapter to the unit. I love using the Nomad in my practice and by adding the rectangular collimator I can further reduce radiation exposure to my patients. We should all be following the ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) principles and this collimator reduces the 6cm patient dose area by 58%.

Tablet computers controlling dental technology have now become available in the U.S. I had previously seen the Bien Air (www.bienair.com) iChiropro  micromotor controlled by the iPad at the International Dental Show.

The interaction between the practitioner and their iChiropro is unprecedented and extremely user-friendly. In terms of its functionality, the application allows multiple users to customize and store their own sequences. The iChiropro is the only device, which allows users to save, export and print all operation parameters whilst documenting these with the patient data and the implants used. It includes a database featuring the main brands of implant on the market as well as their predefined settings, making it a quick and high-performance tool.

Millennium Dental Technologies (www.lanap.com) now controls their Peirolase Nd:Yag laser with an Andriod Tablet. The tablet is the control screen for the laser allowing more control and the ability to be upgraded.

Liptak Dental (www.liptakdental.com/) has introduced DDS Rescue. This is a specialized computer whose sole purpose is to backup and protect your most valuable asset the office data. The device automatically backs up your data up to 30 times a day onsite as well as to the cloud. In the event of a disaster these remote copies can be booted from the web so you can continue to operate until the problems are resolved.

Crosstex (www.crosstex.com) has introduced the iBarrier for the iPad. With the increased use of iPads in the dental office asepsis is necessary. Tablets are a valuable tool in the dental office for clinical review, case management and patient communication. Their frequently touched surface, however, presents a new risk for cross-contamination caused by airborne aerosols, splash and spatter.

Store-A-Tooth (www.store-a-tooth.com) is a service that provides you the opportunity to store the stem cells inside of teeth that come out. Eligible teeth include baby teeth, wisdom teeth, and other healthy teeth that need to be surgically extracted during the normal course of dental care. Currently there is no medical use for stem cells but we don’t know if they maybe able to treat diseases in the future.

PerioSciences (www.periosciences.com) presented its AO ProVantage family of products, which contain the novel combination of antioxidants Phloretin and Ferulic.  Phloretin and Ferulic have been shown in university based studies to neutralize free radicals which lead to oxidative stress commonly caused by dental materials, alcohol, nicotine, and the hydrogen peroxide used in teeth whitening products. Case studies reveal reduced inflammation and bleeding as well as accelerated wound healing in soft oral tissue.

Patterson Dental had a few new products. RevenueWell is an online system that uses information from the office’s existing practice management software (e.g. Eaglesoft, Dentrix) to automatically communicate with patients, let them access their accounts online and help practices send out highly targeted, effective marketing campaigns to the patient base. 

The AG Neovo, is a computer monitor for those offices that are still not using digital radiography. In less than a second and with a “flip of a switch” this monitor has the ability to change from a standard monitor to an X-ray viewer, allowing dental professionals to see everything needed with just one monitor.  

The third product is an update to Caesy Cloud, its online patient education portal that gives users access to CAESY Patient Education multimedia presentations via the Cloud. CAESY Cloud 1.2 now gives practices the ability to embed CAESY presentations within their website(s), and also offers a number of new and updated presentations to increase case acceptance and enhance practice offerings.

Carestream  (formerly Kodak) Dental introduced five of the newest additions to its intraoral imaging system, intraoral camera and software suites.

The compact CS 7600 digital intraoral radiography system reinvents imaging plate technology by improving usability, productivity and security. This cost- effective system’s patented intelligent workflow technology prevents plate mix-up and reduces operation time. The CS 7600 is fully automated and as easy to use as film – with all the benefits of digital imaging. This unit raises the bar for all phosphor plate scanners.

The CS 1600 is a multi-use intraoral camera with caries detection technology and an intra oral camera. With the widest focus range on the market (1mm to infinity), this camera features the same unique liquid-lens autofocus technology as Carestream Dental’s 1500 Intraoral Camera as well as a sophisticated 18-LED illumination system and an optional polarizer filter to reduce glare.

An additional new intraoral camera, the CS 1200, is easy to use and provides practitioners with an affordable entry point into digital imaging. The CS 1200 captures crisp, clear images. The camera’s wide focus range captures a variety of images including macro, single teeth, arches and smiles, and it has the ability to store up to 300 images within the camera itself.

Logicon Caries DetectorTM Software, the only FDA-approved caries detection software, is now available in an automatic version. This software serves as a computer-aided detection tool that is clinically proven to help dentists find more interproximal caries on intraoral radiographs. This new version of Logicon Software improves practice efficiency with the ability to automatically run the detection algorithm on all applicable tooth surfaces within a radiograph and immediately display the results, with a single click.

Carestream Dental’s RVG 6500 System, the RVG Mobile application enables dentists to review images chairside on an iPad, improving patient communication and case acceptance. RVG Mobile also provides remote access to dental imaging software files, so stored images can be easily transferred to practice computers for diagnosis and archiving. This solution cuts practice equipment costs since extra monitors are no longer needed.

So those were some of the new products shown at the Chicago Midwinter Meeting. We will see what new products are coming later in the year.