Planmeca University announced the expansion of preview and training opportunities to the University of Planmeca in Chicago.  This expansion will offer increased access to existing and future customers of the Planmeca PlanScan system. Additionally, Planmeca University in Richardson has opened two new classroom spaces and is also offering in-office training.

“We made the decision to extend our courses to open up more classes, in more locations as well as in-office to integrate our customers with the PlanScan system quickly. We are so excited to help support the growing demands, especially in the northeastern regions,” said Ashley Truitt, Director of Clinical Education. The University of Planmeca - Chicago opened its doors 3 months ago. This new campus is located in Roselle, IL, just 20 minutes away from Chicago O’Hare airport. This unique, 10,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility and showroom features Planmeca’s suite of 2D and 3D imaging products and equipment, accommodates large groups and training rooms fully-equipped with audiovisual and Wi-Fi  capabilities.

Classes are designed around learning about CAD/CAM dentistry and improving the patient experience, as well as increased dental office revenue. “By providing flight, hotel accommodations, and transportation arrangements, doctors will continue to receive the same red carpet treatment that is currently provided in Richardson, Texas. In line with our vision, Planmeca University is committed to providing leading-edge education for customers and we intend to continue to keep to that promise in Chicago,” Truitt said.  “Our commitment to our customers allows us to expand our efforts without compromising their experience.” PlanScan, PlanCAD and PlanMill 40 are exclusively distributed through Henry Schein in North America.

North Haven, Conn. – Jensen Dental made their first XT Zirconia Road Show stop on October 28 in Connecticut, where industry expert Don Cornell walked attendees through a systematic process to produce superior end results through coloring, staining and glazing full contour XT Zirconia restorations using proprietary liquids and InSync Stain & Glaze.

Attendees learned critical elements for creating highly predictable esthetic outcomes for CAD/CAM provisionals, full contour and layered zirconia restorations, and complex implant cases.  This month Jensen has stops planned in both Minnesota and Florida. Contact your Jensen Sales Consultant for information on JENSEN XT Zirconia Road Show dates and destinations near you! 

Taub Dental will be hosting 3 CE courses at the Greater New York Dental Meeting, presented by Dr. Ross W. Nash on “Direct Composite Resin Dentistry,” “Indirect Esthetic and Cosmetic Dentistry,” and “Hands-On Direct Composite Veneers.” Visit gnydm.com today to sign up for these courses.

Direct Composite Resin Dentistry

In today’s economy, many patients are seeking and choosing a more affordable solution for cosmetic, esthetic and functional treatment. Composite resin and new techniques can be used to provide esthetic results with excellent clinical performance. Those dentists who perfect their skills with direct composite surely will be busier than those who don’t. In this half-day lecture program, Dr. Nash will provide information on up-to-date materials and techniques for Class I, II, III, IV and V anterior and posterior direct composite restorations. The use of direct composite resin veneers for elective smile enhancement and in combination with restorative dentistry will be covered.

Indirect Esthetic and Cosmetic Dentistry

By using an indirect approach, dentists can partner with talented technicians to accomplish elective cosmetic and needed esthetic dentistry with materials that have excellent clinical performance and longevity and combine the skills of both. In this half-day lecture program, Dr. Nash will illustrate various clinical situations that lend themselves to this type of dentistry. He will show step-by-step techniques using actual case studies he has performed using a number of indirect processes and materials to accomplish both esthetic and functional excellence. Non-invasive no-prep veneers, traditional veneers, inlays, onlays, all ceramic crowns, fixed partial dentures, implant crowns and bridges, and full esthetic reconstruction will be discussed.

Hands-On Direct Composite Veneers

Direct composite resin veneers can be used to provide improved esthetics for many patients without the need for temporary restorations and in a single appointment at fees that are affordable for many more people. Direct veneers require that the provider be both a clinician and an artist. Some have more artistic ability than others, but by using proven techniques, the art be learned. In this half-day hands-on program, Dr. Nash will provide step-by-step instruction for applying direct composite resin veneers that mimic natural tooth structure. He will illustrate both freehand technique and a technique with preformed composite facings that can be used to accomplish both esthetic and functional excellence. Each participant will create both types of composite veneers on typodont models. The participant will leave with improved skills required to create beautiful direct veneers.

Charlotte, NC – Sirona Dental Systems, Inc., the company that pioneered digital dentistry, has recently entered into a unique digital dentistry agreement with Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) that will enable GSDM to become the first all-digital school of dentistry in the nation, providing dental students at GSDM the opportunity to learn about the current digital dentistry landscape in fully equipped operatories.

Specifically, all dental students will have ready access to the latest digital equipment purchased from Sirona in order to experience a full digital dentistry workflow, including both dental and laboratory techniques and applications. The GSDM Patient Treatment Centers will now be furnished with equipment from Sirona’s CEREC^®, Schick, GALILEOS and inLab^® product lines.   

A digital dentistry task force was established to transform the dental school curriculum to a completely digital learning environment. The task force set out with a goal to provide students with all of the tools needed for comprehensive treatment plans and efficient delivery of the highest level of oral healthcare using digital dental technologies. It evaluated the necessary facilities, equipment and technical support required to create a seamless all-inclusive system. GSDM sought to make the digital conversion as user-friendly and seamless as possible. The findings of that task force led GSDM to enter into an agreement with Sirona that will enable GSDM to become the first all-digital school of dentistry in the nation. Sirona is able to offer an expansive leading product portfolio, strong technical support and seamless technology integration capabilities. Sirona’s digital technology is used as an educational tool as well as for hands-on clinical experience in the majority of dental schools.

“We are honored to enter into this first of its kind endeavor with Boston University,” remarked Jeffrey Slovin, President and CEO of Sirona Dental Systems, Inc. “Students will get to experience the true workings of a current dental practice environment and we commend the University for leading the way towards educating its students using digital dentistry techniques. We are pleased to collaborate with Boston University in setting the stage for the future of dental education.”

WOBURN, MA – exocad®, a global company providing the most advanced, complete dental CAD/CAM software solution, sold exclusively by reseller/partners, announced that they have acquired the assets of STI Holdings, the provider of the Sensable Dental Lab System (SDLS). SDLS, the industry’s most powerful and versatile CAD/CAM solution for partial framework design, required a proprietary 3D haptic (touch feedback) device. Exocad will preview the world’s first mouse-driven version of the software at the Dental Lab Owners Association of California (DLOAC) 11th International CAD/CAM Expo & Symposium from October 31 to November 2 in Anaheim, CA.

“This acquisition underscores our commitment to providing labs and dentists with best available products and extends our design capability to both metal and flexible partial dentures,” said Tillmann Steinbrecher, general manager and CEO of exocad. “The advanced voxel-processing technology we have acquired is complementary to our current mesh-based CAD technology, and we look forward to further accelerating the development of our Complete Solution for Digital Dentistry with this new asset”.

All exocad end-user customers with current update contracts will be able to download the fully functional, partial denture technology preview from exocad at no charge, along with documentation and video tutorials. The partial denture technology preview will work with any open exocad-supported scanner, and produce industry-standard .STL format output. The technology preview will be made available as soon as the mouse-based controls are finalized. In parallel with the technology preview, exocad is working actively to further develop the platform, in order to make it available through its distribution partners as part of the exocad software portfolio.

“Today, Sensable Dental is our choice as the most advanced removable software on the market, and we can produce up to 25 digital removable cases per day on one station.” said Brian McClone, Partials Manager for Dental Arts Laboratories. “Short term, we can expand our business by leveraging more modern scanners using all our exoscan-based scanners. Longer term, we're excited to see what the exocad team will do to further improve the solution.“

A team led by Christopher Bowman, School of Dental Medicine, Restorative Dentistry, has been awarded a patent for a new material that reduces shrinkage stress in dental resins. This material enables more durable dental restorations such as fillings, crowns and bridges.

The research leading to development of this material was supported by a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to develop novel dental restorative materials.

“We were examining a range of chemistries and approaches that we thought might aid in reducing the stress while preserving other desirable material properties,” explained Bowman.

His team includes researchers from  CU-Boulder’s College of Engineering & Applied Sciences, Chemical & Biological Engineering.

“For many years, we have looked at approaches for making ’adaptable networks’ that are basically polymers within which the chemical bond structure is dynamic — in this manner the material can alleviate stresses,” Bowman said. “This general approach already has been commercialized in a recently launched 3M product, and we hope the specific approaches invented as a part of our patent also will be commercialized.” But Bowman noted that the development process often can take years.

The new CU patent is part of a large U.S. and international portfolio of intellectual property stemming from an application filed by CU Tech Transfer on behalf of the university in 2005. U.S. 8,877,830 (“Stress relief for crosslinked polymers”) was issued on Nov. 4, 2014.

Former Chemical and Biological Engineering research colleagues Chris Kloxin, Hee Young Park and Diana Leung are also inventors on this patent.

A team led by Christopher Bowman, School of Dental Medicine, Restorative Dentistry, has been awarded a patent for a new material that reduces shrinkage stress in dental resins. This material enables more durable dental restorations such as fillings, crowns and bridges.

Durham, NC (PRWEB) November 05, 2014

Half of all traumatic injuries to the face result in a loss of teeth and the surrounding tissue and bone that once supported them, which in turn makes these types of injuries very debilitating and difficult to treat. But in a new study published in the latest issue of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, doctors at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry (UMSoD), Ann Arbor, have found a new way to regenerate a patient’s jawbone through the use of stem cells.

The procedure, done under local anesthesia, significantly speeds up the healing time relative to that of traditional bone grafting while allowing a patient to experience only a minimal amount of pain.

Part of a larger clinical trial, the findings highlighted in this issue focus on a 45-year-old woman missing seven front teeth plus 75 percent of the bone that once supported them, the result of a blow to her face five years earlier. She was left with severe functional and cosmetic deficiencies, since the missing bone made it impossible for her to have dental implant-based teeth replacements.

Darnell Kaigler, DDS, MS, PhD, an assistant professor of dentistry in the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine, was a lead member of the study team. "In small jawbone defects of the mouth created after teeth were extracted, we have placed gelatin sponges populated with stem cells into these areas to successfully grow bone."

Since the sponge material is soft, it does not work in larger areas. Thus, he and his team of researchers decided to try b-tricalcium phosphate (b-TCP) as a scaffold upon which to place the cells instead. "For treating larger jawbone defects, it is important to have a scaffold material that is rigid and more stable to support bone growth," he explained.

They then placed the b-TCP scaffold, which had been seeded with a mixed population of bone marrow-derived autologous stem and progenitor cells 30 minutes prior to treatment at room temperature, into the defective area of the patient’s mouth during a procedure that requires only local anesthesia. Four months later, 80 percent of her missing jawbone had been regenerated, allowing them to proceed with placing oral implants that supported a dental prosthesis to once again give her a complete set of teeth.

Study team member Sharon Aronovich, DMD, FRCD(C), a clinical assistant professor of dentistry in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the UMSoD, said, “I am very grateful to all the patients and researchers that participated in this study. Thanks to everyone's efforts, we are one step closer to providing patients with a minimally invasive option for implant-based tooth replacement.”

“As the first report to describe a cell therapy for craniofacial trauma reconstruction, this research serves as the foundation for expanded studies using this approach,” said Anthony Atala, M.D., Editor-in-Chief of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine and director of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.

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The article, “Optimized Cell Survival and Seeding Efficiency for Craniofacial Tissue Engineering Using Clinical Stem Cell Therapy,” can be accessed at https://www.stemcellstm.com.

About STEM CELLS Translational Medicine: STEM CELLS TRANSLATIONAL MEDICINE (SCTM), published by AlphaMed Press, is a monthly peer-reviewed publication dedicated to significantly advancing the clinical utilization of stem cell molecular and cellular biology. By bridging stem cell research and clinical trials, SCTM will help move applications of these critical investigations closer to accepted best practices.

About AlphaMed Press: Established in 1983, AlphaMed Press with offices in Durham, NC, San Francisco, CA, and Belfast, Northern Ireland, publishes two other internationally renowned peer-reviewed journals: STEM CELLS® (https://www.StemCells.com), celebrating its 32nd year, is the world's first journal devoted to this fast paced field of research. The Oncologist® (https://www.TheOncologist.com), also a monthly peer-reviewed publication, entering its 19th year, is devoted to community and hospital-based oncologists and physicians entrusted with cancer patient care. All three journals are premier periodicals with globally recognized editorial boards dedicated to advancing knowledge and education in their focused disciplines.

PITTSTON, PA — November 17, 2014 — The prestigious Edison Awards™—which has recognized advances such as the Apple ipad; Keurig Vue® single cup brewing system; and OnStar For My Vehicle (FMV)—is adding a dental category for 2015.

Today, groundbreaking discoveries in dentistry and their creators might be one nomination away from joining the ranks of previous winners, Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Lenovo CEO Yang Yuanqing.

Nominate a product or service for an Edison Award™ or Edison Green Award to achieve this distinguished status and gain entrée into this elite circle of visionaries. Download the 2015 Nomination Guide and complete the online Nomination Form: https://www.edisonawards.com/Nominations.php. Final deadline is December 5, 2014. Follow the instructions on the form, and submit your nomination, along with the entry fee, as directed. Winners will be announced during the April 2015 Award Ceremony and Gala Dinner.

This year, Incisal Edge, the leading lifestyle magazine for dental professionals joins forces for the first time with the Edison Awards™ in globally recognizing, honoring and fostering innovation and innovators to create a positive impact in the world.  

In the words of the magazine's founders Chuck Cohen and Rick Cohen: “Together, we are bringing dental innovations out of the shadows and giving them the international recognition they deserve. Here’s how: Edison will now feature categories honoring the year’s most innovative dental equipment, merchandise and technology. They’ll rigorously screen all nominees to determine the finalists, who will be featured in the spring issue of Incisal Edge. The finalists will then be invited to attend the annual Edison Awards Gala (the Oscars of innovation) and bask in the adulation.”

Published by Benco Dental, Incisal Edge celebrates dentists’ achievements both inside the operatory and during their hard-earned downtime. To celebrate excellence in dental design, the magazine will profile the winners of its 2nd annual Design Awards in the magazine’s winter edition. For additional information regarding Incisal Edge magazine, visit: https://www.benco.com/incisaledge/

About The Edison Awards™

Since 1987, the Edison Awards™ have recognized and honored some of the most innovative new products, services and business leaders in the world. The Awards are named after Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931) whose extraordinary new product and market development methods garnered him 1,093 U.S. patents and made him a household name across the world. The Edison Awards symbolize the persistence and excellence personified by Thomas Edison, while also strengthening the human drive for innovation, creativity and ingenuity. 

The value of an Edison Award™ is powerful in terms of its ability to boost recognition and market visibility. For more information, visit edisonawards.com.