ClearCorrect, LLC, a leading manufacturer of clear aligners, announced their new customizable Flex™ and full-featured Unlimited™ pricing options at the AAO 2017 Annual Session. For the first time, doctors will be able to choose between paying per aligner or one flat rate for five years of unlimited aligners and retainers. 

ClearCorrect's new Flex pricing allows providers to purchase as many (or as few) aligners and retainers as they want, and only pay for what they need. With Flex, doctors can fully customize treatment to meet their patients' needs without squeezing into pre-set pricing tiers. Doctors who choose Flex can save up to 70% on fees vs. "the other guys." 

The updated Unlimited option now offers providers five full years of worry-free treatment -- including retention -- for one flat rate. The Unlimited option covers all aligners, revisions, and replacements for five full years -- regardless of inactivity. Unlimited treatment also now includes multiple sets of retainers -- up to two pairs every six months -- at no extra cost during the five-year period. Best of all, the updated Unlimited option is still significantly more affordable than "the other guys," even before factoring in the cost of retainers. 

"Just like our aligners, Flex is customized to fit the needs of each patient and doctor," ClearCorrect CEO, Jarrett Pumphrey explains. "Whether they're dealing with a simple relapse or a complex combination case, doctors can choose whether they prefer the customizable economy of Flex or the long-term security of Unlimited." 

ClearCorrect providers will still enjoy free online case submission, web-based treatment setups, patient starter kits, and compatibility with all major intraoral scanners. 

The new Flex and Unlimited options are currently in testing with select U.S. ClearCorrect providers. They will be available to all U.S. providers on June 1, 2017, and the rest of the world later this year. Registered ClearCorrect providers can find out more at support.clearcorrect.com. 

For over ten years, ClearCorrect has been a leading manufacturer of clear aligners, discreetly correcting malocclusion since 2006. ClearCorrect offers a more affordable and doctor-friendly approach to more than 20,000 doctors in multiple countries around the world. For more information, visit clearcorrect.com or call (888) 331-3323. 

Forward Science, a privately held biotechnology company based in Houston, Texas, has been selected for the 2017 Best of Stafford Award in the BioTechnology - Medical Device / Pharmaceutical Manufacturing category by the Stafford Award Program. All Forward Science products are designed, developed, and manufactured by their team in-house, ensuring the highest quality of product to go along with their superior customer service leading to this award.

Each year, the Stafford Award Program identifies companies that have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and community. These exceptional companies help make the Stafford area a great place to live, work and play.

Various sources of information were gathered and analyzed to choose the winners in each category. The 2017 Stafford Award Program focuses on quality, not quantity. Winners are determined based on the information gathered both internally by the Stafford Award Program and data provided by third parties.

To learn more about Forward Science or any of its products, please visit www.ForwardScience.com or call 855-696-7254.

Zest Dental Solutions (Formerly Zest Anchors), the developer and manufacturer of the award winning LOCATOR Attachment System, celebrates its 40th anniversary of providing innovative solutions for the treatment of edentulous patients. 

Zest’s humble beginning started in 1972 within a small dental laboratory in San Diego, California. From that point through 1976, the original founder Max Zuest recognized the continual problems his clinician customers were experiencing with patients’ overdentures. During this time, the Zest® Attachment originated, a solution considered to be far better than what was on the market at the time. In 1977 Mr. Zuest’s son, Paul Zuest, joined him officially forming Zest Anchors and releasing the second generation Zest Anchor Advanced Generation (ZAAG®) Attachment. The ZAAG Attachment was designed for all major implant systems, a product differentiator that proved to be an important growth driver resulting in the need for a larger manufacturing facility in Escondido, California. In 2000, realizing improvements could still be made to the product portfolio, Paul took over operations of the company, and together with Scott Mullaly, set forth to develop a product that would eventually become the most globally recognized and trusted brand for overdenture restorations, the LOCATOR Attachment System, commercially released in 2001. In late 2009, Zest Anchors was acquired by the private equity firm The Jordan Group. 

Today, Zest Dental Solutions is a portfolio company of Avista Capital Partners, a leading private equity firm. Day-to-day operations are led by Steve Schiess as President and CEO. The company’s flagship product LOCATOR has achieved worldwide acceptance as the premier overdenture attachment in the dental industry. More than 100 manufacturers have partnered with Zest to customize its patented LOCATOR Attachment System to be compatible with their respective implant platforms. Zest’s Global Headquarters is in Carlsbad, California and the company has grown to a nearly 225 employee, 75,000 total facility footprint strong innovations driven company. It provides removable and fixed implant restorative solutions, world class narrow diameter implant systems, and dental materials and products for overdenture modification and processing to clinicians treating the real world problems associated with edentulism. The company has also further diversified its product portfolio with acquisitions of Danville Materials, a leader in small equipment and dental consumables, and Iveri Whitening. This diversification makes Zest a true solutions based company for a continuum of patient care from the preservation of natural teeth to the treatment of total edentulism. 

 “40 years ago the Zuest Family set out to make a difference in patients’ lives”, said Steve Schiess, Zest Dental Solutions President and CEO. “I am honored to be a part of a company that has made such a large impact in the dental industry, supporting clinicians and ultimately improving patient’s quality of life. I am excited for the bright future Zest has in bringing additional innovations to the dental community” 

To learn more about Zest Dental Solutions and the Zest Anchors Product Portfolio, please visit www.zestdent.com. 

Colgate-Palmolive announced the launch of an online faculty development program tailored to educators looking to start a research career.  The program, entitled “Foundations of Conducting Clinical Research” was developed in partnership with the Academy for Academic Leadership (AAL) and designed for faculty who wish to improve their understanding of research processes and who want to become more involved in the research capacities at their institutions.

The program focuses on the fundamentals of conducting oral health clinical research, and includes sessions on designing a clinical research study, scientific writing, data collection and management, basic statistics, ethical research practices, and how to publish scientific articles. It is also available to dental faculty who wish to incorporate the training within the dental school curriculum. Dr. Bruce Pihlstrom, a leader in dental research, narrates the six-module program.

“The program developed by Colgate and AAL allows every faculty member to learn about clinical research in an approachable manner,” shared Dr. Tobias E. Rodriguez, Vice President at AAL and the new program’s project lead. “The program was designed to help dental and dental hygiene educators learn about the fundamentals of clinical research, and support them as they begin studies of their own. Colgate’s efforts provide a rare opportunity to educators who otherwise wouldn’t have the time or resources to access a high-quality, in-depth training program.”  

Dr. Fotinos Panagakos, Global Director, Scientific Affairs for Colgate, was equally excited about launching this program. “Colgate, as a global leader in oral care, and consistent partner in the dental academic world, realized the need for this type of training. By partnering with a great organization like Academy for Academic Leadership, and delivering the content online, we can reach dental school faculty anywhere, around the world with this developmental training.

The program is hosted on the Colgate Dental Educators website, www.colgatedentaleducatorsnetwork.com.  Participants will need to register on the site using a unique access code to gain access. The required code is available from the country or regional Colgate professional representative and academic team. Dental school faculty members in the U.S. who are interested in participating in the new training program should contact the Colgate Academic Manager in their region (click here for a list of U.S. regional academic managers.) Those outside the U.S. can contact their local Colgate professional representative for more information and access.

BUFFALO, N.Y. – University at Buffalo School of Dental Medicine faculty members Frank Scannapieco and Peter Bradford have been named 2017 fellows of prestigious academic societies in the fields of dental research and pharmacology.

Frank Scannapieco, DMD, PhD, chair and professor in the Department of Oral Biology in the UB School of Dental Medicine, was named a fellow of the American Association for Dental Research (AADR).

Peter Bradford, PhD, associate professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and adjunct associate professor in the Department of Oral Biology in the UB School of Dental Medicine, was inducted as a fellow into the Academy of Pharmacology Educators within the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET).

AADR fellows are recognized for their leadership in the organization and contributions to the fields of oral, craniofacial and dental research. Elected fellows serve as ambassadors of excellence in research, act as advisors to AADR and mentor other members.

Scannapieco, also associate dean of faculty and professional development, leads the UB Department of Oral Biology, the first such department established in the U.S.

In addition to his teaching and mentoring activities, Scannapieco has conducted NIH-funded research on the mechanisms of dental plaque formation and their implications on health and disease. His other research interests include the interactions between saliva and bacteria, and the relationships between oral and systematic disease.

He has received more than $12 million in grant funding, published more than 125 articles in academic journals and has received numerous awards, including the William J. Gies Award for Achievement from the American Dental Education Association.

Scannapieco received a doctorate in dental medicine from the University of Connecticut and a doctorate in oral biology from UB. He has been on the UB dental school faculty since 1987. He resides in Clarence.

Fellowship in the Academy of Pharmacology Educators is presented by the ASPET Division for Pharmacology Education and is bestowed upon recipients for their innovative contributions to education, student-teacher interactions, professional development, scholarly endeavors and service to the field.

Bradford, also the co-founder of the New York Pharmacology Society chapter of ASPET, focuses his research on how hormones and nutrients affect cell growth, differentiation and survival. He discovered how natural estrogens and dietary phytochemicals contribute to bone growth, and he helped identify factors that inhibit the growth of prostate and breast cancers.

He is the author of numerous journal articles and books, including “Nutrition and Cancer Prevention” and “Adipose Tissue and Inflammation.” He also served for 10 years on the editorial board of the Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Biology.

Bradford was the recipient of the Outstanding Dental Educator Award in 2014 and the State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching in 2015. He is also active in teaching continuing dental education courses and served for eight years as director of graduate studies for the UB Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology.

He earned a doctorate and master’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Rochester, and a bachelor’s degree in biology and chemistry from the University at Albany.

Between October 13th and October 15th, participants around the country will help survivors of domestic and sexual violence receive life-changing smile restorations by participating in the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry Charitable Foundation's (AACDCF) Virtual Race for Smiles. Race for Smiles participants choose to participate in a physical activity like running, biking or yoga while wearing their official Race for Smiles t-shirt.

The event benefits the AACDCF's Give Back a Smile (GBAS) program. GBAS restores the damaged smiles of survivors of domestic and sexual violence who've received dental injuries from the violence. One in four women is a victim of domestic violence, and 75% of battering occurs to the head and face, resulting in a tremendous amount of dental injuries. The program has restored more than 1,700 smiles nationwide and is looking to help even more survivors.

The annual Virtual Race for Smiles takes place during Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

"The Virtual Race for Smiles is a great opportunity for communities around the world to raise awareness of some of the devastating effects of domestic violence. In addition, by registering for the event, participants help those who have received dental injuries due to the violence get life-changing smile restorations through the Give Back a Smile program," said Lisa Fitch, AACDCF Director.

For more information and to register for the Virtual Race for Smiles, click here.

The new CEREC Software 4.5 offers the same great features as previous versions, but enhances the user experience with various updates- including increased process efficiencies and STL exports- to the current platform

With the market launch of the new CEREC Software 4.5 and the opening of the CEREC system to export data from the digital impression, Dentsply Sirona has satisfied two key wishes expressed by dentists. This software takes the system operation to a whole new level – it is now simpler than ever to plan and produce a CEREC restoration. For new users, this is a clear and well-supported system; for more experienced users, the special features are easy to find and apply, meaning everyone benefits from enhanced performance. Since initiated processes continue to run in the background, the entire procedure is significantly quicker. In addition, opening the system to allow the export of scan data makes new options available. Dentists can now use the CEREC Omnicam scans in cooperation with their dental laboratory or other clinical planning software.

“Since its inception more than three decades ago, CEREC has been synonymous with single-visit dentistry, providing the most intuitive workflow for a complete restorative solution,” said Director of CAD/CAM Marketing for the U.S. RCO Louis Vodopivec. “Remaining at the industry forefront, each product upgrade or software release reflects the ever-evolving landscape of digital dentistry and thus the needs of CEREC users, and such is the case with CEREC Software 4.5. This new software allows users to utilize a larger array of solutions, expanding their patient offerings.”

This new simplicity is the product of intelligent software tools. Compact tool bars that show all options at a glance cut down the time spent searching and scrolling. Many of the steps run automatically: Restorations, such as inlays, onlays, crowns and veneers, are automatically detected by the software and the insertion axis is also defined automatically. Improved safety and security come from the further improved biogeneric initial proposals that match the patient's needs perfectly, even in difficult anatomic situations, based on the Biojaw algorithm. To assess the tooth color, the software uses the "Shade Analysis" function to analyze the scan and indicate the tooth color as a Vita Classic or Vita 3D Master shade. Overall, this allows the dentist to make an even more reliable assessment of the intraoral situation.

The restoration is then prepared in just two steps instead of four, the model axis is set and the preparation margin is entered using automatic margin finder – that's it. After checking the occlusal and proximal contacts of the desired restoration, the milling and grinding process can be started. Thanks to the even further refined milling strategy, the fit of final restorations has been further improved, particularly for complex constructions.

South Bend, IN 07/13/2017. Kulzer today announced the launch of the Kulzer Service Organization to significantly enhance the support the company provides to customers of its rapidly evolving products and solutions in the United States and Canada.

“As we continue to launch highly innovative, service-oriented equipment and software products, it is essential that we provide our valued customers with a level of support that enables them to take full advantage of these products’ unique benefits,” said Mathew Mulherin, Kulzer Vice President, Sales & Marketing, USA & Canada. “We believe the design of the Kulzer Service Organization reflects the innovation of the award-winning products it’s been created to support.”

Over the past several months, Kulzer executives and managers have worked to design a new kind of organization to give its customers an exemplary service experience regardless of whom in the organization they are speaking to or what issue they are trying to resolve. The Kulzer Service Organization Mission Statement reads as follows:

To provide unprecedented service to our customers by combining our unsurpassed product knowledge, digital expertise and long-standing experience to resolve customer concerns, technical issues and questions with exceptional efficacy, efficiency and warmth.

“Having a single service organization encompassing various areas of focus and expertise will allow us to better manage the service experience holistically and deliver a truly world-class customer experience,” said Mr. Mulherin. “We pride ourselves on our loyalty to our customers, and we feel the support we’ll be providing with the Kulzer Service Organization, coupled with the quality of our products, will only enhance the Kulzer experience for our loyal customers.”

The new service organization will be available to answer questions from dental practices and labs, distributor sales representatives, the Kulzer sales team, and even patients. The reduction in touch points will make the customer support experience much more efficient, and the improvement in outcomes will make the experience much more fruitful.

“Everything we do at Kulzer starts with the question, ‘How can we provide better value to our customers?’,” said Mr. Mulherin. “We are confident that the Kulzer Service Organization will be of great benefit to our customers in the immediate future, and of even greater benefit as it grows and evolves over time.”

A new law, introduced by Erie County Majority Leader Joseph Lorigo, takes aim at increasing the safety of dental prosthetics through increased disclosure and transparency. This law would require either the manufacturer of the dental prosthesis or the dentist handling the final placement to disclose the country of origin for both the raw materials and the manufactured product. Prosthetics covered by the law include dentures, veneers, crown/bridge materials, implants, and other items.

“Today I introduced a law to address a health safety issue in our community that is long overdue. Currently, there are no regulations requiring disclosure of the place of origin for dental prosthetics or their raw materials that could be implanted into people’s mouths. The United States has federal regulations requiring the disclosure of the fiber content, country of origin, manufacturer identity, and care instructions for clothing, but literally nothing for dental. This is shocking and disappointing, especially in light of the potential for the use of lead in some prosthetics manufactured overseas. In Erie County, that stops today. Under this law, both manufacturers and retailers of dental prosthetics will be required to disclose the country of origin of the raw materials used in the devices, as well as the country where they were manufactured. I sincerely hope that my colleagues will support this common sense legislation so that we can start a groundswell across the country. People have a right to know where dental devices are coming from before having them implanted into their mouths,” said Majority Leader Lorigo.

The announcement of the law was made at Evolution Dental Science Laboratory on Tuesday, July 11. Also in attendance were Andy Jakson, CEO of Evolution Dental; Dr. Ronald Jarvis, DDS, MSD; Joe Procopio, President of Pro-Esthetics Dental Lab; and Dr. Ian Walker, DDS.

“We are excited to have Legislator Lorigo and the Erie County Legislature put the safety of Erie County’s dental patients first,” said Andy Jakson, CEO of Evolution Dental. “This critical legislation moves the dental industry into the 21st century. Dental prosthetics manufactured from inferior materials in third world countries can be unsafe to the oral health of individuals.”

More information regarding this law can be found at the Erie County Legislature.

The Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Journal – Researchers have often suspected that early exposure to surgery and anesthesia is linked to cognitive impairment later in life. It has been thought that due to the timing of oral cleft surgeries, which are typically performed at an extremely young age, children with an oral cleft often experience cognitive dysfunction and academic underachievement. However, a recent study suggests that poor results on academic exams of children born with oral clefts are not related to early exposure to general anesthesia.

Researchers from the University of Southern Denmark and the University of Iowa recently published a study in the current issue of The Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Journal examining this theory. Because the definite age of maximum vulnerability to general anesthesia is unknown and widely debated, it is unclear whether academic achievement among adolescents is affected by undergoing oral cleft surgery at an early age. The researchers suspected that any potential neurotoxic effect caused by extensive exposure to anesthesia at an early age would show up in poor test results in ninth-grade final exams.

The researchers based their study on 558 adolescents from a nationwide Danish registry who had undergone surgery for cleft lip, cleft palate, or both while young. The researchers found that 509 of the oral cleft children had been exposed to anesthesia and had undergone at least one cleft operation. They compared the level of academic achievement of the students in the registry against that of a control group.

Although children with a cleft lip, cleft palate, or both are exposed to anesthesia early and often, the researchers found no significant difference for teens with a cleft lip or with both a cleft lip and a cleft palate when they compared their ninth-grade test scores with those of teenagers in the control group. However, students with only a cleft palate did have lower test scores than those of students in the control group. Children with a cleft palate only are generally older when surgery is performed than children with other types of clefts.

“This finding is remarkable,” said Dr. Nicola Clausen of the research group. “Studies like the present one cannot definitely prove that anesthetic drugs do not harm developing brains. However, it can put the potential threats into perspective because other factors more importantly impact these children’s neurocognitive development.”

The researchers concluded that oral cleft type, rather than the timing of anesthesia or number of cleft operations, is linked to poorer academic performance. Although the researchers saw no evidence in their study to suggest surgeons need to change their anesthetic methods, a neurotoxic effect due to anesthetics cannot be completely dismissed.

Full text of the article “Oral Clefts and Academic Performance in Adolescence: The Impact of Anesthesia-Related Neurotoxicity, Timing of Surgery, and Type of Oral Clefts,” The Cleft Palate–Craniofacial Journal, Vol. 54, No. 4, 2017, is now available at https://www.cpcjournal.org/doi/full/10.1597/15-185.