Opioid prescriptions drop in Tenn. due to new policy

TennCare’s policy changes related to opioids cut the number of painkiller prescriptions written to Medicaid dental patients by nearly half, according to a report released on December 8 by the DentaQuest Partnership for Oral Health Advancement. TennCare implemented prior authorization requirements and dosage limits on the medication in 2018. The move led to a reduction in the number of prescriptions written to Medicaid patients by 45% between 2017 and 2019,

SmileDirectClub gets patent for retail concept

SmileDirectClub has secured a second patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for its SmileShop retail concept and digital strategy for delivering clear aligner treatments. U.S. Patent No. 10,861,599 ensures that no clear aligner competitor can duplicate SmileDirectClub’s model for 18 years, the company said.

Formlabs offers new materials for 3D-printed long-term restorations

3D printing company Formlabs has added Permanent Crown resin and the Soft Tissue Starter Pack to its dental material portfolio. With Permanent Crown resin, dental offices and labs can provide patients with 3D-printed permanent single crowns, inlays, onlays, and veneers, according to Formlabs. It’s a tooth-colored, ceramic-filled, high-strength resin that features low water absorption and a smooth finish, the company said. Formlabs noted that the digital workflow for the Permanent

Sonendo announces treatment milestone

Endodontic technology developer Sonendo said that its GentleWave system has been used to treat more than 500,000 patients. GentleWave uses patented technology to clean and disinfect the entire root canal system, even in the microscopic places bacteria can hide, according to the firm. It also leaves more of the tooth structure intact, Sonendo said.

Orofacial Therapeutics honored as pain solution provider

Orofacial Therapeutics has been named a top 10 pain solution provider by MedTech Outlook, a medical trade magazine. The company said it was selected because it addresses facial pain in a way that’s low-cost, scalable, and a new model for delivering standardized care for acute musculoskeletal pain conditions of the head and/or neck. Orofacial Therapeutics’ Speed2Treat head, neck, and jaw pain home-healing kit is intended for temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD)

SmileDirectClub expands in rural Texas through Altius deal

SmileDirectClub is expanding its reach in rural Texas communities through a new partnership with dental service organization (DSO) Altius Healthcare Management. SmileDirectClub specializes in clear aligner therapy and customized bisphenol A (BPA)-free aligners and offers telehealth orthodontia. The new partnership will pave the way for SmileDirectClub members in rural areas to receive treatment at the dental offices of Altius, which is based in Arlington, TX. SmileDirectClub noted that it now

What was found in the mouth of the Altamura man?

Scientists have discovered a nearly complete set of teeth in the Altamura man, an approximately 130,000-year-old Neanderthal skeleton encased in a cave in southern Italy. The findings were published on December 2 in PLOS One. The skeleton’s teeth had dental wear, and a few were missing. The skeleton also had a well-developed palatine torus, a dental feature previously not found in Neanderthals, according to the authors. “This is the first

Carestream Dental validates Formlabs printer

Carestream Dental has validated Formlabs’ Form 3B printer for use with its CS Model+ v5 modeling software, giving practices the ability to design and print clear aligners in-house. Practices start with a scan from the CS 3600 or CS 3700 intraoral scanner, and then CS Model+ v5 automatically ranks the case by degree of difficulty. The file is eventually sent to the Form 3B desktop 3D printer.

Elevate Oral Care launches 3-bottle SDF kit

Elevate Oral Care has launched a new three-bottle kit of its Advantage Arrest silver diamine fluoride (SDF) 38%. Each kit contains 9 mL of liquid in three 3-mL bottles. The new option means practices can economically stock each treatment room to promote asepsis and save time by making the SDF available when and where it’s needed, the firm said. Three-bottle kit of Advantage Arrest SDF 38%. Image courtesy of Elevate

Carestream Dental, SprintRay offer integration for aligners

The SprintRay Pro printer is now available for use with Carestream Dental’s CS Model+ v5 modeling software, so dentists can add in-house clear aligners as a treatment option for their patients. Using a scan captured by a CS 3600 or CS 3700 intraoral scanner, CS Model+ v5 helps dentists plan and design aligner cases. They can import the aligner models into the SprintRay nesting software, RayWare, where artificial intelligence-driven printability

SprinJene adds cannabinoid toothpaste

Natural oral care company SprinJene’s hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) toothpaste is set to become available for online sale on December 7. The company’s CBD toothpaste was developed in partnership with medical cannabis company Zelira Therapeutics. Made from CBD distillate derived from hemp, the product is free of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and therefore has no psychoactive effects, SprinJene said. The launch will be followed by other cannabinoid oral care products developed through the

3M unveils universal 2-component system for bonding

Two new products, 3M RelyX Universal resin cement and 3M Scotchbond Universal Plus adhesive, have officially been launched. When used alone, RelyX Universal resin cement works as a self-adhesive cement with outstanding bond strength, according to the company, reliably solving routine cases with maximized efficiency. Scotchbond Universal Plus adhesive is described as the first radiopaque, all-in-one universal adhesive. It serves as a universal primer for all materials, including glass ceramics,