Kohler® Products From Directa: High Quality for Excellence in Endodontics

Thirty-three years of teaching in the endodontic department at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine has provided Sam Kratchman, DMD, a birds-eye view of advancements made in the industry.

"I firmly believe that in the past 10 to 15 years endodontics has seen more improvements in technology and advancements in treatment than the previous 30 years combined," says the seasoned practitioner, educator, and director of endodontic microsurgery at Penn Dental. "I was lucky to work under Dr. Syngcuk Kim at Penn when he first brought the operating microscope into the clinic. I also had the pleasure of being introduced to Dr. (Martin) Trope's and Dr. (Gilberto) Debelian's 3D shapers and finishers, as well as all the uses for bioceramics. Now, we are doing research at Penn on the different lasers used in endodontics."

Kratchman opened his first practice limited to endodontics in Exton, Pennsylvania, in 1994 and has since opened three more offices in the suburban Philadelphia area, with a total of seven endodontists-all former students of his at Penn. "I currently own 16 microscopes and three CBCT machines throughout my four offices," he says proudly. "We transitioned years ago to digital radiology and then 3D CBCT imaging, which has been a game changer for endodontics."

Kratchman applauded last year when Directa announced it had acquired Ger­man dental company Kohler^® Medizintechnik. "The instruments we use for microsurgery must be of the highest quality. I have been using Kohler's surgical hand instruments and retractors for many years," he exclaims. "Kohler instruments are manufactured to the highest standard in dentistry. They are consistent and versatile and last a long time without breaking down."

Kohler handpieces and instruments are developed and produced in Germany. For 40 years the family-owned business has supplied innovative and quality products to distributors and wholesalers like Directa in more than 80 countries worldwide. Microsurgery instruments and endodontic products include a wide range of scissors, needle holders, forceps, scalpel blades, tweezers, rubber dam instruments, retractors, gutta-percha removal tools, and more. The company also offers the Penn Endo Creation Instrument kit by Dr. Kim, which includes the tools needed to perform endodontic exams/diagnostics/treatment.

"Kohler has also visited Penn," Kratchman notes. "They are open to our suggestions to improve specific instruments for surgery and to develop new retractors that have removable blades such that you only need to purchase a few handles and can interchange the blades as needed."

"I would highly recommend looking through Kohler's product line by Directa and either buying a set of instruments or testing out a few particular instruments that you are in need of, and compare the quality to your current instruments," Kratchman suggests. Needless to say, he is sure clinicians will be thoroughly impressed with the Kohler product line by Directa.

Sam Kratchman, DMD

Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Endodontics, Penn Dental Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Private Practice limited to Endodontics, Exton, West Chester, Paoli, and Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

Directa USA
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