Dentist and educator Dr. Arthur Volker will present “Minimal Intervention, Maximal Outcomes: The Use of Minimally-Invasive Dentistry to Maximize Esthetic and Functional Outcomes,” a Free CE Webinar on October 4, 2018 at 7:00 PM ET/ 4:00 PM PT: Register Now 

About PULPDENT® Corporation 

PULPDENT® Corporation is a family-owned dental research, manufacturing company and leader in bioactive dental materials. ACTIVA BioACTIVE™, developed by PULPDENT, is the first esthetic bioactive restorative material. ACTIVA behaves much like natural teeth and stimulates the formation of apatite (the building blocks of teeth), chemically bonds to teeth and helps protect against decay. For over 70 years, Pulpdent has been committed to product innovation, clinical education and patient-centered care in the fields of restoratives, oral hygiene, endodontics, temporization, periodontics, orthodontics, and general dentistry. To stay updated on bioactivity and learn about the Heroic Dentistry Series, which demonstrates ACTIVA's unprecedented capabilities, visit the Pulpdent blog.

Brasseler Canada, a leading provider of dental instrumentation, launched today a new e-commerce experience: Shop.Brasseler.ca. The all new, mobile-friendly Shop.Brasseler.ca introduces a customer-friendly shopping experience with advanced search features, detailed product information, and an easy-to-navigate interface.

“Brasseler Canada’s new e-commerce platform represents yet another step towards the Company’s ‘By Your Side’ commitment by satisfying the constantly evolving needs of dental professionals and their desire to access our wide range of dental instrumentation whenever and wherever,” said Steve Fanning, Vice President and General Manager.

Advanced search features allow dental professionals to find what they need, quickly and easily. Shoppers can search for a product by name, product number, category or even a specific product attribute. What’s more, type-ahead search results complete with product images makes searching simple, and choosing the right product is simple with a new product comparison tool.

In addition, rich product information on the new site provides details such as size, shape, grit and procedure, along with enhanced descriptions, supporting documentation, and videos. Everything shoppers need is all in one place—dental professionals no longer have to filter through multiple websites to obtain the information they want.

Shop.Brasseler.ca is ready for use on digital devices of all shapes and sizes, including phones and tablets. Dental professionals can order what they need, when they need it, whether at the office, at home, or on the go. A modern design and straightforward navigation make the site familiar and easy to use.

“We focused our efforts to develop a site based upon the unique needs of dental professionals in order to exceed expectations,” remarked Ryan Dew, Brasseler’s Senior Director, Business Operations. “We believe Shop.Brasseler.ca leads the way in e-commerce customer experiences in the dental industry and beyond.”

For more information about Brasseler Canada’s new e-commerce site, visit Shop.Brasseler.ca.

About Brasseler Canada

A division of Brasseler, Québec City-based Brasseler Canada is dedicated to serving the needs of dental professionals throughout Canada. Over the past five decades, Brasseler has developed a reputation as an innovative market leader in diamonds, carbides, polishers, endodontics, hand instruments, and handpieces. An ISO-certified healthcare company, Brasseler offers the most comprehensive assortment of dental instrumentation under one brand in the world. For more information, please visit https://www.BrasselerCanada.comwww.BrasselerCanada.com.  

Hundreds of American Association for Implant Dentistry (AAID) dentists and their patients around the country will celebrate 2018 Dental Implant Awareness Month in September. This year’s theme, “Live a Life Full of Smiles,” highlights the benefits that more than 3 million people in the United States who have implants have realized from their investment in their dental health.

Compared to dentures and bridges, patients who turn to dental implants to restore their smile discover that they feel, look, fit and function like healthy, natural teeth. They can brush and floss just like they did with their natural teeth. In addition, dental implants that are properly cared for last many decades. Dental implants also protect facial bone and healthy teeth. Dental implants are the only tooth replacement option that actually helps stimulate bone growth and prevent bone loss. Getting dental implants as soon as possible after losing a tooth helps prevent bone loss at the site.

Jan Plessner turned to an AAID credentialed dentist for her new smile. She said, “I'm a happy person and my new smile matches who I am inside. On a scale of 1-10, I give it a 10-plus. I have not stopped smiling since I got my all new smile. Your smile is your first impression. I feel much more confident now."

Retired school superintendent Richard Varriale says he would recommend dental implants to others, with one caveat: “IF you find the right dentist to do it. You want to be sure that you're getting a competent dentist who is trained in the procedure. You want to make sure you're confident in the doctor you use.”

There is a significant difference between “dentists who do implants” and “dental implant experts.” Dental implants are not one size fits all – they are complex, sophisticated devices requiring specialized training and expertise to fit and place properly.

“AAID celebrates Dental Implant Awareness Month each year to educate consumers about dental implants and the value of turning to an AAID member for their surgery,” said AAID President David G. Hochberg, DDS, FAAID, DABOI/ID. “When patients choose an AAID-credentialed dental implant dentist, they can be confident they are working with an expert who has the extensive education, training and experience required to putting them on the path to living a life full of smiles.”

For more information, visit https://www.aaid-implant.org.

About the American Association of Implant Dentistry (AAID)

Founded in 1951, the AAID was the first organization in the United States dedicated to developing and improving dental implants. Today, after 66 years, the AAID continues to be the leading organization of dentists devoted to providing dental implant treatment solutions. The AAID implant dentistry credentialing program is the only one in the U.S. that has been found to be bona fide by the state and federal courts. 

The Department of Defense (DoD) has awarded Brian Schmidt, DDS, MD, PhD, director of the Bluestone Center for Clinical Research at New York University College of Dentistry (NYU Dentistry) and Nigel Bunnett, PhD, professor in the Departments of Surgery and Pharmacology at Columbia University, a joint $2.4 million, three-year grant to study how receptors inside nerve cells generate chronic (long-lasting) pain. Three painful medical conditions prevalent in military personnel and veterans—headache, nerve injury, and infectious colitis—will be investigated.

Knowledge gleaned from this work has broad implications beyond the military and will be used to develop new treatments for chronic pain. Chronic pain management is an immense problem, with one in five people suffering from chronic pain during their lifetime.  This type of pain is a major cause of human suffering because opioids and other classes of medications are ineffective. Opioid effectiveness wanes with extended use; larger doses are required as opioid tolerance develops. Current treatments for chronic pain also generate debilitating side effects including profound sedation and addiction. The opioid epidemic highlights some of the problems associated with these drugs.

Drs. Schmidt and Bunnett will investigate receptors on and within nerve cells. Pain-sensing nerve cells are covered with receptors that react to painful stimuli. These receptors can detect many substances that are produced by injured tissues and some types of cancer. One pain-relieving strategy involves blocking the activity of the receptors positioned on the surface of pain-sensing nerves. Bunnett discovered that chronic pain can develop when activated receptors on the cell surface are endocytosed (internalized within the cell) or when endocytosed receptors are activated internally by endocytosed pain mediators.

“Conventional drugs do not penetrate nerves and thus cannot effectively inhibit endocytosed receptors,” says Bunnett. “Drugs that inhibit receptors inside nerve cells, rather than on the cell surface, might provide superior and long-lasting pain relief.”

Patients diagnosed with painful forms of cancer or with chronic pain may benefit from Schmidt’s and Bunnett’s findings. “Our nerve receptor research has potentially groundbreaking clinical applications,” says Schmidt. “This work could define a new class of drugs for chronic pain treatment – non-addictive drugs that produce fewer deleterious side effects.”

Bunnett notes that the research also has important implications beyond the treatment of pain. “Hundreds of members of this receptor family are found on all cells; a third of all clinically-used drugs act on these receptors. The knowledge derived from our work might be useful for modification of existing drugs used to treat a wide variety of diseases including heart disease and cancer.”

This work is supported by The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs endorsed by the Department of Defense under Award No. W81XWH1810432. Opinions, interpretations, conclusions and recommendations are those of the author and are not necessarily endorsed by the Department of Defense.

About the Bluestone Center for Clinical Research

The Bluestone Center for Clinical Research, in conjunction with the NYU Oral Cancer Center, is an academic research organization located at the NYU Dentistry. Bluestone's mission is to take a creative scientific approach to transform world health. Investigators at Bluestone Center conduct research on oral cancer, cancer symptomatology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, emerging biotechnology, periodontics, implants, and oral health products.

About NYU College of Dentistry

Founded in 1865, NYU Dentistry is the third oldest and the largest dental school in the US, educating nearly 10 percent of all dentists. NYU Dentistry has a significant global reach with a highly diverse student body. Visit https://dental.nyu.edu for more.

With pain-awareness month in September, the company produced a creative video to show how much drama can be wrapped up around dental visits, while it doesn't have to be. Dental lasers can help to alleviate unnecessary pain, by providing treatments that require little to no anesthesia or drilling in most cases.

You can view the full video here. 

MSDA welcomes DRNA (Dental Recycling North America) into the fold of MSDA Member Perks Vendors. A leader in dental waste management, DRNA is the number one compliance partner for dental waste management and recycling.

With the passing of the new EPA amalgam separator rule, MSDA went to considerable lengths to bring its members the best economic and compliance vendor. When MSDA members sign on with DRNA, they will receive the necessary equipment completely free! That is a value of $850....a savings they will not find with other vendors.

With other vendors of this service, dental offices will typically purchase two or more cartridges, which are more costly than DRNA's annual one-time-al-inclusive-recycling-fee. In addition, when members sign up with DRNA, their annual recycling rate will be locked in for 3- to 5-years. MSDA members will find that not only are their annual recycling costs more economical then their competitors, but they are the only vendor willing to lock in their already lower recycling costs for years to come.

To receive your free unit, MSDA members need to go to the new DRNA MSDA web pate www.drna.com/MSDA.php and sign up for an annual recycling contract. MSDA urges its members to sign up now as costs will only get higher as the July 2020 compliance gets closer.

Don't miss your opportunity to speak to a DRNA representative at the Chesapeake Dental Conference. Stop by their booth or call 800-360-1001 ext. 2 for more information. 

Ivoclar Vivadent has announced a change in the company's top leadership: Diego Gabathuler, Head of Sales EMEA & Latin America, has been appointed as CEO of the Ivoclar Vivadent Group, effective July 1, 2019. The marketing and sales expert from Switzerland has worked in various capacities for the dental company headquartered in Schaan, Liechtenstein. Before joining Ivoclar Vivadent, Mr. Gabathuler held a number of leadership and management roles with Logitech, Activision, and Electronic Arts in Europe and the US.

Robert Ganley and Christina Zeller new members of the Board

Over his 15-year tenure as CEO, Robert Ganley, an American citizen, has significantly contributed to developing the family-owned company into one of the leading players in the dental industry. In June 2018, Mr Ganley was appointed as a member of Ivoclar Vivadent’s Supervisory Board and will continue in that position when he steps down as CEO.

Mrs. Christina Zeller also joined the Supervisory Board last June. The primary focus of Mrs. Zeller will be to represent the interests of the Zeller family on the Board and continue leading Ivoclar Vivadent’s Corporate Social Responsibility efforts.

Christoph Zeller hands over chairmanship to Helmut Schuster

After 13 years as CEO and 29 years in the position of Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Christoph Zeller has decided to step down as Chairman of the Supervisory Board. Mr. Zeller will continue to serve on the board and will monitor the strategic direction of the company. “We have many talented and dynamic employees in our company, and we are empowering them to provide a fresh view and continue the success story of Ivoclar Vivadent,” says Christoph Zeller.

Mr. Zeller will be succeeded by Helmut Schuster, an Austrian-British businessman who has been a member of Ivoclar Vivadent’s Supervisory Board since January 2015. Mr. Schuster is an economist by training and brings a wealth of international experience from his career as a global executive in the energy industry and his current and previous engagements in other business ventures.

Ivoclar Vivadent has wholly-owned subsidiaries, marketing and sales offices, and 36 training centers in 25 countries across the world. The company markets its innovative systems solutions for dental and laboratory professionals in 120 countries. It employs around 3,600 people worldwide, and 900 of them work at the company headquarters in Schaan.

Dalhousie’s dental community is eagerly awaiting the grand opening of the new dental clinic this September. Thanks to many generous donors, including Nobel Biocare, the new clinic will provide students and faculty with state-of-the-art equipment and technology, and improve the level of patient care.

“We have had a wonderful working relationship with Nobel Biocare for over two decades. They are leaders in the field of implant solutions and have always provided us with unrivalled service,” says Dr. Ben Davis, dean of the Faculty of Dentistry.

Nobel Biocare’s recent gift to the new clinic will help to position the Faculty as one of Canada’s leading dental schools. Students will gain access to leading technology and equipment to maximize their learning experience while in school.  Alumni and other oral healthcare professionals who return to Dal for continuing education will also benefit from the faculty having this impressive range of new capabilities.

“We are extremely grateful for Nobel Biocare’s generous support of our clinic renewal and their gifts will allow our students, faculty, staff and patients, access to top-quality technology and products,” continues Davis.

This gift provides the Faculty of Dentistry with a new dental cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scanner, cutting edge LS3 Procera scanner, NobelClinician treatment planning software and other in-kind contributions to support the Faculty’s outreach work. The licenses will allow students to access innovative software to support their treatment plans for patients. The new CBCT scanner is an invaluable piece of equipment for students and faculty who provide implant procedures for their patients. The technology will help students gain more knowledge and hands-on learning with dental implants.

“Continuing our strong commitment to educating the next generation of dental professionals, we are extremely proud of this new collaboration and long-term relationship with Dalhousie’s Faculty of Dentistry,” says Hans Geiselhöringer, president of Nobel Biocare.

The relationship between Nobel Biocare and the Faculty of Dentistry dates back to the early 1990s when Dr. Doug Chaytor (DDS’59) implemented the initial implant dentistry elective program. The program has since grown in volume such that all students in the DDS program now get pre-clinical and clinical experience for patients requiring implant fixture placement and restoration of the implant fixtures. Implant dentistry has become a core component of patient treatment at Dalhousie with the Faculty placing close to 300 implants over the past year by both grad and oral surgery residents.

“Nobel Biocare has taken the time to facilitate implant education. They have given us the digital tools to create treatment plans and provide safe and effective surgical care,” says Dr. Kale Wudrich, a senior periodontics graduate resident at Dal. “This offers an important learning opportunity for students and residents, while having a positive impact on patient care and experience.”

In addition to providing innovative products and solutions, Nobel Biocare has been instrumental in supporting students with their studies. They provide support for residents in the General Practice Residency, Graduate Periodontal, and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery programs. The company helps students stay up-to-date with the latest technologies and advancements in dental implants. They present workshops and provide hands-on training for faculty, students, staff, and lab technicians. Topics range from digital dentistry to more hands-on surgical restorative sessions.

“It’s been an exciting journey getting to this point and we are positive that utilizing the solutions from Nobel Biocare will ensure that patients and clinicians are having a world-class experience,” adds Cory Sears, regional sales manager of Nobel Biocare Canada. “With leading digital scanning technologies and the company’s family of implants, the learning experience will be able to reach new levels and continue to be at the highest possible standard in dentistry.”

“Nobel Biocare has been and continues to be the number one supporter of the implant dentistry program at Dalhousie,” says Dr. Gorman Doyle, a full-time faculty member and division head of Implant Dentistry at the Faculty of Dentistry.

Rapid evolution – this phrase accurately describes the pace of change for digital dentistry and The Lucy Hobbs Project. The 6th annual celebration of women in dentistry to be hosted in less than two weeks offers a perfect opportunity to be motivated by both.

Benco Dental will host The Lucy Hobbs Project 6th Annual Celebration, sponsored by Midmark, September 13 through 15 at The Westin St. Francis on Union Square, 332 Powell Street, San Francisco. For the first time, Benco Dental partners with Straumann, global leader in implant, restorative and regenerative dentistry, to deliver the Digital Dentistry Symposium: The Time is Now. The Symposium, designed with the dental team in mind, discusses how to efficiently and simply incorporate the full gamut of the digital workflow into a dental practice. Register here today.

The three-day event, inspired by the first woman to earn a degree in dentistry in the U.S., heralds the extraordinary accomplishments of women in this ever-changing profession. As a high point of the opening day, the Project will honor six women selected as award recipients for setting new benchmarks in the dental profession: Sabiha S. Bunek, DDS, recipient of the Clinical Expertise Award, Sharon K. Parsons, DDS, recipient of the Humanitarian Award, Athena S. Papas, DMD, PhD, recipient of the Industry Icon Award, Diane Johnson Krueger, CEO, recipient of the Innovator Award, Jeanette Sabir-Holloway, DDS, recipient of the Mentor Award, and Rita Y. Chuang, BA, DDS, ABO, recipient of the Woman to Watch Award.

Keynote speaker Erin Gruwell, founder of the Freedom Writers Foundation, will introduce the ultimate educational experience, which will feature more than 15 experts in the world of dentistry. During the two days that follow, opinion leaders and experts in the digital dentistry arena will lead the Straumann Symposium. Topics will include: pretreatment planning, guided surgery, final restoration design, delivery, and practice management information for making the digital dentistry workflow simple, efficient, and profitable for a practice.

The Straumann Digital Dentistry Symposium will feature: Dr. Marcus Abboud, Dr. Jeffrey R. Briney, Dr. Farhad E. Boltchi, Brandon Dickerman, CDT, Dr. Adam Hamilton, Dr. Rodrigo Fuentealba, Dr. Yong-Han Koo, Dr. Will Martin, Dr. David Rallis, Dr. Robert C. Vogel, Alexander Wunsche, CDT, Nancy Giordano, Corey Perlman, and Ashley Byrne. Learn more: https://straumanneducation.com/symposium/SF.php

Visit The Lucy Hobbs Celebration website for details on guest panelists, educational topics and CE credits. This year’s celebration beneficiary is the Center for Oral Health. Register today.

The Lucy Hobbs Project, a national, long-term program powered by Benco Dental and 10,000 members strong, helps women in dentistry use their voices as a force for change. Named for Dr. Lucy Hobbs Taylor, the woman who, in 1866, became the first American female to earn a degree in dentistry, this project aims to bring women together from all facets of the dental profession – dentists, dental assistants, hygienists, receptionists, sales representatives and others. Free to join, it supports the following pillars: innovation, networking, and giving back. To learn more about previous winners of The Lucy Hobbs Project® Award, or to sign up for The Lucy Hobbs Project®, visit: www.lucyhobbscelebration.com

Benco Dental will host The Lucy Hobbs Project 6th Annual Celebration, sponsored by Midmark, from September 13 through 15 at The Westin St. Francis on Union Square, 332 Powell Street, San Francisco. For the first time, Benco Dental partners with Straumann, global leader in implant, restorative and regenerative dentistry, to deliver the Digital Dentistry Symposium: The Time is Now.

About Benco Dental

Benco Dental, headquartered in Northeastern Pennsylvania, is the largest privately-owned dental distributor in the United States, offering a full array of supplies, equipment and services to dentists across the nation. Founded in 1930 by Benjamin Cohen, the company has remained family-owned and focused on its unique mission to “deliver success, smile after smile.” Within the past 87 years, the company has grown from a single downtown location to a national network that includes five distribution centers, and three design showrooms. Those design showrooms, one at the company’s Pa. headquarters, one in Southern California, and one in Texas, feature North America’s largest selection of dental equipment and technology, as well as a hands-on dental design experience, to assist dentists in the planning and construction of a new office.

Benco, which has been named one of Fortune Best Workplaces in Health Care and Biopharma for the past three years, one of the NAFE Top Companies for Executive Women for the second consecutive year, and Pennsylvania’s Best Places to Work® for 12 of the past 14 years, is proud to feature a highly skilled team of more than 400 professionally trained sales representatives and over 300 factory-trained service technicians. For more information, visit benco.com or call 1.800.GO.BENCO.

Dental continuing education leader Spear Education announced it has acquired Pride Institute, a California-based industry authority that brings decades of practice management expertise and content into the Spear ecosystem of campus and online learning.

The acquisition of Pride and its history of developing in-depth practice management solutions will not only strengthen how Spear serves clients on its Practice Solutions platform, which was introduced in 2017, but will also enhance the overall educational content available to dental professionals everywhere.

The Spear-Pride announcement comes in advance of the 10th annual Spear Summit, hosted Sept. 13-15 at the Spear Campus and neighboring Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Resort, which draws dentists from around the world.

Spear also becomes the steward of the vision of Dr. Jim Pride, a longtime advocate for increased education to help dentists balance the clinical and business demands of their practices.

"When Dr. Pride passed away in 2004, we made a promise that we would carry on his legacy, utilizing new models and new methods to create success. It has been 14 years and all of us at Pride Institute continue to pursue that vision," said Amy Morgan, Pride's CEO. "We are excited to join Spear Education and take Dr. Pride's vision to the next level."

Morgan will serve as a member of Spear Resident Faculty and teach practice management courses both online and at the Spear Campus, helping to coach both clients and consultants, and incorporate Pride content into the Spear ecosystem.

"Pride Institute is one of the most respected names in practice management," said Spear President Rezwan Manji. "Their approach to dental consulting aligns perfectly with Spear's philosophy and Practice Solutions consulting model. We are excited to incorporate Pride Institute's decades of knowledge and expertise to help our clients and their teams achieve their practice goals."

To learn more about Practice Solutions, visit www.speareducation.com/practicesolutions.

About Spear Education

With its campus and headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, Spear is one of the world's most respected providers of multi-platform continuing education and practice growth resources for dental professionals. Spear was founded in 2007 with a mission to help dentists and their teams achieve "Great Dentistry." The company has grown to become a leading source of comprehensive tools, training and support that enables dentists to reach their highest clinical and business potential. More information: www.speareducation.com.

About Pride Institute

With headquarters in Novato, California, Pride Institute is a leading provider of practice management solutions for the dental industry. Pride Institute was founded in 1974 with a vision to impact the lives of dentists, their teams and their patients by delivering the finest information and counsel in every aspect of practice management. The award-winning institute offers seminars, on-site consulting, and resources designed to help dentists develop their leadership skills and grow their practices. For more information visit https://www.prideinstitute.com.