Attendees will be treated to an exclusive opportunity while visiting the BIOLASE booth: purchasers of a BIOLASE Waterlase all-tissue laser will receive a Hu-Friedy EMS Piezon 150 at no additional cost. Additionally, dental professionals who visit the BIOLASE booth for a demonstration of the Waterlase laser and the Hu-Friedy booth for a demonstration of the AIR-FLOW Master Piezon will receive a Hu-Friedy Orban knife at no charge.^* “We’re proud to partner with a company that shares our goal in addressing soft-tissue management at the earliest stages,” said BIOLASE CEO Todd Norbe. “By doing so, we can help avoid future tissue and bone loss, while focusing on the growing concern around peri-implantitis.” Customers can visit the BIOLASE booth and the Hu-Friedy booth at the two upcoming events for more information. ^* While supplies last. Certain restrictions apply. Visit the BIOLASE or Hu-Friedy booths for details.

Tags: AIR-FLOW master Piezon, BIOLASE, Chicago Midwinter Meeting, Hu-Friedy, Piezon power scaler, waterlase laser, Yankee Dental Congress

Speaking about the congress Dr Markus Heibach, the Executive Director of the Association of the German Dental Industry, said: “In order to exploit this enormous offering optimally, communication is becoming increasingly more important. That is why, especially regarding the wide field of dental materials and their aesthetic advantages, we recommend visiting IDS with your whole treating team.” Whether it is CAD/CAM processing of zirconia in the dental laboratory or restorations made of high-performance glass-ceramic, there is endless potential for visitors to IDS to see what areas of dentistry are new and what areas are evolving. Today, for example, zirconia blanks are available in different colours, covering the entire VITA shade spectrum. Blanks with internal colour gradients make individualisation easier, thereby saving time. Patient-orientated aesthetics can be achieved, depending on the individual case, with a veneer or by characterising a monolithic restoration with stains and glazes. Along with improvements on older techniques and materials, new technology will be a key feature. As 3-D printing becomes an integral part of the dental industry, new materials from plastics manufacturing are being introduced. PEEK and other thermoplastic polymers provide aesthetic and functional advantages for restorative dentistry. Their modulus of elasticity is similar to that of human bone, and PEEK is fatigue-resistant and has high ductility. Owing to the material’s high melting temperature, PEEK restorations can be sterilised and can be milled via CAD/CAM, as well as produced using injection or press moulding methods. With so many opportunities for dental professionals to discover new materials and processes, Heibach believes that the cooperation between IDS and its visitors will only intensify over the coming months and years.

Tags: congress, dental, IDS

Often marketed as a healthier alternative, products such as sugar-free soft drinks have become increasingly popular in recent years. The demand for these options is often driven by health and quality of life concerns, as obesity and oral diseases have been repeatedly linked to an excessive intake of added sugar. A number of sugar alternatives have been approved for widespread commercial use in innumerable foods and drinks. Though they are generally perceived to be a healthier option than sugar, their actual benefits and drawbacks are not exactly clear owing to a limited and conflicting body of evidence. A team of European researchers, led by the University of Freiburg in Germany, aimed to develop their understanding of these benefits and drawbacks by conducting a systematic review of 56 studies that compared a high intake of sugar substitutes with either a lower intake or complete avoidance. The results of their study showed that, overall, there were no statistically or clinically relevant differences between study participants who had a high intake of artificial sweeteners and those who abstained. Additionally, a number of the reviewed studies indicated that there was an association between a higher intake of sweeteners and slightly more weight gain, and slightly less weight gain for those with a lower intake. However, the certainty of this evidence was low. Overall, there was no definitive evidence that sugar alternatives aided overweight or obese adults or children who were actively attempting to lose weight. A spokesperson for the British Dental Association told the British Dental Journal: “We don’t recommend any ‘sugar-free’ alternatives to fizzy drinks other than milk and water. We remain concerned that many soft drinks either encourage a sweet tooth, or come with high levels of acidity that harm oral health.” “Every Christmas, Coca-Cola spin doctors try their best to claim there’s a ‘healthy option’ for teeth while marketing low- or no-sugar products more acidic than vinegar or lemon juice. When nearly half of teenagers are showing signs of dental erosion, dentists know many of these brands have as little place as a festive tradition as their sugar-laden stablemates,” the spokesperson continued. The study, titled “Association between intake of non-sugar sweeteners and health outcomes: Systematic review and meta-analyses of randomised and non-randomised controlled trials and observational studies”, was published online on 2 January 2019 in the British Medical Journal.

Tags: sugar intake, sugar-free drinks, systemic health

“We’re very excited to team with Carbon to deliver a total seamless workflow for increasing laboratory efficiency and elevate state-of-art materials for removable appliance fabrication in the 3-D dental printing space,” said Julie Mroziak, Vice President of Lab at Dentsply Sirona. Used with Carbon’s printers and innovative Digital Light Synthesis technology for high-resolution output and high throughput capacity, the new Dentsply Sirona materials will offer new alternatives in terms of strength, esthetics and laboratory efficiencies for 3-D printed dentures. The company boasts over 100 years’ experience in the development of denture materials, as well as extensive expertise in scanning and CAD/CAM software, including globally recognized brands such as Lucitone, IPN and inLab. “This partnership with Dentsply Sirona is a testament to Carbon’s global vision and mission to enhance the digital ecosystem,” said Brian Ganey, General Manager of Carbon’s Oral Care Business. “Together, we will be able to offer the marketplace a complete digital denture solution that is superior in terms of strength and esthetics. With Carbon as the leading digital manufacturer in digital dentistry and Dentsply Sirona’s global leadership in removable appliances, we can deliver an unmatched offering that benefits both the dental laboratory and the patient.” The Dentsply Sirona denture materials for Carbon digital manufacturing solutions are expected to become available in the U.S. later this year.

Tags: 3-d dental printing, digital dentistry, digital denture

Despite the development of short and diameter-reduced implants, many patients still require alveolar ridge augmentation procedures to facilitate optimal implant stability and hence, clinical success. The digital technology now gives us the opportunity to visualize the bone defects by means of digital data. Based on CT or CBCT a customized allogenic block is designed to match each individual defect situation. This saves the patient an additional surgical site and pain, but also reduces the surgical time, since no manual adjustment of the block to the defect situation is necessary, with comparable clinical outcomes compared to autologous bone blocks. As one of the first users Dr. Oliver Blume will present clinical data and cases from his 5 years of experience using customized allogenic blocks giving insights into his surgery methods and incision techniques.