The State of Dental Product Innovation: Fall 2014 Edition

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

The State of Dental Product Innovation: Fall 2014 Edition

While the Chicago Midwinter meeting seems to have become an important convention for new product introductions, the American Dental Association Annual Session (now renamed as America’s Dental Meeting) in San Antonio did not disappoint.

Often new products are simply rebranding, repackaging, or a copy of a competitor’s product. Instead, the products we saw at this event showed some serious thinking and innovation.  Below are some of the highlights from the expansive exhibit hall. Keep in mind you can always stay up to date on new product releases on the New Products page on Dentalcompare

Disclaimer: The products included in this article were chosen by me based solely on my assessment of their uniqueness and ability to improve clinical workflow, and manufacturers included had no influence on, or prior knowledge of their inclusion in this feature. I feel these products represent technological and design advancements that can offer significant benefits to patients and clinicians.

Intelligent X-rays

ImageThe nice thing about digital x-rays is they require dramatically less radiation to expose the image than x-rays captured on film. However, you still have the potential to over-expose depending on what settings you have set up on the x-ray generator. The X-Mind Unity X-ray Generator from ACTEON North America has solved this dilemma. The sensor itself is connected to the head of the x-ray generator. That alone is a great feature considering you don’t have to trail a long cord across to the patient which can create a trip hazard for staff. However, the key feature of this system is the sensor actually talks to the generator. When it has received enough radiation to expose the image, it shuts off itself and the generator. This dramatically reduces the potential radiation exposure to the patient. When combined with the company’s imaging software, this system even allows you to record the exact dosage of each x-ray exposure in a patient’s record.

 

Speaking of Intelligent X-rays…

ImageDigital panoramic x-rays provide much more clarity than any film based pano. But while the part that detects the image has changed from film to a digital sensor, the mechanics of the system have not. The generator spins around the patient’s head, and the patient needs to be perfectly aligned in the focal trough in order to capture a clear image. If any part of the patient is out of that key area, you lose clarity in a manner similar to taking a photograph with the camera out of focus.

The ProVecta S-Pan from Air Techniques has tackled this issue of focus in a unique way. Instead of taking information from a single focal trough, it acquires 20 layers in a single exposure. Next, the image is divided into a grid of 20,000 different sections. A computer algorithm determines which of the twenty layers has the best clarity for that section, and discards the rest. This is done with all 20,000 sections, and the final image is reassembled. The result is a reconstructed image that rivals a periapical with its detail. The processing is all done on the machine, which means you can use this with most imaging or practice management software.

Dental Chair or Spaceship?

ImageThe modern automobile is more like driving a computer than a motor with wheels. There are dozens of sensors all over the place that can detect everything from air temperature, to low oil, to the presence of a car in the next lane. For the most part, our dental chairs are more like a car back in the 1950s. They perform a basic function, and are rarely cross compatible between manufacturers. If any part of it is starting to fail, you won’t know it until it’s down.

Planmeca is looking to bring the dental chair into the 21st century. They created a computer interface called i Touch that controls the function and systems of the chair. The idea is that you can monitor all parts of the chair to anticipate when service is needed. It auto cleans itself, flushing tubing and cleaning suction. You can plug Planmeca’s PlanScan digital impression camera right into the chair, eliminating the need for any cart based system. You can even integrate and mount a Zeiss microscope to the chair. Away from the office and someone calls you with an issue? You can even remotely log in from an iPad and take a look at what might be going on.

Cleaning Without the Grit

ImageI have never been a fan of prophy paste, and I know I’m not the only one. It’s obvious what the grit is supposed to be doing, but the texture and taste is often horrible. This problem might now be solved, as Butler figured out a proprietary way to integrate pumice into a prophy cup, eliminating the need for prophy paste.

They have two versions of their Prophyciency prophy angles, with the second having a bit more grit in it for better polishing. The cup itself is designed with thin borders to get into the interproximal area more efficiently than a traditional prophy angle cup. The cup doesn’t break down or disintegrate while you are cleaning either, for a faster, paste-free prophy appointment.

Cloud-Based Software Redefined

ImageThere are two ways a program can be in the cloud. The first is similar to Google Docs or Microsoft Office Online in that a web browser pulls down information from an online server somewhere, and runs a program within that web browser to make it work. In this case, all the processing of data is done on the local computer, and changes are uploaded back to the original server every time the file is saved.

A second way to work in the cloud is to use a virtual server. Rather than downloading the information to a browser, you simply transmit screen, keyboard, and mouse commands to another online server. Carestream, which has the WinOMS, PracticeWorks, OrthoTrac, and SoftDent applications in its portfolio, has rolled out this method of using a virtual server for all their cloud-based software platforms. You don’t have to worry about purchasing an expensive server for your office, and files are automatically backed up. The best part is that you can run the full program, rather than a stripped down version that would run in a browser. It also means you can access your software from any device, be it PC, Mac, iOS, or Android.

Changing Vision

ImageLoupes are potentially one of the most underrated pieces of equipment in the office, but can help with everything from better precision to improving ergonomics. Unless you have several pairs of loupes, you are pretty much stuck to the same magnification. You end up picking the magnification you will use the most, and get stuck using the same zoom for a crown preparation as you would for a hygiene check.

The team at Orascoptic considered this dilemma, and the EyeZoom loupes are their answer. The Konica Minolta lenses allow you to change from 3x to 4x or 5x zoom levels with a twist of the loupe itself. Unlike most loupes on the market, the lenses also are housed in metal for better durability. As a nice added bonus, you can fit these lenses into most of their frame options.

These are the most innovative dental products I saw in the ADA exhibition hall, and all of them have potential to improve our practices and our patients' health. If you have tried any of these innovative products, we would love to hear from you on our reviews page. Additionally, if you know of any new products you would like us to preview, drop a comment below.

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