Inside My Practice with Bob Margeas
Dear Colleague,
In my dental practice, I choose products whenever possible from manufacturers that have a reputation and a track record of integrity, high quality, and innovation. Three such companies are presented here, with examples of their products that help me practice at the highest level to provide excellent clinical care and ensure patient satisfaction.
By showing what I use in my practice and what advantages each product has, I hope this column continues to be a valuable resource.
For questions or comments about any of the products I discuss in my column, please email me at rmargeas@aegiscomm.com.
Best,
Bob Margeas, DDS
Opalescence Go®
Ultradent Products, Inc.
Figure 1 | The main thing I like about Opalescence Go is that there are no impressions or trays to make and there is no chairtime or laboratory time involved.
Body heat warms the Go whitening trays, so they mold easily and just work exceptionally well. The gel is very stiff so it doesn’t go down patients’ throats. It’s a big improvement over the Treswhites product. We use both the 10% and 15% formulations, depending on the patient and what they want. You can have some sensitivity with this product, as with other whitening products. You have to use good technique and shouldn’t get bleach on the gums.
It’s a very good revenue-generating product with no chairtime, but I wouldn’t use it unless it worked. I’ve known Dan Fisher now for a couple decades, and he’s passionate about dentistry. The Ultradent company isn’t going to bring a product to market that isn’t at the top of a category. When it comes to bleaching, they have the longest track record of products. Dan Fisher would sacrifice income in order to provide the best solutions for dentists.
Filtek™ Bulk Fill Posterior Restorative
3M ESPE
Figure 2 | I use Filtek Bulk Fill Posterior because I like the excellent handling of the product. It’s a nanocomposite and is available both capsules and syringes, and I use both. It can be used for Class I and Class II restorations. You place it in one step and no extra capping layer is required, plus you don’t need any special equipment to place it. It sculpts well and you don’t have to worry about voids.
I also like the chameleon effect that it provides. It is true that all bulk fills have to be a little translucent in order to be cured to 5 mm. So yes, there is a little more translucency to the product, but it blends in extremely well. Finishing is very easy, too; it’s got good polishability. There’s a minimal number of shades you need, so it really simplifies the process in terms of shade selection as well as placement.
LED DayLite® NanoLite™
Designs for Vision, Inc.
Figure 3 | I’ve said it many times before, but I couldn’t practice without magnification, a great headlight, and an electric handpiece. You could almost get away with not having an overhead light in the operatory if you have the DayLite NanoLite. I use it 100% of the time on every patient. It’s powerful and lightweight. It’s corded and comes with two battery packs. The battery clips onto your belt, and it’s very small. When the battery runs down, you get a warning, so I just hook the other battery up and recharge the old one. It works well.
A special feature of this light is the orange protective shield. If you put the light on composite without the orange cover over it, it will cure the composite. So if you’re placing composite, you put the shield down over the light. The orange color filters out the white light so you have a long working time and you don’t have to worry about curing your composites before you’re ready.
