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

Expandex Lip Retractor | Parkell

Expandex is a product that not too many people know about, but it’s the best product I have found for retraction of the lips. I’ve been using it for probably about 20 years, primarily for restorative work, such as when bonding anterior restorations and for porcelain veneers. It’s excellent at preventing salivary contamination. It is made of a soft, flexible plastic, and you can put a cotton roll between the lip and the Expandex. It’s comfortable for patients, even during more complex or time-consuming procedures.

Another nice feature is that it’s really small, so it provides excellent access, but it doesn’t get in your way. Expandex comes in a couple of different sizes, and it’s autoclavable. It’s a niche product that just works extremely well.

All Ceramic Intra-Oral and Extra-Oral Kits | Cosmedent

These new polishers for lithium disilicate and zirconia are a good addition to Cosmedent’s line of products. Cosmedent is known more for composite polishing, but they did an excellent job designing this kit. They have stone grinders for removing more structure, and the fine-grit polishers will give you a high shine so you don’t need to glaze. Each kit includes different shapes for different uses. Although both are excellent, I use the Extra-Oral kit more often because I prefer the shapes of those polishers and also because I like to use a straight handpiece and polish my crowns out of the mouth. You use them at lower speed with higher torque. All polishers wear over time, and most polishers don’t last that long. But these don’t seem to wear as fast and last quite a while. These are some of the best polishers I have used for lithium disilicate and zirconia.

Karl Schumacher Scalpel Handle #428 with Self-Ejecting Blade | Karl Schumacher

This is a product I’ve shown to many surgeons and periodontists, but none of them had ever seen it before. I shared this product with my associate, who does more surgery than I do, and he started using it. We both like the round, ergonomic shape of the Karl Schumacher Scalpel Handle #428. Many conventional surgical instruments have a flat handle. This handle has gnarls to prevent slippage, and because it’s round, can you hold it with a pen grip, which I like for a couple reasons. Not only does it help prevent fatigue in your hand, but it also means you can maneuver easily around the teeth.

The thing that really makes this product unique is the self-ejecting blade. You don’t need to use a hemostat to take the blade off. You push the top like a ballpoint pen, and the blade comes off. It’s completely secure until you are ready to remove it. You’re much less likely to cut yourself when changing blades with this scalpel handle. Once you take it apart, it’s also autoclavable.