CDA dental clinic provides $2M in free care

The California Dental Association (CDA) recently hosted a free, two-day dental clinic in Sacramento that provided $2 million in dental services to more than 2,000 people. The CDA Cares event, held March 27-28, included more than 1,000 dentists, hygienists, assistants, nurses, and lab technicians who donated their services, providing almost 14,000 procedures, including fillings, cleanings, and extractions. The CDA Foundation is planning another free clinic in Fresno from October 2-3.

Hu-Friedy releases free implantology e-book

Hu-Friedy has released a free downloadable e-book on implant fundamentals. The new book, Implant Fundamentals Part 1: Patient Assessment and Extraction, is the first in a three-part series that addresses the life cycle of a dental implant. It provides procedural information regarding implant assessment and placement, and the book can be used as a resource for general dentists and a patient education tool for specialists. “Hu-Friedy’s dedication to helping dental

April – Time for New Changes

Taking some time off this April and visiting Los Algodones? Before you come to the capital of dental tourism, remember that is moving! That’s right the largest dental clinic in Los Algodones will no longer be in Los Algodones. Our facilities will re-locate to El Vizcaino, BSC. We apologies for the inconvenience this will cause to all of you our patients and friends. As of 04/15/2015 Alamo, will no longer

Amalgam tops composite or glass ionomer restorations in new study

Restorations placed with amalgam had the lowest failure rate in a new retrospective study of 300 primary molar restorations in children in Ireland. Composite and glass ionomer restorations trailed restorations that used amalgam in success rates. “With failures of restorations of the amalgam group representing less than 20% of all restoration failures, the findings in this study support the position that amalgam performs well in terms of efficacy,” wrote lead

Review: Xylitol’s effect in preventing caries still unproven

There is limited evidence to show that xylitol is effective in preventing dental caries in children and adults, a new research review published in the Cochrane Library concluded. But a dental professor asserts that xylitol has many valuable properties that inhibit caries development. Because xylitol has been touted as a way to prevent caries, researchers at the University of Manchester in the U.K. sought to examine the available evidence to

Levin on cutting the landline; Madow Bros. on offering the best; Butler on 5 magic words

Dear DrBicuspid Member, Most dental practices rely heavily on landline phone systems. Consumers, however, are cutting that cord in their lives. Considering how important it is to contact patients in a timely way, making the shift to cellphone communication with them is imperative, according to Dr. Roger P. Levin. What do your patients want when it comes to treatment: decent, better, or best? In their latest column, the Madow Brothers find

Primotec joins materials certification program

Primotec has joined the IdentAlloy/IdentCeram Council’s certification program, which provides labs and dentists with free certification of the content of dental materials. Chris Urist, Primotec’s vice president, said in a statement that the certification underlines the quality of his company’s products. “Labs and dentists can use the certificates both to know and show that their selection of Primotec reflects their commitment to the highest standards of dental care,” Urist said.

Obtura Spartan adds file to endodontic product line

Obtura Spartan Endodontics has expanded its endodontic product line with the addition of the new One Endo file. The flexible rotary nickel titanium file, designed by a dentist, has a self-piloting cut flip tip that forms dentinal chips, while an opposing curved area pilots the tip into the canal, according to the company. This design allows clinicians to navigate canals without screwing in or pushing debris in advance of the

U.S. House passes CHIP funding bill

The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill on March 26 to continue funding the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), but it will be at least another two weeks before the Senate votes on the bill. CHIP, which covers essential health and dental needs for U.S. children, is currently set to expire on September 30. If passed by the Senate and signed by President Barack Obama, the bill, HR

Oral health program coming to Ga. preschools

The Brush Early Childhood Oral Health Curriculum, a literacy-based oral health education program, will be coming to Head Start programs in more than 40 Georgia counties. More than 4,000 preschool-aged children, their parents and caregivers, and 320 teachers across the state will participate in the 52-week curriculum, which is aimed at improving the oral health and school readiness of children entering kindergarten. Participating children will receive weekly lessons on good

Convergent unveils new handpiece and waveguide

Convergent Dental unveiled its new Ultraguide handpiece and a 15/400 hollow waveguide and automatic alignment system for its Solea laser at the Thomas P. Hinman Dental Meeting in Atlanta. The Ultraguide handpiece and the 15/400 hollow waveguide is specifically designed for access to the periodontal pocket and other hard-to-reach areas in the oral cavity, according to the company. The handpiece will be delivered with the automatic alignment system, which detects

DrBicuspid.com Anesthesia & Pain Management Insider: Propofol use in special needs patients

Dear Anesthesia & Pain Management Insider, Do you understand the drug interactions that may impair the effectiveness of sedation in special needs patients? Do you know how the medications a patient is taking might interact with propofol, and how this changes your treatment strategy? The findings from a study by Japanese researchers will help you ask the right questions when treating these, and other, patients. Find out more in the