Thursday, December 30, 2021
After the struggles dental practices faced in 2020, many saw 2021 as a bounce back year. Dental teams learned a lot during the 2020 COVID-19 closures, with many of them making improvements to their practices and the way they deliver patient care. Those lessons learned carried over into 2021 and will continue to make an impact in the year ahead.
Infection control remained a top priority in 2021, and teams did everything they could to make patients feel safe during their appointments. With vaccinations available and safety precautions in place, more patients returned to the dentist to receive needed care—once again boosting productivity in U.S. practices.
As our top 10 posts of the year indicate, dentists still sought out information on COVID-19 in 2021 and wanted to stay up to date on the latest and greatest products introduced. Many of our most read posts come from the new product section, with a roundup on products that protect against COVID-19 and a featured article filled with advice for new dental grads also making the list.
Here’s a look at our 10 most viewed posts from 2021:
10. Pediatric Teledentistry: Ensuring Child Oral Health and Wellness in a Post-Pandemic World
This white paper takes a look at the benefits teledentistry offers pediatric patients and their parents and explains how implementing the technology can positively change oral and systemic health. As dentists are still looking for guidance during the COVID-19 pandemic and technologies that can help, it’s no surprise this white paper was such a popular read.
9. New Dental Product: CS 2400P Portable X-Ray Generator From Carestream Dental
Released in April, this handheld device features a battery-free recharging system and a powerful x-ray beam for high-quality diagnostic images. The battery-free design makes it possible for the x-ray generator to go from completely discharged to ready to use in less than 3 minutes. The device offers dentists convenience and time savings, something many were looking for in 2021.
8. Advice For New Dental Grads
Dr. Mark Hyman, a well-known dentist with more than 30 years of experience, offers tips for dentists starting new careers in 2021 in this featured article.
7. New Dental Product: Invisalign Professional Whitening System Powered by Opalescence
Back in September, Align Technology signed a multi-year supply and distribution agreement with Ultradent Products to offer Invisalign trained doctors a professional whitening system. That agreement led to The Invisalign Professional Whitening System Powered by Opalescence, an all-in-one solution that enables dentists to straighten teeth and whiten at the same time. The whitening formula is optimized for use with Invisalign clear aligners and Vivera retainers, making it an attractive option for dentists who offer those products.
6. New Dental Product: CEREC MTL Zirconia From Dentsply Sirona
Dentsply Sirona released CEREC MTL Zirconia this year, an esthetic, high-strength zirconia CAD/CAM block that’s the result of a partnership with VITA Zahnfabrik. The CAD/CAM block, a zirconium oxide enriched with yttrium oxide, features MTL (multi transitional layer) color technology. The multilayer color gradient results in natural esthetics without sacrificing strength, making it an intriguing product for dentists this year.
5. New Dental Product: i700 Intraoral Scanner From MEDIT
Building on the success of its i500 camera, MEDIT released the smaller and lighter i700 in 2021, and this was an update our readers wanted to know about. The scanner features a camera that captures up to 70 frames per second, gathering more data with each pass for a smooth, quick scanning experience that yields realistic colors and a crisp image. It also has self-disinfecting capabilities, an attractive feature.
4. New Dental Product: Electric Flosser From Flaüs
This environmentally friendly electric flosser features a sonic vibration head with 12,000 vibrations per minute and is designed to quickly and gently move between teeth to remove plaque and debris from places a toothbrush can’t reach. It features an ergonomic handle, seven smart built-in LEDS for tracking and visual cues to promote healthy habits and accountability—all patient focuses in 2021.
3. Product Round Up: Dental Products That Protect Against COVID-19
From air purifiers to devices that reduce aerosols to teledentistry, this article lists the products dentists need to keep their patients, their teams and themselves safe, making it one of the most popular posts of 2021.
2. New Dental Product: CEREC Tessera High-Strength Glass Ceramic Blocks From Dentsply Sirona
The second product on our list from Dentsply Sirona, these lithium disilicate CAD/CAM blocks can be fired quickly and are indicated for both the anterior and posterior regions. Glaze firing takes four and a half minutes in the company’s SpeedFire, accelerating the manufacturing process.
1. New Dental Product: INTELLISCAN 3D AI Enabled Intraoral Scanner From Intelliscan
This year’s most-read post introduces an artificial intelligence (AI) enabled open-source intraoral scanner. The powder-free system simplifies intraoral scanning, and provides realistic color and clear margin lines. The scanner features a small footprint, fast scan times and an anti-fog scan head. The fact that it’s driven by AI makes it even more interesting, and is likely why it took the top spot.
2021 was another year to remember as dentists across the country and the world continued to adjust to the changes brought about by COVID-19. As we enter 2022, it’s time to focus on lessons learned and to keep making the improvements that enhance patient care and grow bottom lines. Here’s to making 2022 the best year yet.