Wednesday, December 20, 2017
The 2017 Dentalcompare year in review now turns from editorial content to focus on the heart of our website, the dental product directory. With more than 7,500 unique product listings in more than 500 categories, the directory is a vast platform ready to connect dental professionals with the information they need about the products they want to research.
Every year more than two-thirds of the page views on Dentalcompare are visits to pages within this directory, so these product and category focused lists really show the types of dental products people are interested in. The focus is often on the high tech side of the industry, and while it didn’t make the Top 10, 3D printing was the fastest rising category of the year. However, this list is about those heavily trafficked parts of the site that did make the list.
Here are your Top 10 Dental Product Categories of 2017:
10. Dental Sterilizers – Proper asepsis protocols are critical to the safe operation of any dental practice, and so, while the dental sterilizer might not be the most exciting product in the office, it’s among the most important. Autoclaves must be reliable, up to the capacity the practice requires, and of course, effective at sterilizing dental instruments.
9. Surgical Dressing and Hemostatic Materials– Having the best materials on hand when dealing with implant and perio cases is important, and surgical dressing materials remain among the most popular categories on Dentalcompare. Research on these products is a steady presence in the product directory.
8. Dental Loupes – Dentalcompare’s Clinical Director Dr. Jeff Rohde lists loupes as the one category of dental products he could not practice without. The ability to see what you are doing in greater detail can make you a better dentist, and loupes are one of the most effective ways to do just that. The category is also seeing some new ideas take shape as cordless light systems and loupes with changeable magnification settings are making a splash.
7. Vinyl Polysiloxane Impression Materials – Restorative dentistry requires an accurate impression of the prepared teeth. Orthodontics require the same, and while VPS materials are not the most popular impression category on Dentalcompare, it’s no surprise as the current dominant impression material is a popular category. VPS materials are versatile and combine many of the best qualities of other impression material options.
6. Core Build-Up Materials – Getting a patient ready for a crown can be a simple or a complicated affair. Depending on the situation, there can be a need to build up a core to provide new structure to support the crown. These materials are a foundational part of restorative dentistry and remain among the most popular categories on Dentalcompare.
5. Digital Impression Systems – As previously mentioned, impressions are a key part of practicing dentistry, and digital impression systems are the most popular category of products that help capture them. These intraoral scanning systems are a clinical technology that is racing forward. The established names in digital impressions are relentlessly adding new features and connections to other digital dental systems, and now a wave of new digital impression options is underway. It’s a fast changing part of the industry, and one that deserves the attention it gets.
4. Cone Beam Imaging Systems – On the theme of the importance of products that help you see more, cone beam images changed the way dentistry is practiced by making three-dimensional images available for improved diagnostics and treatment planning. These imaging systems are easier to use than ever, and the scans can be used for everything from implants to endodontics to orthodontics to airway management and much more.
3. Intraoral Cameras – Intraoral cameras help document clinical situations and educate patients. Low in cost and high in benefit, these cameras are a technology that makes sense in every operatory. There’s also a wide range of cameras to choose from, with some going for simplicity and economy, while others add convenient features or integrated computers. It makes sense that people are keeping an eye on these products.
2. Dental Diode Lasers – All-tissue dental lasers seem to be where the innovations are happening right now, but diode lasers remain a more accessible option for a practice looking to start providing laser dentistry services. Diode lasers make soft tissue applications less invasive for patients and easier for clinicians. Newer lasers offer many other treatment options as well, making a diode a sensible addition to almost any operatory.
1. Digital Intraoral X-ray Sensors – Always among the most popular categories on Dentalcompare, digital x-ray sensors are now the way most dental practices capture routine x-rays. With better image quality, more durable designs and robust software, these sensors are more useful than ever. While most practices have made the digital transition already, there are no signs that interest in learning about sensors is waning.