With renewed focus on applying innovative technology to solve real, everyday dentistry challenges, DentalEZ has now launched three new smart products: the Aeras 500 Elite Handpiece by Star®, the Aeras Compressor by Ramvac®, and now, the Aeras Vacuum by Ramvac®.

With an unprecedented focus on safety and efficiency, today’s dental offices must evolve quickly to include modern solutions that do more. The new Aeras Intelligent Platform from DentalEZ connects the dentists’ most vital equipment, gives it something it’s never had before: a voice. With the power to provide actionable information, accurately, quickly and conveniently, every Aeras product collects and shares data, streamlining standard-of-care processes, and creating an environment of superior patient care and practice productivity. Creating new connections between vital equipment and key practice operations, Aeras is designed to deliver more.

The new Aeras Vacuum is said to complete the Intelligent utility room with the same cloud-based diagnostic capability as the Aeras Compressor. Embedded sensors in critical areas on the vacuums monitor for indicators that typically herald trouble, including overheating or unwanted moisture. The system forewarns staff and service teams*, allowing for targeted diagnosis and service planning—all of which can be done remotely, improving service effectiveness and eliminating unproductive visits to the office.

The web-based Aeras smart technology offers remote scheduling and other efficiency-improving features, plus, all Aeras smart-enabled vacuums offer an 8-year extended warranty*, the best in the industry. The addition of Aeras takes the reliability of Ramvac vacuums to the next level, which are already recognized as an industry go-to, with quiet, energy-efficient motors, and 100% water-free operation.

“A dental office’s compressors and vacuums are the heart and soul of a dental practice, and if one goes down, it can take the whole practice offline, at incredible expense to the dentist and disruption for their patients,” says DentalEZ President Heather Trombley. “We’ve taken proven smart technology and applied it so that we can provide mission-critical information at dentists’ fingertips—and their chosen service provider’s—at any time. This may mark the beginning of the end of unplanned downtime*.”

*Applies only if subscribing to monitoring service

Articles

Aeras Vacuum by Ramvac® is the latest in the company’s line of smart products for dental practices.

DentalEZ continues focus on Smart Monitoring with newest addition to their Aeras Intelligent Platform

The American Association of Dental Office Management (

) has announced the winners of the 2020 Practice Administrator of the Year Award, and this time around they had twice as much fun. For the first time, there were two winners: Debbie Evans, FAADOM, Practice Administrator of Wainright & Wassel, DDS in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Jennifer Steadman, FAADOM, Director of Operations of Dentistry by Design in Methuen, Massachusetts.

This prestigious award was conferred by AADOM’s 2019 Practice Administrator of the Year, Greg Prince, FAADOM, in a virtual ceremony hosted by the association and broadcast live via Facebook. “The presentation of this award is one of the highlights of the year for AADOM members. The fact that we held it virtually did not impact the excitement or elation around announcing the winners. In fact, it was wonderful to be able to broadcast it live so that all of the nominee’s families, doctors and teams could be a part of it”, states Heather Colicchio, AADOM President.

 conducted with Evans and Colicchio prior to the awards, 

Both Ms. Evans and Ms. Steadman are longtime members of AADOM, each having held the position of president of their local AADOM chapters and both are pursuing their Mastership within AADOM. The winners were chosen by a committee who rated all nominations on several rigorous criteria.As winners, both Ms. Evans and Ms. Steadman will receive a $1000 prize, a cover feature in 

 magazine, complimentary Lifetime AADOM membership and free tuition to the AADOM 2021 annual conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. All of this is made possible by the awards sponsor, CareCredit. CareCredit has long been a champion and supporter of education and recognition of AADOM members and all dental practice administrators.

AADOM provides both virtual and live training for dental business team members. To learn more about AADOM, visit 

. AADOM also inducted the 2020 Class of AADOM Fellows (FAADOM) and their inaugural class of Masters (MAADOM) this month.

Debbie Evans and Jennifer Steadman each come away with top honors in a virtual ceremony.

Two honored as AADOM names 2020 Practice Administrators of the Year 

Learn all about this digital dental camera's features from Shofu Director of Sales Mike Gainsburg.


Videos

A look at the EyeSpecial dental camera from Shofu. This unique camera designed specifically for use in a dental operatory recently was named a winner of the 2020 Cellerant Best of Class Technology Award.

Technology Insights: EyeSpecial from Shofu

A look at the CS 9600 2D/3D CBCT system from Carestream Dental. The extraoral imaging solution recently was named a winner of the 2020 Cellerant Best of Class Technology Award. Learn all about this imaging system's features from Carestream Dental Chief Dental Officer Ed Shellard, DMD.

Technology Insights: CS 9600 from Carestream Dental

I haven’t always been a nerd but I definitely have a healthy respect for scientists—especially those who are objective in their scientific studies.

My fascination with scientific inquiry began while studying dental hygiene at Old Dominion University, where I completed a master’s degree and conducted research. Coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID-19) was recently added to my relentless passion for periodontology and evidence-based dentistry, and I work hard to follow COVID-19 science as it changes and grows. We now know a lot more about the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19, including its transmission, but there’s still a lot more to learn.

Throughout the COVID-19 timeline (since the winter of 2020 to present), I’ve been closely following tweets by several aerosol engineers/scientists in order to learn more. In the early days of the pandemic, transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from person to person wasn’t thought to be through the air, and early public health messages focused on hand-washing, surface disinfection, and maintaining a physical distance to break droplet and contact transmission routes. As more scientific evidence emerged, it became clear to aerosol scientists that SARS-CoV-2 can pass in tiny droplets that waft through the air and build up over time.

The vocal group of aerosol scientists shouting for more attention to the airborne route of SARS-CoV-2 transmission is a small but mighty group who are working hard to convince the World Health Organization (WHO) to change their public messages to acknowledge airborne transmission. These scientists are also calling for preventive measures to reduce this type of aerosol risk. In July 2020, the WHO issued a scientific brief on viral transmission that acknowledges the possible implications of such a route of transmission in crowded, poorly ventilated spaces.

According to researchers who are now arguing for more emphasis on the importance of aerosols, governments and businesses should take specific steps to reduce this potential route of transmission. Some topics being tossed around and studied for practical application are recommendations against air recirculation in buildings and overcrowding with effective levels of ventilation with air systems to filter out particles. Businesses can also use ultraviolet light to kill airborne viruses.

Reducing SARS-CoV-2 Aerosols in a Dental Environment

Dentistry has not shied away from implementing the best infection control practices. Many dental practices complied with the new ADA and CDC guidelines for reopening in early 2020 with a plethora of measures that were overwhelming, expensive, and ever-changing as more was discovered about pandemic transmission. Protective clothing, eye, face and mask protection, surface cleaning, and extraction of aerosols during treatment are just a few of the infection control considerations and guidance prioritized to minimize harm to dental patients and personnel. Ventilation and air filtration is another key component to reduce the risk of cross-contamination and infection. 

Most of the SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs indoors. When an infected person (or team member) enters a dental practice, 40% are asymptomatic and can spread the virus to others.

 Once the virus enters the practice, there are 2 choices to keep it from infecting someone: either bring in fresh air from the outside or remove the virus from the air inside the dental practice.

The more fresh, outside air inside a building, the better. Early on in the COVID pandemic, I read a brilliant hospital suggestion from a retired RN that stated:

Hospitals today could purchase hundreds of inexpensive breeze fans, seal them in windows, and create hundreds, even thousands, of negative pressure rooms in a day. The negative pressure will prevent viral particles from escaping from the room and exposing staff and other patients.

According to an aerosol scientist, the exact rate of air exchange in a room depends on the number of people and the size of the room.

 Most experts consider roughly 6 air changes an hour to be suitable for a 10 x 10 ft room with 3 to 4 people in it, but exact air changes an hour during a pandemic may be higher.

Air cleaners, commonly called air purifiers, remove particles from the air, usually using a filter made of tightly woven fibers.

 High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters were invented back in the 1940s, so they are nothing new. They can capture particles containing bacteria and viruses and can help reduce disease transmission. There is a lot of misinformation about air purifiers with HEPA filters. Aerosol scientists state HEPA filters effectively remove all particle sizes of relevance, which includes SARS-CoV-2 particles. 

Air purifiers with HEPA filters remove 99.97% of all particle sizes.

 Because recent evidence demonstrates that SARS-CoV-2 can remain airborne longer and travel farther than anticipated earlier in the COVID-19 pandemic, HEPA filters have been recommended.

The CDC states that dental offices should consider air purifiers with HEPA filter mechanisms as an adjunctive means for decontamination of SARS-CoV-2 while the patient is undergoing, and immediately following, an aerosol-generating procedure. They also recommend selecting a HEPA air filtration unit based on the Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR).

Another new approach that limits transmission emerged from research conducted at Columbia University and may eventually become a major public measure.7 Far-UVC light kills pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2 and is a germicidal UV light without health hazards to skin and eyes (207-222 nm compared to 254 nm germicidal ultraviolet light that causes damage to human tissues.)

 According to the Columbia University research team, continuous far-UVC exposure in occupied public locations would result in approximately 90% viral inactivation in approximately 8 minutes, 95% in approximately 11 minutes, 99% in approximately 16 minutes, and 99.9% inactivation in approximately 25 minutes.

 Applications for the dental office could include continuous low-dose UVC exposure lamps (if reasonably priced like LED light bulbs) that could help reduce the probability of person-to-person transmission of COVID-19, as well as other seasonal viruses like influenza.

 As patients look up at the ceiling from their dental chair, an overhead, flush-mounted light just might be a far-UVC exposure lamp instead.

With research continuing on the SARS-CoV-2 virus, best practice recommendations are likely to keep changing. We now know a lot more about the virus and the disease it causes than we did when the dental industry shut down in March, and as additional information is revealed by research, new ways to protect ourselves and our patients will emerge. Paying attention to the emerging science around the pandemic is important as it keeps us up to date on all of these new precautions, best practices, and technologies.

Lewis D. Mounting evidence suggests coronavirus is airborne — but health advice has not caught up. 

. 2020;583(7817):510-513. doi:10.1038/d41586-020-02058-1

Miller S. How to use ventilation and air filtration to prevent the spread of coronavirus indoors” 

. Published August 10, 2020. Accessed September 18, 2020. 

https://theconversation.com/how-to-use-ventilation-and-air-filtration-to-prevent-the-spread-of-coronavirus-indoors-143732

Retired RN says OTC window fans could create negative pressure rooms fast. Phillylabor.com. Accessed September 18, 2020. 

http://phillylabor.com/retired-rn-says-otc-window-fans-create-negative-pressure-rooms-fast

Zhao B, Lie Y, Chen C. Air purifiers: a supplementary measure to remove airborne SArs-CoV-2. 

. 2020;177:106918. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2020.106918

Nazarenko Y. Air filtration and SARS-CoV-2. 

. 2020;42:e2020049. doi:10.4178/epih.e2020049

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); Guidance for dental setting. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated August 28, 2020. Accessed September 18, 2020. 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/dental-settings.html

Buonanno M, Welch D., Shuryak I, Brenner DJ. Far-UVC light (222 nm) efficiently and safely inactivates airborne human coronaviruses. 

. 2020;10(1);10258. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-67211-2

Take a look at some of the research on ways to prevent the airborne spread of the COVID-19.

Dental Aerosol Lessons from Emerging Research

Modern Hygienist editorial advisory board member practicing dental hygienist and popular speaker Katrina Sanders joins Modern Hygienist Editorial Director Noah Levine to discuss her experiences returning to clinical practice during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Staying Positive, Safe & Protecting Patients During a Pandemic: A Conversation with Katrina Sanders

Colgate recently launched Colgate Professional Direct (CPD) an online platform where dentists can send home care product recommendations to their patients. Patients then receive an invitation to purchase the products directly from the website at discounted prices.

Dental professionals can create a profile on the site, choose the products they’d like to recommend and send those recommendations directly to their patients via email or text. Patients can access the CPD site from a link in the email with the recommended products automatically added to a virtual shopping cart for efficient check out. The site includes the latest products from Colgate, including the new hum smart electric toothbrush.

The site offers patients a chance to purchase clinician-recommended products at prices below what is typically charged in retail stores, while dental professionals using CPD have a way to offer patients discounted home care products without having to manage retail sales from the practice itself. Additionally, practices can choose to accept 10% of the sales or redirect all or part of those funds to the Colgate Bright Smiles, Bright Futures program.

New online service allows clinicians to recommend Colgate products, and patients can purchase them at discount prices directly from the website.

Colgate Professional Direct Launches to Connect Patients with Clinician Recommended Home Care Products

Align Technology, Inc., has announced the launch of Invisalign® Stickables, innovative sticker accessories designed exclusively for use with the patented SmartTrack® material in Invisalign clear aligners. Available in an array of designs, colors, shapes and themes, Invisalign Stickables are described as a cool, engaging and fun way for patients to show their personal flair during Invisalign treatment.

“Most teens and younger patients want to do what their friends are doing, but at the same time they want to be unique and individual,” says Dr. Mark Garlington, an orthodontist practicing in Long Beach, California. “Invisalign Stickables add a creative dimension to Invisalign treatment and will enable patients to personalize their aligners and create an experience that we strive to provide for all of our patients.”

Starting with young patients, Invisalign Stickables are initially available in 10 fun themes, including fantasy and gaming, shapes and colors, sports and activities, travel and transit, emojis and faces, animals and nature, letters and numbers, party and holidays, foods and sweets, and basic shapes and images, with more options available soon. The sticker and applicator are made from a water-resistant multi-layer plastic material and biocompatibility tested. Invisalign Stickables have been optimized to use with SmartTrack Invisalign aligner material.

“As the leader in clear aligners, we continuously innovate to provide our doctor partners and their patients with solutions that not only address their treatment needs but also provide them with an experience that reflects the fun, youthful, and unique characteristics of the Invisalign brand,” says Raj Pudipeddi, Align’s chief innovation, product, and marketing officer and SVP. “The ability to personalize their Invisalign clear aligners enables Invisalign patients to express their smiles in ways that are as unique as they are, and we are very excited to help them do that with this latest Invisalign innovation.”

“As great as the advantage of Invisalign treatment is because it is virtually invisible, many of our growing patients still want their friends to see something cool and different when they smile,” adds Dr. David Boschken, an orthodontist with practices in San Jose and Los Altos, California, and an Align faculty member. “With Invisalign Stickables, patients can get creative and decorate their aligners to make their Invisalign treatment more fun.”


Invisalign Stickables patent-pending accessories are available now in the U.S. and Canada and will be introduced in other countries in 2021. Invisalign providers can purchase Invisalign Stickables through the Webstore in Invisalign Doctor Site. Invisalign Stickables are also available to Invisalign patients at participating doctor offices or online through the Invisalign accessories site 

Patent-pending sticker accessories make each Invisalign aligner as unique as the patient wearing them. 

Align Technology’s new Invisalign Stickables designed to personalize clear aligners 

Formlabs, a leading 3D printing company, has announced the Form 3BL, a dental and medical 3D printer optimized for biocompatible materials. Formlabs will also start shipping its flagship large format printer, the Form 3L. Both printers signify the expansion of the company’s line of large format stereolithography (SLA) 3D printers to enable manufacturers and creators to print high-detail large-scale parts.

Formlabs also announced Wash L + Cure L, a fully automated post-processing system created for large-scale prints, which will ship in 2021. With over 70,000 printers sold, Formlabs is now bringing its renowned ease-of-use, value, and professional-grade quality to large format printers.

“Our large format printers are poised to have the same disruptive effect on the 3D printing industry as our Form 1 launch did,” says Max Lobovsky, CEO and co-founder of Formlabs. “The companies that have dominated large format printing for the past 20-plus years have lacked the innovation and agility needed to move the 3D printing industry forward.”

Formlabs is looking to change that, according to Lobovsky.

“With the Form 3L and Form 3BL, we are opening this powerful technology up to a whole new group of users at an accessible price while maintaining a professional quality. We are looking forward to seeing how this new technology will be used in industries like automotive and aerospace that need the large build platform to best utilize 3D printing,” he says.

​, Formlabs’ flagship large format printer released in spring 2019, delivers accurate, repeatable prints across the printers’ larger build platform without compromising cost or quality. The advanced Low Force Stereolithography (LFS) print process and larger build platform enabled Formlabs user Black Diamond, an outdoor equipment company known for its products’ durability and performance, to rethink its R&D process. Given early access to Form 3L, Black Diamond determined it would be able to cut prototype development lead times from seven days to three days and slashed costs by about 85%, according to the companies. 

“The Form 3L makes the product design process more cohesive,” says Matt Tetzl, R&D technician at Black Diamond. “The larger printer enables our designers to make tweaks in CAD and work off a full-scale model to close the gap between feedback and design. We have reduced our costs on full-size prototypes from $425 a print to $70 a print—with that savings, Form 3L would pay for itself in only 3 months.”

The Form 3L and Form 3BL’s features and benefits include:

3D print large-scale parts or many smaller parts in a single build, with stunning surface finish and detail that resemble final products.

A build volume of 33.5 × 20 × 30 cm (13.2 × 7.9 × 11.8 in), five times larger build volume than the Formlabs Form 3 desktop SLA 3D printer.

An intuitive workflow, with automatic resin dispensing, simple print preparation software, and an interface anyone can use.

A robust end-to-end system designed for nonstop throughput with minimal intervention.

Access to nearly all of Formlabs' extensive materials library, ensuring a stable supply chain and access to the resins needed for any project — including biocompatible materials on the Form 3BL.

The Form 3BL, similar to the Form 3B, is optimized for biocompatible materials for use in the dental and healthcare industries. The Form 3BL balances throughput, quality, and reliability, and is thoroughly validated by Formlabs’ dental team to meet the accuracy requirements for dental aligner production, with consistent part quality and accuracy across the entire build plane.

In medical settings, the Form 3BL is capable of printing human-scale anatomical models, in-house, on a single build platform. With the Form 3BL, healthcare providers can meet the tight deliverable windows needed to produce the customized surgical guides that are used to improve care and reduce the time spent in the operating room.

The Form 3L is available and shipping today, the Form 3BL is available for pre-order ​and will ship in October 2020, and Wash L + Cure L will ship in 2021.

Company makes intuitive, cost-effective large-scale printing for dental labs possible with new offerings.

Formlabs launches Form 3BL in expansion of its large format 3D printing line

Patients have changed. Now, before making a decision regarding their dental care, they look for information online, reviews, and recommendations. This is especially true when it comes to replacing teeth.

The Denturewearers.com community is a central source for dental professionals to connect on everything related to replacing missing teeth, with and without implants, both removable as well as fixed.

You can help patients find you on the best online community about Full Arch Dentistry at 

Don’t you love it when new patients only want you to fix their smiles? That's what this community is all about. Now is the time to connect with the people who want and need you the most.

Visit the site and learn more about the community, and more about the different treatments for missing teeth. Visitors can also find vital information about different procedures, ask questions to the community which will be answered by verified professionals, hear from people with similar experiences, and even Find a Dental Professional section.

and for more information contact the community at Info@DentureWaerers.com. 