For 35 years, Practicon has partnered with dental professionals to advance patient care, increase productivity and profitability, and heighten professional enjoyment by bringing “practical innovations” to dentistry. Practicon’s growing product line ranges from hard-to-find problem solvers to cost-effective everyday supplies. For more information, visit www.Practicon.com or telephone (800) 959-9505.
Premier® Dental, a leading global provider of innovative dental products, today announced the addition of Dr. Jason H Goodchild as Director of Clinical Affairs. Goodchild will lead efforts to elevate Premier’s work to deliver undeniably proven, high quality products that enable dental professionals to provide better oral healthcare to patients.
“Dr. Goodchild is esteemed amongst dental professionals for his extensive clinical knowledge, and we are thrilled to welcome him to our team,” says Julie Charlestein, president and CEO, Premier Dental. “Premier Dental is committed to develop and deliver innovative, high quality solutions that are highly effective and Dr. Goodchild will be essential to continuing to fulfill this mission.”
Dr. Goodchild comes to Premier with exemplary credentials that include teaching, speaking at international conferences, publishing analyses of the latest in dental solutions in addition to practicing general dentistry. He will help Premier Dental develop clinical analysis of its products to ensure each solution is of the highest standard and indisputably effective.
Prior to joining Premier, Goodchild served as Associate Professor & Chairman of the Department of Diagnostic Sciences at Creighton University School of Dentistry. In addition to his academic work, Dr. Goodchild has published numerous articles and spoken internationally on a variety of topics. He is a reviewer for the Journal of the American Dental Association, General Dentistry, and Quintessence International. Dr. Goodchild also maintains a private general dental practice. He is a graduate of Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA and received his dental training at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine.
“I have dedicated my career to studying the best practices of dentistry, providing clinical analysis and collaborating with clinicians around the world to establish which products and techniques are most effective,” said Goodchild. “I am excited to work with Premier Dental to establish the next generation of highly effective solutions for oral healthcare.”
According to Viola, “Dental professionals are tasked with the safe and effective management of medically-complex patients – especially with the aging of baby boomers and as we evolve into an oral-systemic health model. However, they are faced with a seemingly overwhelming amount of information.”
The new “Pharmacology Declassified” web site is easy to navigate and puts a wealth of information at the fingertips of dentists, dental hygienists, dental assistants and office managers. Some valuable online resources include:
•Live CE Courses
•On-Demand CE Webinars
•College Curriculum
•Lecture Calendar
•Archived Articles
“The intent of this web site is to be a go-to resource to help dental teams keep up with the latest trends in pharmacology and disease state management, added Viola.” I believe it will also ensure positive patient outcomes from a total health perspective and hopefully, be an important catalyst for increased dental-medical collaboration.”
For more information, visit www.TomViola.com.
About Tom Viola RPh, CCP:
Knowledge of pharmacology has never been more essential to patient care! With over 30 years’ experience as a pharmacist, dental educator and author, Tom Viola, RPh, CCP has earned a reputation as an international authority on dental pharmacology.
As a clinical educator, Tom is on the faculty of ten dental professional degree programs. In this role, he has instructed students in chemistry, anatomy and physiology, pathophysiology, pharmacology, and local anesthesia. In addition, Tom has instructed hundreds of practicing dental hygienists in local anesthesia certification courses.
As a published writer, Tom is well known nationally and internationally for his contributions to many dental journals in the areas of pharmacology, pain management and local anesthesia. In addition, Tom has served as a contributor, chapter author and peer reviewer for several dental pharmacology textbooks and national board exam review books.
As a professional speaker, Tom has presented continuing education courses to dental professionals throughout the world. Meeting planners agree that Tom is their choice to educate audiences within this specialty.
“Premier is proud to welcome Chris, who brings a unique blend of strategic, creative, and analytical ability to our team,” says Julie Charlestein, president and CEO, Premier Dental. “He has a rich and successful history of building brands and executing consumer-driven strategies, and he will be an invaluable asset as Premier works to build a world-class, end-to-end customer experience.”
Helle comes to Premier with an extensive background in brand strategy and product marketing, and a reputation as a visionary strategist, high-energy product marketer and unwavering consumer advocate. He will lead the charge to strengthen Premier’s brand in the marketplace, shaping a strategic plan to transform the company into an insight-driven, consumer-led organization with a focus on enabling unsurpassed oral healthcare around the world.
Prior to joining Premier, Helle held marketing leadership positions on some of the world’s most well-known brands from companies including Comcast, Cadbury, Campbell Soup Company, and General Mills. He earned an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and a BA in Economics from Middlebury College.
“I’m thrilled to join the Premier team and am truly energized to help accelerate the growth of this storied century-old company,” said Helle. “I look forward to furthering its mission to deliver innovative, high-quality products that enable better daily oral healthcare around the world.”
Premier® Dental, a leading global provider of innovative dental products, today announced that President and CEO Julie Charlestein has been named the recipient of the 2017 Steven W. Kess Give Kids A Smile Corporate Volunteer Award. The award recognizes Premier Dental’s generous support of the ADA Foundation’s Give Kids A Smile (GKAS) program and will be presented on Thursday, October 19, during ADA 2017 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.
“Premier Dental is honored to support the mission of the GKAS program, providing high quality, innovative dental supplies to help meet the oral health needs of children across the country,” says Julie Charlestein, president and CEO, Premier Dental. “Thank you to the ADA Foundation for this kind recognition and for providing Premier Dental with the opportunity to share its products to support communities in need.”
The ADA Foundation’s Steven W. Kess Give Kids A Smile Corporate Volunteer Award recognizes one individual, company, or organization each year that has provided exceptional volunteer and/or financial support for the Give Kids A Smile program by leveraging the resources of his/her company or organization. Nominees for the Steven W. Kess Award must be an individual, company, or organization that has a proven history of supporting innovative and effective GKAS programs by utilizing their professional resources to help achieve the aims of Give Kids A Smile, including at least five years of commitment to the program.
“On behalf of the 5.5 million children who have received free oral health services through Give Kids A Smile over the program’s 15 years, we extend our thanks to Ms. Charlestein and the entire Premier Dental team for their ongoing support,” said Dr. Bill Calnon, president of the ADA Foundation.
Since the inception of GKAS in 2003, Premier has provided more than $2.5 million in financial contributions and in-kind product donations. These supplies are used by volunteers to help deliver free dental care to underserved children across the United States.
Give Kids A Smile is one of the world’s largest charitable oral health programs. Launched nationally by the ADA in 2003, GKAS annually supports 10,000 dentists, 30,000 dental team members, and other community volunteers in providing free oral health care services to more than 350,000 children from low-income families. Services include exams, fluoride treatments, sealants, fillings, crowns, and extractions. For more information about the program, visit www.adafoundation.org/GKAS.
ProSites, an innovative dental website design and online marketing provider, has partnered with CareCredit, a leading provider of promotional healthcare financing, to help doctors explore financing options with their patients and make it easier to apply from their practice website.
According to the Patients’ Decision Path to Purchase Dental Services study, almost half of surveyed patients visit the practice’s website searching for information about the doctor, treatments, costs and payment options*. By making it easy for patients to find information and apply for financing ahead of time, doctors can help mitigate the cost factor before it becomes a barrier to care.
“We are excited to partner with CareCredit to better connect dental practices with their patients around this sensitive topic,” stated Dave Rutan, CEO at ProSites. “This new collaboration will make it easy for dentists to share available financing options with their patients directly from their practice website, making it a win-win for both patients and the practice.”
“It’s no surprise that cost is a concern for many patients,” said Doug Hammond, Senior Vice President and General Manager at CareCredit. “Our partnership with ProSites can enhance a provider’s ability to communicate financing solutions to patients, often before they get to the practice, which can help increase receptivity to treatment recommendations.”
Providers who utilize ProSites or accept CareCredit and would like to add financing information and an application link to their website can contact their ProSites representative at (888) 932-3644.
Southern California manufacturer of dental prosthetic materials Aurident is seeking a resourceful, aggressive individual capable of assuming multi-task management responsibilities. The listing is for "Manager/Sales/Marketing/Product Development."
The qualified candidate must possess strong sales, leadership, motivational, analytical, and technical skills. Assignments will include supervising, motivating, and expanding the present sales staff; locating, evaluating, and market preparation of new innovative items to complement the present product line; and evaluating and selecting most efficient promotional methods for marketing present and potential new products.
This position requires experience in sales or product development management and a proven ability to work well in a team environment. There is outstanding, unlimited opportunity with a growth-oriented company located in a highly desirable geographic area with a year-round comfortable climate, plus excellent benefits.
Responsibilities Include:
• Identifying prospective customers, establishing relationships with them and creating new sales.
• Expanding sales of current customers.
• Meeting monthly sales quotas.
• Representing Aurident at trade shows, seminars, and company functions in a professional manner.
• Maintaining sales reports in company-provided software.
• Assisting other sales representatives and customer service department when necessary.
Requirements: Minimum: high school education; at least three years’ experience in customer service and inside or outside sales; and fluency and proficiency in English.
Other Skills/Abilities: Knowledge of alloys, zirconia, digital services, and scanners a plus. Fluency and proficiency in Spanish or Korean desired.
Interested candidates should email resumes to lhoffman@aurident.com.
Dentsply Sirona’s universal adhesive offers reliable bond strength in diverse conditions, making it the only adhesive many dentists will ever need.
Dentsply Sirona spoke with Dr. Jason Goodchild, Associate Professor and Chairman of the Department of Diagnostic Sciences at Creighton University School of Dentistry, about universal adhesives and the benefits Prime&Bond elect® adhesive offers to clinicians.
Dentsply Sirona (DS): What are some of the challenges associated with achieving a reliable bond in direct and indirect restorations?
Dr. Jason Goodchild (JG): Achieving a reliable bond presents several challenges. Treatment planning and material choices have to be considered. Once the procedure begins, the environment can be unpredictable: is it too wet, too dry? Can it be isolated? Is there blood present? The condition of the substrate is important too; working with dentin, enamel, or the root surface can all create different challenges, including how cements react with the surfaces. There’s also a question of whether to light cure or not. In general, if it’s impossible to achieve a controlled environment, our work becomes very difficult.
DS: How important is an adhesive’s ability to work in a moist environment?
JG: In both direct and indirect adhesive dentistry, some areas will be a little too dry, and others will be a little too wet. It’s very difficult to achieve a consistent level of moisture, so it’s certainly important that an adhesive be able to work effectively in these unpredictable environments. The best adhesives are robust enough to work consistently in almost any environment.
DS: What makes for good handling in an adhesive?
JG: Some people feel that a more viscous bonding agent makes it easier to know when you’ve completely covered the preparation. But thicker bonding agents can have a negative effect on fit, and can lead to more pooling in the corners and other problems. So ideally, a thinner adhesive layer is preferable.
DS: Do you usually know before beginning a procedure which etching technique you’ll use?
JG: I make my decision once I have the tooth prepared, since the amount of remaining substrate, dentin or enamel, will determine the mode I want to use. But I think most dentists generally use whichever bonding system they happen to have in their office, no matter what the prep looks like. If a clinician has married himself to a certain bonding system and that system isn’t universal, they’ll use whichever system they carry in their office.
The beauty of a universal adhesive is that you don’t have to commit to one technique. You can choose once you’ve prepared the tooth based on remaining substrate. A universal system lets you choose on the fly based on what’s left after the preparation has occurred.
DS: What are the other benefits of using a universal adhesive?
JG: The ability to select your etching mode on the fly is beneficial. It’s also more streamlined, so it’s easier to educate dentists to use a single system, which leads to more consistent results. Having just one adhesive that you can really understand, and that gives you flexibility for etching modes, direct, and indirect, can be a huge benefit for a practice.
DS: How has your experience been with Prime&Bond elect?
JG: It allowed me to get rid of all my other bonding agents for a more streamlined procedure. My dental assistant knows exactly what to do, and it’s made my ordering and inventory that much simpler. I know that because it has low film thickness, I won’t have any problem seating crowns. I can use it under crowns and inlays and have no worries about my ability to get that margin completely closed. It’s compatible with my cements and build up materials, so it can be used for all indications. And I can say that post-operative sensitivity is virtually non-existent in my office.
DS: Can you talk about the viscosity? Why is that important?
JG: It’s important because you want to create a smooth surface that isn’t pooled in any one area. It’s easy to cover the tooth, and it creates a nice glistening surface, and because of the acetone the solvent blows off easily, leaving a thin layer. It would actually be difficult to get Prime&Bond elect to pool!
DS: Prime&Bond elect cures clear. Is that beneficial?
JG: Yes, especially for anterior restorations. As we move toward thinner and thinner restorations, more light transmissible restorations, and really thin veneers, color becomes very important. Anything that changes your stump shade—which becomes your adhesive tooth—can change the final color outcome. If you’re only going to carry one product, you’d want it to cure clear.
DS: What are your thoughts on Prime&Bond elect’s unique PENTA chemistry? Does its established clinical history make a difference to you?
JG: PENTA is essentially the same monomer as MDP, but with five bonding sites instead of one to prevent breakdown over time.
It’s not just about how many bonds you have, it’s how many you can keep. PENTA helps keep the bonds, delaying breakdown. It’s been in the market a long time and has good outcome data to support it. To dentists, years of data, outcomes, and success are a big deal.
DS: Final question: if you had to choose one word to describe Prime&Bond elect, what would it be?
JG: “Versatility.” You can throw everything else out and make this your one bonding system.
Mydent has introduced an Autoclave Cleaner to its growing line of DEFEND products. The cleaner removes grease, grime and accumulations of scale deposits to help keep steam autoclaves in peak operating condition.
Made with a high performance concentrate (4 ounces makes a 68 ounce solution), the Autoclave Cleaner enhances cleaning power with powerful anionic and non-ionic surfactants. The Autoclave Cleaner, which is 32 ounces, contains no phosphates with a mild alkaline solution. DEFEND Autoclave Cleaner is now available through most dental dealers.
Mydent International is dedicated to fully maintaining its brand promise: "To provide the healthcare professional with the highest quality infection control products, disposables, preventatives, impression material systems, rotary instruments and restoratives at affordable prices, supported by superior service and 100% Customer Satisfaction."
DEFEND. Works Better. Lasts Longer. Costs Less. For more information on Mydent International and the DEFEND brand of products, call 800-275-0020, or visit www.defend.com.
Earlier this month, Oral Heath America (OHA) brought Board Members, Oral Health Advocates and staff to Capitol Hill for their annual Advocacy Day event to meet with members of Congress and recognize leaders who have worked toward oral health equity in the public sphere.
Advocacy Day is a part of OHA’s annual Fall for Smiles campaign, which strives to educate Americans every September and October about the importance of maintaining a healthy mouth and is a component of OHA’s year-long Campaign for Oral Health Equity effort, graciously sponsored by Tom’s of Maine. This year’s theme, Our Future, Our Families: Achieving Oral Health Equity, sought to confront oral health disparities by bringing attention to the differences between having equal access to oral healthcare versus having equitable opportunity to achieve good oral health outcomes across the lifespan.
The event included visits to local legislators by OHA Board, staff and Oral Health Advocates. Thanks to the generosity of 3M, Oral Health America offered scholarships to 10 of the Advocates. OHA Advocates provided educational information to legislative staffers and asked them to support OHA’s national oral health agenda. Oral Health America’s 2017 Legislative Priorities include CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program), the RAISE Family Caregivers Act and implementing oral health screenings as part of the Older Americans Reauthorization Act of 2016.
At the Capitol Hill Event and Reception, sponsored by Midmark Corporation, Oral Health America honored Congressman John Lewis with the 2017 Marvin Goldstein Outstanding Public Service Award, celebrating individuals whose leadership in improving public health in the U.S. has broken new ground and created a changed environment. Congressman Lewis has been a pioneer in helping shape our nation, spending his career seeking solutions to eliminate disparities and create an equitable playing field for our nation’s families.
OHA also recognized Senator Sherrod Brown (Ohio) as the Legislative Honoree, recognizing leadership in supporting critical healthcare legislation. Senator Brown has been a champion for policies that improve the health of all children such as CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program). Senator Brown stated that oral health has always been underappreciated in the realm of public health.
“Midmark is proud to support the work of Oral Health America and to recognize two of our nation’s leaders who continue to promote the importance of dental health,” said Eric Shirley, Vice President & General Manager of Midmark Corporation. “In all the noise around the healthcare debate lately, it’s easy to forget that what is most important is providing better health for all of us, and that starts with oral health.”
Dr. Camara Jones served as the keynote speaker for the event. A family physician, epidemiologist and Past President of the American Public Health Association, Dr. Jones’ work focuses on the impact of racism on the health and well-being of the nation. She seeks to broaden the national healthcare debate to include both universal access to high quality healthcare, and also bring attention to the social determinants of health (including poverty) and the social determinants of equity (including racism).
In addition to the legislative visits and the Capitol Hill Event, OHA hosted a Legislative Luncheon sponsored by Oral Healthcare Can’t Wait (an initiative of Dental Trade Alliance) in the Capitol Visitors Center, which featured a panel discussing "Oral Health is Health”. Moderated by Dr. Ivan Lugo (Executive Director, Hispanic Dental Association), Dr. Hal Slavkin (Professor and Dean Emeritus at the Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, University of Southern California), Marko Vujicic, PhD (ADA Chief Economist and Vice President, Health Policy Institute), and Mary Otto (author of "Teeth") discussed different aspects of oral health, including adding a dental benefit in Medicare and how science informs oral health care.
