Product Launch: Colgate’s Pro-Argin Technology

Considered a major advance in the treatment of dentin hypersensitivity, Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief desensitizing paste with Pro-Argin Technology.

Colgate’s exclusive Pro-Argin Technology is comprised of an amino acid, arginine and an insoluble calcium compound, calcium carbonate, to seal open dentin tubules and help block stimuli of pain receptors within teeth. Latest research suggests that Pro-Argin Technology binds to the negatively charged dentin surface and helps attract a calcium-rich layer into the dentin tubules to effectively plug and seal them. It triggers occlusion of the dentin tubules which remains intact even after exposure to acids, helping to block pain-producing stimuli.

The Sensitive Pro-Relief paste can be used before or after dental procedures, such as prophylaxis and scaling, to provide instant sensitivity relief that lasts four weeks after a single application.

For more information, click here.

Product Launch: Smile Reminder’s Zubumail

Don’t let the strange name fool you. Zubumail, from Smile Reminder, is something any dentist interested in effective marketing should take seriously. In a nutshell, Zubumail is a completely new approach to direct mail marketing.

Anyone who has ever used direct mail marketing pieces knows that it can be an expensive effort. With Zubumail, you stop paying to cover the many just to find the few. Using a variety of publicly available data, Zubumail software is able to target patients in your area who are more likely to need, afford and seek out treatment for TMJ, ortho, implants, sleep apnea or cosmetic work. You choose the category, customize the mail pieces (which Smile Reminder will “version” to fit the age, ethnicity and sex of the recipient), build your prospect list and then confirm your order.

For more information on how to get all that data at your fingertips and promotional material for your practice in the right hands, visit www.zubumail.com.

EDA @ ADA

The recently formed Eco-Dentistry Association was working hard this week, doing its part to educate dentists not only on the value of practicing “green” dentistry, but also realizing that many practices are already well on their way to being green. The association’s “Are you greener than you think?” survey includes questions about waste-reduction, technology, patient communication and patient base that help offer quick insights into where the practice sits on the green spectrum.

Another key messaging point for the group, and one that hits home with many attendees, is how being more eco-friendly can actually help recession-proof a dental office by:

• Differentiation — being green helps you stand out in a crowd
• Increasing new patient flow
• Improving the bottom line

For more information on the Eco-Dentistry Association, membership, CE and more, visit www.ecodentistry.org.

On a related note, Transcendentist showcased two new eco-friendly products: the Cloth-Op Line of infection control barriers and the Joysence line of spritz, hand soaps, lotions and more, made from all-natural ingredients. For more information, go to www.transcendentist.com/products.

Product Launch: Philips Sonicare Flexcare+

Philips Sonicare Flexcare+

Graduating from a singular focus on plaque removal, Philips Sonicare has launched FlexCare+, its most advanced toothbrush yet, specifically designed to motivate patients to achieve consistent oral homecare for improved gum health.

“As a dental professional, I know that patients often need extra motivation to maintain consistent oral care regimes,” said Dr. Hal Crossley, D.D.S., Ph.D., Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland Dental School.  “The new Sonicare FlexCare+ has been proven to encourage patients to brush longer and more thoroughly at home for improved gum health, with the superior plaque biofilm removal that Sonicare has always delivered.”

With advanced features including a new Gum Care mode that provides two minutes of overall cleaning followed by one minute of gentle cleaning to focus extra effort on trouble spots along the gumline, FlexCare+ is said to improve gingival health in only two weeks. FlexCare+ also helps prevent gum recession, and reportedly helps reduce bleeding sites by 71% in four weeks, reduce gum inflammation and even reducs gingivitis in smokers, a population at high risk for periodontal disease.

The power brush features a new "gum care" mode specifically designed to help heal and prevent gum disease.

FlexCare+ continues to offer Sonicare’s patented sonic technology, five power modes and ProResult brush heads tAdditionally, the integrated UV Sanitizer removes up to 99 percent of selected bacteria found on brush heads.

This launch comes on the heels of the highly successful release of Sonicare for Kids, one of DPR’s Top 100 products for 2009.

Neodent enter U.S. market

The ADA meeting marked the beginning of Neodent‘s presence in the U.S. dental market.

The Brazilian company, primarily known for its implants, already has a strong international presence, with products used by thousands of dental professionals worldwide. They will be opening a branch in Miami this year, hoping to replicate its model of high technology, competitive prices and a strong focus on client care.

A brief company history [from neodent.com.br]

Implants from Neodent.

Neodent history had its beginning in 1991 when Dr. Geninho Thomé, a dentist and expert in implant dentistry, by using American know-how, has began to develop scientific researches to improve implants system, finding out materials of similar quality of imported ones – the only option at that time – assuring a more accessible cost.

In 1993 Dr. Geninho Thomé and Dr. Clemilda de Paula Thomé established JJGC Industry and Commerce of Dental Materials Ltd, which started by producing dental implants and specific tools by a commercial scale in order to install implants and prosthesis. Shop and factory were initially working in a modest building in district of Mercês, Curitiba city, and industrial area was constituted by only one employee who operated a mechanical conventional lathe and a moulding machine.

In 1997 industrial sector composed by nine employees and modern CNC lathes was transferred to a shed rented in district of Santa Felicidade, also in Curitiba. In 1998 it had moved to an own headquarter at the same district where it is still located nowadays.

After passing by several stages of improvement, the industrial area of Neodent occupies at present a built area around 2000 m2, destined to manufacture dental implants, surgical prosthetics and instrumental components.

Today our factory employs more than 300 employees distributed in three shifts of work, which maintain continuous production and are responsible for portfolio of products of more than 1,000 different items. A new industrial area with 10.000 m2 is at the beginning phase and it should initiate its operations on 2008.

The success of Neodent, however, is not measured only by its capacity of production. The Company potential for innovation is one of its best characteristics allied to high technology applied on its products.

Product Launch: Kodak PEARL

Kodak PEARL on the iPhone

The press release announcing the launch of Kodak PEARL was sent in mid September, prior to the ADA meeting, but this week was the first time doctors have been able to see the product in action at a tradeshow.

Available for iPhone and BlackBerry users, the PEARL software application is an add-on module for PracticeWorks management/clinical software enabling real-time information to be accessed remotely from a mobile device. Dentists can view and act upon real-time information related to patient and treatment details, scheduling, financials, call-backs, prescriptions and pharmacies, referring providers, and more.

Some of the things PEARL makes possible:

• Handle emergencies by accessing patient records after hours
• Manage after-hours calls to patients, referring doctors, and staff
• Access scheduling information to add patients and make changes
• View graphs and data about practice finances

PEARL software delivers secure two-way data flow and is easy to use, requiring little to no learning curve. No patient data is stored on the mobile device.

PEARL is available for Kodak PracticeWorks, SoftDent, OrthoTrac, and WinOMS CS practice management systems.

[to view a quick demo, click here]

Aloha, ADA

The beaches of Waikiki

Honolulu has opened its arms to ADA this weekend. Banners are set up at stores, restaurants and shops, welcoming dentists and their staffs to the 150th Annual Session. Earlier in September, the Association was projecting just over 22,000 attendees.

With the many distractions waiting just outside the convention hall doors, event organizers scheduled exhibit hall hours from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm, which definitely had the desired effect. The hall was surprisingly busy first thing in the morning with intermittent bursts of traffic throughout the day, spurred on by several promotional efforts by the Association—free coffee on the show floor until 9 am was one of the most compelling.

All in all, there was great energy in the World Marketplace exhibition today, with dental professionals lining up to find out more about various new products. In particular, the DMG America booth was packed almost 4 people deep for much of the day, no doubt due to their launch of ICON caries infiltrant earlier this year. Other products launched in the last month, including the DEXIS Platinum Sensor and  Under Armour Performance Mouthwear (distributed exclusively through Patterson Dental), also drew a lot of visitors.

The crowds around the DMG America booth.

One of the first launches we discovered today was a new comparative software offered by Dentra. Working a similar model in other healthcare fields, the company introduced itself to dentistry today in hopes of continuing the promotional push at tradeshows throughout the coming months. Dentra offers two comparative options. The first, Patient Satisfaction (or PatSat), is an online patient feedback and reporting service. It allows you to measure certain key elements of your practice and then compare your patient satisfaction rates to those of other practices in your state and, eventually, your local area. PracticeView measures a practice’s production, growth and quality of care. The results are analyzed and can, again, be compared with practices across the country or in your county.

More to come tomorrow!