Does tray design affect teeth whitening?

SAN DIEGO – A study presented today at the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) annual meeting that looked at the whitening efficacy of four different bleaching tray designs found all of them to be significantly effective. Teeth whitening is a common and effective dental procedure, but it can cause significant pulpal and gingival irritation, said study author Michael Meharry, DDS, from Loma Linda University School of Dentistry. Dr. Meharry

Sealing occlusal caries can avert restorative treatment

SAN DIEGO – Sealing occlusal caries rather than performing a restorative treatment can arrest the caries lesions, according to a presentation on Thursday at the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) general session and exhibition. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen wanted to investigate the possibility of nonoperative sealing of manifest occlusal caries lesions that otherwise would have been treated with conventional restoration. They conducted a prospective, randomized study in

New band, improved teeth for former Oasis singer

Liam Gallagher, former front man for Oasis, a U.K. band that has sold more than 70 million records worldwide to date, has a new band and a new smile in anticipation of a U.S. tour, the Mirror reported. Following a request by his management, Gallagher spent more than $11,000 to replace his old fillings with tooth-colored ones and get veneers for his front teeth before his new band, Beady Eye,

SensAble launches European version of Intellifit

SensAble Dental is launching the newest version of its Intellifit TE (touch-enabled) digital restoration system for European markets at the International Dental Show (IDS) in Cologne, Germany, March 22-26. With a new German language interface and the touch-enabled articulator, the new modular configurations of Intellifit are designed expressly for the needs of the European dental lab market, the company said. Intellifit — formerly the SensAble Dental Lab System — now

Iceland firm offer discount implants to Americans

Nordic Smile, a dental facility based in Iceland, is partnering with ITA, Iceland’s largest independent travel service provider, to offer discount implants to U.S. tourists visiting the country. The implant treatments, typically completed in three trips, are being offered to travelers from the U.S. for 30% to 50% less than they would pay for implants at home, according to Nordic Smile. The company guarantees their work for up to five

Digital tool aids x-ray training; chewable toothpaste enters U.S. market

Dear DrBicuspid Member, Dental students at the University of Queensland gave high marks to a digital learning tool developed by faculty there, saying it improved their ability to learn craniofacial anatomy and thus interpret radiographic images. And the developers say they are keen to share the interactive learning tool with other dental schools. Read more in this latest Imaging & CAD/CAM Community feature. In Restoratives Community news, tooth extractions are

Toothpaste tablets: The end of the tube?

The dentifrice delivery system has changed little since the first tube of toothpaste was filled more than 100 years ago. But that could change with the introduction of chewable toothpaste tablets, which are less messy and more environmentally friendly. The tablets offer a “laundry list” of advantages over a tube delivery system, according to Scott Jacobs, president of Archtek and creator of the Toothpaste Tablet. .pullQuoteCredit { align:right; text-align:right; font-family:arial,

Ormco debuts rewards program for practitioners

Ormco Orthodontics has launched the Ormco Loyalty Rewards program, designed to reward practitioners who are repeat customers of the company’s products. Through this program, Ormco purchases can yield rewards points that can then be redeemed for ancillary products and/or tuition for continuing education courses. Membership in the program offers a percentage of every dollar spent on core products back to the provider in the form of Loyalty Rewards points. Minimum

Zirconia abutments show good short-term results

Zirconia abutments for single-implant crowns appear to demonstrate good short-term technical and biological results, according to a team of researchers from Norway and Sweden (Clinical Oral Implants Research, March 8, 2011). The study comprised two parts: Part one was a retrospective evaluation of records of 130 patients treated with 185 single-tooth implant restorations using zirconia abutments. Part two involved clinical exams of 25 patients with 40 restorations placed more than

VELscope helps confirm dysplastic lesions

The VELscope oral cancer screening device (LED Dental) is useful in confirming the presence of leukoplakia and erythroplakia and other oral mucosal disorders, but has difficulty discriminating between high- and low-risk lesions, according to a study in Oral Oncology (March 9, 2011). Researchers from King’s College London Dental Institute wanted to compare the accuracy of autofluorescence with that of conventional oral examination and surgical biopsy in identifying and detecting potentially

Needle-free anesthesia in phase III clinical studies

A nasal mist local anesthetic aimed at achieving anesthesia in the maxillary arch is moving forward with its efforts to gain U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval. The nasal mist, developed by St. Renatus, recently had a favorable end of phase II clinical trial review with the FDA, the company announced. The phase II results submitted to the FDA indicated that the mist is comparable to that of a

Orabrush social media push paying off

Orabrush has surpassed 35 million views of its YouTube channel and added about 120,000 YouTube subscribers, the company announced. This news of continued growth on YouTube follows Orabrush’s recent announcement that it has closed a $2.5 million funding round from True Ventures and 2X Consumer Products Growth Partners, which will primarily be used to expand the company’s retail presence. Orabrush has sold more than 1 million tongue cleaners through the