Friday, February 28, 2020
Every year, the Chicago Midwinter Meeting serves as a launching pad for new dental innovations, with dentists gathering from around the country and world to see the latest and greatest in the industry.
The 2020 meeting didn’t disappoint, with new product announcements from a variety of manufacturers including DentalEZ, Glidewell and KaVo Imaging. If you missed the meeting or were there but between all the great networking opportunities and CE didn’t have time to get to every booth you wanted, no worries. We’ve got you covered. Here’s a roundup of some of this year’s most notable Midwinter Meeting product launches:
DentalEZ’s Aeras Intelligent Platform. DentalEZ launched two new products on this smart technology platform, the Aeras 500 Elite Handpiece by Star and the Aeras Compressor by Ramvac. The smart technology platform can collect data, share information and streamline standard‐of‐care processes.
Let’s look at the handpiece first. The Aeras 500 Elite highspeed air-driven handpiece offers similar cutting performance as an electric handpiece but with the lightweight, ergonomic and tactile feel of an air-driven unit. It offers 39 watts of power in a traditional-sized head. The sleek design features patent-pending RFID technology that makes complete practice interconnectivity possible.
This handpiece is a productivity enhancer. When paired with a compatible reader system, it can automatically track usage, monitor sterilization and view location at any time.
Moving on to the compressor. The Aeras Compressor by Ramvac features the latest cloud-based technology and offers active monitoring with data streaming from embedded sensors. It automatically detects potential issues and relays diagnostic information to the person who needs it. Information can be accessed via a web browser on any device. Users also can remotely schedule the equipment to power on and off.
The compressor provides clean, dry and oil-free air and also features Dual Desiccant Dryer Technology that prevents harmful bacterial growth. The rocking piston design provides quiet operation while doubling the compression ring lifespan and producing peak 100% continuous airflow.
Feather Microsurgical Blades from J. MORITA USA. The company announced the addition of two new blades to its product line, No. 350 and No. 391.
What are the benefits of Feather Microsurgical Blades? They’re made of high-quality stainless steel with a two-step grinding process that produces ultra-sharp cutting edges. The round and tapered shape is specifically designed for dental surgery and offers easy handling. This also makes the blades well suited for microsurgery and use with a microscope.
Here’s the rundown on the newest additions to the product line. The No. 350 blade is sharpened on both sides, features a tapered shape and a blade width of 2.0 mm. Its small size enables clinicians to make delicate incisions in the thin gingiva, as well as oblique incisions in the interdental space during periodontal regeneration surgery.
The No. 391 blade is sharpened on one side and has a blade width of 1.3 mm at the tip. The short blade length allows for safe, accurate gingiva incision during envelope flap surgery.
KaVo IXS intraoral X-ray sensors. These sensors are built on the success of the company’s line of Gendex sensors, but also incorporate the enhancements dentist customers said they want.
The KaVo IXS size 1 and size 2 ergonomically designed sensors feature KaVoTough™ engineering in both the sensor and the cable. They are three times more resistant to damage or functional failure than the GXS-700 and can withstand double the biteforce without cosmetic damage. Not only that, the IXS cable can withstand more than 240,000 bend cycles as well as 22 pounds of force without functional failure.
Like the Gendex GXS-700, the sensors feature open architecture software capabilities. Another benefit? They can be integrated into popular imaging and practice management software without the need for a bridge or additional modules.
ORCA intelligence-backed software from Dental Whale. This new software offers easy access to essential business and marketing services, masterclass training, equipment logistics, sales and data intelligence. The artificial intelligence (AI) call analysis capability measures intent and potential production opportunities, streamlining the way dental practices operate.
How does it work? The call analysis capability leverages IBM Watson technology to extract valuable caller intent from incoming patient calls, optimizing marketing efforts in real-time. Production values are also assigned to patient needs to provide dentists with more actionable insight. By extracting data about a caller and the call itself, the ORCA platform provides key metrics that uncover potential production opportunities for the practice, giving dentists leads to fill the schedule with the most profitable procedures.
ORCA also features a simple dashboard and a mechanism that makes it possible to calculate total actual potential production value. When compared to the true production value, missed opportunity can be quantified and identified—and that helps promote practice growth.
BruxZir Esthetic Implant Prosthesis from Glidewell. This new product is the esthetic version of the company’s popular BruxZir Implant Prosthesis. It features optimal translucency and a flexural strength of 870 MPa. This new addition to the line of BruxZir restorative solutions is made of 100% solid zirconia and, like the original, is engineered to avoid chips, fractures and premature wear.
BruxZir Esthetic gives clinicians an option for edentulous implant patients who have high esthetic expectations, without the risk of fracturing the veneering material used in most premium full-arch zirconia restorations.
An enhanced TeleDent teledentistry platform from MouthWatch. This well-known product is now even better than before. Upgrades to the platform include improved video conferencing, integrated provider chat and a robust patient portal. The new features are available on all new TeleDent purchases, and current customers are being upgraded for free.
So, what exactly are they getting? Video conferencing capabilities now include seamless capture of still images, videos and full-length video conferences directly into the platform’s patient record program. Other upgrades include multi-camera support for intraoral images; “freeze frame” video images that make it possible to quickly capture still images from a video feed and save them into a patient’s records; the ability to record, share and replay entire video conferences; video conference chat; and teleconference screen share.
TeleDent’s new provider chat enables real-time collaboration between providers in separate locations and is expected to be a popular feature for group practice and public health organizations. It is secure and HIPPA compliant and offers real-time messaging. Users can share audio, video and still photo attachments via encrypted messaging, a capability that can be especially useful in public health clinics, group dentistry and emergency rooms.
Finally, visual treatment plan sharing allows for two levels of access: provider to provider and provider to patient. Patients can only access the information providers determine to be relevant and/or appropriate.
OneClick for Dental Labs. This innovation was introduced on Lab Day and is certainly worth a mention.
OneClick integrates with popular practice management software as well as Magic Touch, a dental lab management system. It’s designed to simplify and speed up how dental offices order dental lab cases.
The solution gives dental labs an efficient, comprehensive way to start a case. The dental practice management software integrations and the direct integration into Magic Touch means users don’t have to worry about losing information or having data entry issues. Instead of coordinating the manual transfer of pertinent information, users can easily transfer all the information needed to start a dental lab case.
Here’s how it works. Like the name says, lab cases can be ordered in one click. It’s easy to search for a specific lab and because the practice management system is integrated, the patient the dental office is ordering the lab for is auto populated. Once the patient has been selected, users can choose what needs to be ordered from the lab and add any necessary notes. Have files to include? Any files the lab might need can be attached, even large files. Once the case is sent, the lab is notified so work can begin immediately.
Check out Dentalcompare’s news section for more announcements and product launches from the show.