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,

How to Floss Your Way to a Cavity-Free Dentist Visit

To floss or not to floss? Of course, you should floss — and not just because your dentist says so. Flossing reaches surfaces of your teeth a toothbrush cannot. It protects your gums from gum disease, cavities, and tartar buildup. But how do you follow through on your flossing goals? As dentists, we know you try to floss. But be honest — sometimes (okay most of the time) you forget

Gum disease bacteria may up heart disease risk in RA patients

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients have elevated rates of periodontal and cardiovascular disease, suggesting that their immune responses to gum disease bacteria may be linked to higher heart disease risk, according to a study published on November 17 in Arthritis & Rheumatology. Exposure to the gum disease pathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) and the protein toxin it secretes (leukotoxin A [LtxA]) was strongly associated with atherosclerosis in the coronary and carotid arteries

FDA clears Zephyr’s latest update to MATRx plus

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted 510(k) clearance to medical device company Zephyr Sleep Technologies’ latest update to MATRx plus. The clearance eliminates the requirement for a nasal cannula during a sleep theranostic test and makes setting up the take-home Treatment Planning test simpler. Patients now only need a single fingertip pulse oximetry probe for the test. All existing MATRx plus users who are Connected Program subscribers

The Link Between Gum Disease and Diabetes

When it comes to the relationship between dental health and diabetes, it is a two-way street. Considering that nearly 26 million people suffer from diabetes in the United States and another 79 million are at high risk, there is a large population that needs to be aware of how their oral health affects their diabetic conditions – and vice versa! The most serious and most prevalent dental problem that is