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Host Lisa Newburger is joined by Rick Adelstein, DDS, and Debbie Zaller, RDH,  to discuss key differences when comparing corporate dental practices and smaller dental practices. 

Mastermind - Episode 10 - Differences Between Corporate and Small Practices

Attendees at this year’s Greater New York Dental Meeting (GNYDM), Nov. 28 through Dec. 1, will have the opportunity to see MouthWatch, LLC highlight its enhanced TeleDent™ platform which continues to connect individual practices and multi-location dental groups to innovative opportunities for improving dental care delivery.

Dental decision makers can learn more about how teledentistry is making convenient access to care a reality in sustainable, profitable ways. MouthWatch will be demonstrating these new enhancements during the GNYDM at booth #3121.

“The latest TeleDent enhancements were designed to encourage frequent, convenient, and visually enriched communication between providers and patients and ultimately persuade patients to be more actively engaged in improving their oral health, no matter where they might be,” says MouthWatch founder and CEO Brant Herman.

The latest TeleDent enhancements can deliver the following benefits:

Deploy across multiple locations and a variety of dental and medical environments

Boost operatory efficiency and production

Reactivate lapsed patients and delayed treatment plans

Share dental care communications with allied healthcare providers

TeleDent delivers all the benefits of a sophisticated, scalable telehealth platform to a dental care environment. Headquartered in Metuchen, New Jersey, MouthWatch, LLC is a leader in innovative teledentistry solutions, digital case presentation tools and intraoral imaging devices.

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Company will highlight platform’s enhanced capabilities in New York, Nov. 28-Dec. 1.

GNYDM: MouthWatch to Demonstrate How TeleDent Connects Patients Across All Healthcare Touchpoints to Dental Care

DentLight Inc., announced the release of its new Ultrafast Wireless Dental Diode Laser designed to eliminate setup time and messy cords, and to provide everyday use for practices.

Ultrafast is a cordless laser with ergonomic design and said to provide superior performance. It delivers 3W constant and 5W pulsed infrared power at 808nm with its distinctive green aiming for better visual clarity during procedures. The sleek wireless design eliminates cords and setup time. It comes with easily disposable fiber tips and slide in laser shield protecting loupe operators.

The laser is extremely durable with scratch resistant solid aircraft aluminum body. It runs 45 minutes continuously on a single charge, weighs only 3.5 oz and measures 6.4 in. It is ergonomic, intuitive, and easy to use as a cordless laser with direct power plug that eliminates downtime.

The laser’s clinical applications include gingivectomies, frenectomies, gingival troughing, sulcular debridement, excisions, aphthous ulcers, and hemostasis.

The Ultrafast Diode Laser Kit includes the laser handpiece, charging stand, disposable fiber tips (5), barrier sleeves (50), power adapter, laser shield, and laser goggles.

 Cordless laser with ergonomic design said to provide superior performance.

Ultrafast Dental Diode Laser from DentLight Now Available 

Whether through same-day chairside restorations or clinic-dental lab integrated treatments, the new Aoralscan 3 intraoral scanner from Shining 3D is designed to always provide a state-of-the-art user experience. The 3rd generation version of the company’s Aoralscan models features a new design, fast scan speed, high accuracy, powerful AI processing, intuitive communication, and a 3-year warranty.

The Aoralscan 3 intraoral scanner can be applied for a clinical indications range that spans general restorations, implants and orthodontics. The lightweight scanner has one-button control, auto anti-fogging, a dynamic LED indicator, and is ergonomically designed for optimal hand-held operation.

The scan field of view is 58% greater than Aoralscan 2, with a 16×12 mm FOV (Standard Tip), and up to 22 mm deep scan depth. The Aoralscan 3 is suitable for various clinical scenarios including acquiring scan bodies and periodontal scans.

The device has 2 tip sizes, accommodates adults and children, is autoclavable up to 100 times, and is slimmer and the 15% longer autoclavable scanner tips offer patients a more comfortable clinical experience.

The Aoralscan 3 is suitable for various clinical scenarios including acquiring scan bodies and periodontal scans.

Additionally, clinicians can scan with minimal contact with the computer, ensuring a safe and efficient scan experience—with Motion Sensing you get less contact, more safety. With AI Scan, users can speed up the scan. It automatically identifies and filters out unnecessary soft tissue data during scanning resulting in a quicker and cleaner scan process.

Thanks to optimized algorithms and its imaging mechanism, Aoralscan 3 carries out 30% more accurate and precise results by meeting the clinical needs of different applications. The clinical toolkit assists dentists to evaluate and pre-design the scanned data in their own clinic.

It facilitates effective communication with dental labs to deliver quality dental work with high efficiency.

SHINING 3D’s cloud data platform enables data transmission, making it convenient for data transfer and communication between dental clinics and laboratories. With Ortho Simulation, patients can preview images of their straightened-up results in real time, and the Oral Health Report includes information such as existing dental caries, missing teeth, dental calculus, pigment, etc. This function is designed to help patients have a better understanding of their oral health.

Latest generation scanner has new design, high accuracy, fast scan speed and powerful AI processing.

Shining 3D’s Aoralscan 3 Intraoral Scanner Loaded with New Features

WellAir, a health technology company that focuses on indoor air disinfection solutions, has launched its new Defend NV 400 air filtration system. The Defend NV 400 is an FDA-cleared Class II medical device that is reportedly 99.9% effective against airborne pathogens, such as SARS-CoV-2, MRSA, and bacteria. It is also said to purify the air of particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, gases, and odors.

The new unit features WellAir’s NanoStrike™ technology—a method of air disinfection that bursts airborne pathogen cells, rapidly inactivating them to ensure they are no longer a threat.

The Defend NV 400 also utilities a 4-stage pathogen inactivation and filtration process with medical-grade filers from Camfil® to capture debris and large and fine particles.

The filtration system is said to produce no emissions or harmful by-products while it is portable throughout the office.

The new filtration system utilizes the company's NanoStrike technology.

WellAir Introduces New Air Filtration System

3D Systems has announced a new metal 3D printer, the DMP Flex 200. Its direct metal printing (DMP) is designed for the 3D printed metal manufacturing of small, complex, fine detail metal parts. This is said to make it ideal for dental applications, including next-day removable partial dentures, crowns, bridges, and implant bars.

The Flex 200 features a 500W laser source and a larger build volume of 140 x 140 x 115 mm. It also features a build plate clamping mechanism that eliminates the need for screw management inside the process chamber.

The unit features 3DXpert software for part set-up and production, an all-in-1 integrated production to manufacture 3D CAD models using additive manufacturing. This software is said to streamline processes to quickly and efficiently transition from a 3D model to a successfully printed part.

3D Systems anticipates the DMP Flex 200 will be available in the first quarter of 2022.

The new 3D printer features a larger build volume and a 500W laser source.

3D Systems Announces 3D Metal Printer

SprintRay Announces Partnership with Nobel Biocare

Digital dentistry company SprintRay has announced a global distribution partnership with implant restorations company Nobel Biocare. This partnership will allow Nobel Biocare to become an authorized distributor of SprintRay’s 3D printing technology.

Combining Nobel Biocare’s implant solutions with SprintRay’s 3D printing system is said to create an effective and efficient workflow for practices, according to SprintRay’s Chief Growth Officer, John Cox.

“SprintRay is excited to introduce our industry leading, end-to-end 3D printing solution to Nobel Biocare's extensive global network of dental professionals,” Cox said in a press release from the companies. “This partnership extends SprintRay’s reach and penetration into implant dentistry – one of the industry's fastest growing segments."

This partnership aims to reduce delivery time and to place implants and guided surgery templates in same-day procedures, according to Kenneth Parrish, DMD, PhD.

“Practicing dentists have always had to manage the competing interests of speed versus accuracy and quality,” Dr Parrish said in the press release. “As the only 3D printing manufacturer dedicated to dental applications, SprintRay understands the challenges faced in day-to-day practice. Time consuming emergency work-ins to your schedule can now be replaced by the touch of a button to easily and cost effectively create and deliver a replacement restoration, saving chair time and eliminating patient frustration.”

As a part of this partnership, SprintRay also released the curing system ProCure 2, which enables same-day placement of implants.

This partnership aims to make a digital dental workflow that best serves both patient and practice. 

Nick Clausen is the founder and owner of Dental Laser Coaching and speaks and coaches on dental lasers nationally and has worked with most of the dental laser manufacturers in North America. He is the director of Laser Mastery for Fortune Management and has his Standard & Advanced Proficiency in Laser Dentistry from the Academy of Laser Dentistry (ALD) and is currently the Chair of ALD’s Manufacturing Council.

Nick has his Business Degree from Iowa State University and his MBA from Creighton University. He also has certifications in Project Management & eCommerce from Georgia Tech University and completed The Program on Negotiation from Harvard Law School. Nick has 18 years of executive experience in dentistry.

Being involved in dental lasers for more than 15 years and now being an independent coach/consultant, by far the most common question I get is, “Which laser should I buy?” My reply is always the same, “To answer that question, I first must ask you what you want to do with it?”

Not all lasers have the same abilities and each type has different pros and cons. I can tell you this, today’s lasers 

transformational for the patient and the dental practice’s bottom line while simultaneously making procedures easier and more conservative.

In order to do that, the purchasing doctor must do 2 things. First, know what you want to do with the laser. Second, be committed to learning how to optimize the technology.

In this article, I will give you a few short exercises to give you clarity to assist you moving forward with what is right for you.


Every dental practice is different on its vision and culture and how it serves its patients. It is always good to reflect on your practice vision, put yourself in your patient’s shoes, and ask, “What experience do I want my patients to have when they are in my office?” Asking yourself this question will help you with some direction on the technology you should be looking to purchase.

Stop, take 5 minutes to do this exercise, and write down your reply to the above question.

Every dentist has certain aspects of dentistry they love and other aspects, well … not so much. Those aspects can be on both the clinical and business side of the practice. In addition, there are always things you want to start doing, or areas where you need to improve.

Take 5 minutes to reflect on this area in detail. The chart below can be used as a template for you:

I am a firm believer in focusing my energy on things I love to do, and delegating the things I do not like to do to the right team member or contractor. Many times, lasers can dramatically help you do many things better clinically. Learn the things with which a laser can help, get trained on the things you love, then have your associate or your itinerant specialist train on the other areas in which you are not as interested.

On the business side, you must think of yourself as a CEO and leader. As a business owner, you must set up the right culture and vision. Great leaders inspire and delegate. This all sounds simple and basic and it is the “secret sauce” for success. However, dental schools do not teach it and the “school of hard knocks” is not the most efficient way to learn. You would be surprised to learn that most CEOs have peer support masterminds. Most great athletes have great coaches. Don’t feel you have to do it alone. There are resources out there who have not only “been there, done that,” but can also give you pearls of wisdom to dramatically expedite and strengthen not only your clinical skills to optimize your laser, but help you as a dental CEO as well.

Be Committed to Learning How to Optimize the Technology


Dental laser technology is different than your traditional handpiece and scalpel. To put it simply, traditional dentistry is tactile and laser dentistry is non-contact.

No matter how you approach it, laser dentistry is different and you must be committed to going through a learning curve. So many times I see a dentist, for multiple reasons which many times is no fault of his or her own, have a negative first experience with a laser. I call this the “bumpy landing” hangover. Because the first case or two did not go well, many park the technology and vastly underutilize it. However, you simply cannot let this happen.

Remember, laser technology is not harder. It is just different, and you must commit to the change. This could mean going beyond what training you are offered with your equipment purchase. At a minimum, take all that is offered, but learn from others’ mistakes and do not make them. Get a laser coach to help you out after you have had the technology for a couple of months. You will know what you are good at and what you are struggling with and can get help with those areas. In addition, have a laser mentor to call. This could be your initial trainer or someone else. You will need someone to converse with before/after a tough case/situation to walk you through it, remove the future hurdles, and give you piece of mind. They have been there and can definitely help you in those unsure moments to get you through the other side unscathed with your confidence intact.

And last but certainly not least, do not forget about your team. The same rules apply to them. Are the patients getting the same and consistent educating/communication/pre-framing your laser and what it can do for them? Are they getting patients to enroll care, specifically same-day dentistry? Are they marketing the laser properly doubling your monthly new patients? Coaching is not limited to the doctor.


Lasers can transform both the patient experience and the practice, dramatically, 

. Know what you want the laser to do for your practice by asking, “What experience do I want my patients to have when they are in my office?” This will guide you to which laser technology you will need, then be committed to learning how to optimize your laser and what training/coaching is available. Have a reality check going in and know you will have a couple of “bumpy landings” along the way. The key is to learn from them and know the next landing will not be as bumpy, and the one after that will even be better. Before you know it, the bumps will be few and far between.

Going through the school of “hard knocks” is frustrating and makes the journey challenging. Get a coach/trainer to help up front and early into the journey to expedite the integration and optimization for you as a clinician and CEO, as well as to benefit the team. You will be happy you did. You can transform your patient’s perception of dentistry and change the narrative with your accountant that you plan to use the additional laser revenue generated to focus on the next technology to better serve your patients.

If done right, implementing a dental laser can dramatically change patient care, perception and a practice’s bottom line. 

Lasers Can Transform Both the Patient Experience and the Practice 

Polish: Making Your Restorations Shine. Photo courtesy of zlikovec/stock.adobe.com. 

Polishing a restoration creates a smooth surface that simulates the glossy look of the patient's enamel. As the final step, polishing serves as your last chance to optimize the success of the restoration. Therefore, we look at the advantages of polishing and the different materials suitable for various restorative goals.

There are quite a few advantages to finishing and polishing in addition to looking good. Polishing requires clinicians to smooth the cavosurface margins and reconstruct the functional anatomy of the restored tooth, providing an imperceptible restorative margin free from voids. The glossy surface of a polished restoration also creates a plaque-resistant environment for the patient, making it easier for them to clean and contributes to the excellent health of the patients' gingival tissues. These factors lead to increased longevity of the restoration.

In other words, polishing is the last step but a no less crucial one than all that came before it. If you skimp here, you could end up with poor implications for oral health, restorative function, and esthetics, which range from biomaterial accumulation, irritated gums, and surface staining.

Clinicians polish right after contouring and finishing. It usually starts with pre-polish, where the dentist removes the scratches that might have occurred during finishing. Dentists then establish a smooth surface. Then, the clinician goes back to "super-polish" the restoration. This third step is where clinicians achieve the enamel-like luster that everyone wants.

However, all resin composites do not produce the same surface roughness. Different variables affect this factor, some of which come from the materials themselves and some from external agents. Internal factors include the type of material and fillers and the fillers' shape, size, and distribution. Also, the polymerization, resin makeup, and bond durability between the filler and the matrix affect the success. The external factors originate in the clinician's finishing and polishing technique. These include the flexibility and shape of the polishing tools, which abrasive they use and its related hardness, and the clinician's polishing skill.

Unlike the finishing phase, which establishes the restoration's form and texture, polishing is about getting the luster right, to the point that the patient doesn't notice the repair in their mouth. Practical Procedures in Aesthetic Dentistry suggests facilitating some "dark polymerization” by waiting 10-15 minutes after light curing to polish. In addition to general observation of the patient's other teeth and those related esthetics, they recommend tungsten carbide burs to develop the macro-texture and proximal burs for gingival and proximal finishing.

Polishing Material Types Have Different Strengths and Uses

What you use to polish composite restorations has a lot to do with restoring the tooth. Jeff Lineberry, DDS, FAGD, AAACD uses different systems and pastes depending on what function the tooth surface will serve the patient best.

"It's a whole different ball game in the facial anterior surface than an occlusal area," Dr Lineberry agrees. "The wear and tear that you get on a facial surface are different than the occlusal surface, so it's not subject to the same conditions."

One of the most popular abrasive materials for direct and indirect restorative dentistry is diamond polishing paste. Studies suggest that these pastes are successful in decreasing biofilm accumulation and providing excellent surface properties for the restoration.

In her private practice in Newport Beach, CA, Sarah Jebreil, DDS, AAACD, likes to use diamond paste on the anterior restorations. Dr Lineberry uses it there but will sometimes use the diamond-impregnated paste on the posterior too. However, Dr Lineberry says that using diamond paste with a felt polisher in posterior restorations has more to do with feel than looks.

"It will take it to a level of polish that patients will say it feels like their tooth," Dr Lineberry explains.

Dr Jebreil says her posterior work is rarely a direct composite filling and is more likely to be an onlay or an inlay, which she polishes with regular polishing compound. 

"I like to use the points and cups. In the posterior, I finish it primarily with the finishing burs, my interproximal burs, and then working to the fine point balls bur polishers, and then go over it to polish it," Dr Jebreil explains. "When you do that, you see if the rubber cup is getting stuck in a void. Then, you can remove it and refinish it."

For a Class IV or a MIFL composite restoration, Dr Lineberry likes to use discs, from coarse to fine. Then, he will use a polish and buffer with a diamond enhanced paste.

However, in some cases, dentists can use a liquid polish. Some studies suggest liquid polish could help dentists achieve a perfect marginal seal. Applying a thick layer of a flowable resin with no filler to the cavosurface margins of the finished restoration can penetrate the micro defects and marginal gaps. The capillary action seals them and improves the marginal seal. One study suggests that the resin could also repair the pores and structural defects that occur during finishing and polishing.

In Dr Jebreil's experience, she doesn't like to use lacquer unless it's on a provisional. While she likes how liquid polish can seal porous acrylic materials, it wears away and stains over time. Liquid varnish also doesn't allow clinicians to fix voids when they should. Furthermore, if you put lacquer on a gap rather than repairing it, the lacquer will wear away, and the rough patches underneath will still be there. Then, the restoration gets bacteria in it, which can lead to recurrent caries. Also, restorations can have pits that look black as they age, which she wants to avoid.

"It's like the filling has a cavity in it, and it's because the restoration wasn't finished and polished properly," Dr Jebreil says. "For the long-term, you are better off polishing the restoration."

"As much as we would love to have a clear coat polish in the mouth like they put on cars, we don't have anything like that. Ultimately, that clear coating wears away. If you have a polished surface, then you have it, and it's not going to change," Dr Lineberry agrees. "I love clear sealers for provisionals. It works great for the final finish on provisionals."

What Dentists Should Remember about Polishing

Dr Jebreil thinks that clinicians should try many different polishing systems to find the one that works best in their hands. She likes the white cups and the pink and white cups. She also likes the goat hair polishing brushes because they make less of a mess and work well in her hands. 

"But maybe someone else likes something different. So, there are so many different products out there. Try a couple of different things and see what works, and you can mix and match, too, like 1 coarse from 1 company and 1 fine from another company," Dr Jebreil says. "You have to make your own formula." 

Dr Lineberry thinks clinicians should remember that polishing sets the stage for a longer-lasting restoration. When dentists polish away that flash, they reduce surface stains and discoloration. They also reduce plaque accumulation around those rough areas.

"It's worth the steps. Take the time and polish," Dr Lineberry says. "Your composite resin restorations will survive longer and look better if you do your proper finishing or polishing upfront."

Walls AT. Composite finishing and polishing. Pocket Dentistry. Published February 11, 2020. Accessed November 5, 2021. https://pocketdentistry.com/composite-finishing-and-polishing/

Koirala, Sushil. (2020). Direct Composite Resin Finishing & Polishing Technique. 1. 18-22. Published August 2020. Accessed October 25, 2021. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343629191_Direct_Composite_Resin_Finishing_Polishing_Technique 

Silva JP, Coelho A, Paula A, et al. The Influence of Irrigation during the Finishing and Polishing of Composite Resin Restorations—A Systematic Review of In Vitro Studies. mdpi.com. Published March 29, 2021. Accessed October 25, 2021. Materials-14-01675.pdf. 

Banerji, S. and Mehta, S.B. (2017). The Finishing and Polishing of Resin Composite Restorations. In Practical Procedures in Aesthetic Dentistry (eds S. Banerji, S.B. Mehta and C.C. Ho). https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119324911.ch5.6

Kurt A, Cilingir A, Bilmenoglu C, Topcuoglu N, Kulekci G. Effect of different polishing techniques for composite resin materials on surface properties and bacterial biofilm formation. J Dent. 2019;90:103199. doi:10.1016/j.jdent.2019.103199

Chour RG, Moda A, Arora A, Arafath MY, Shetty VK, Rishal Y. Comparative evaluation of effect of different polishing systems on surface roughness of composite resin: An in vitro study. J Int Soc Prev Community Dent. 2016;6(Suppl 2):S166-S170. doi:10.4103/2231-0762.189761

URQUÍA, M. C.; BRASCA, N.; GIRARDI, M.; BONNIN, C.; RÍOS, A.; GIRARDI, I.; CHÁVEZ, L. J. & DELGADO, A. Influence of surface sealants on microleakage in composite restorations. Int. J. Odontostomat., 11(4)

Polishing is the last chance you have to optimize the success of your restoration. Therefore, we look at the advantages of polishing and the different materials suitable for various goals.  

Polish: Making Your Restorations Shine 

 Pre-Treatment Gel, a new, effective tool for precleaning soiled instruments and devices at point of use, is now available from Certol®, a Division of MicroCare, LLC. It features a unique innovative bio-generated action for targeted soil breakdown, even on complex sticky orthopedic and neurosurgical soils. This active soil breakdown combines with humectants to sustain moisture during holding and transport to reduce the risk of dangerous biofilm formation.

 (patent pending) is applied to soiled instruments and devices as soon as possible after treatment is concluded and before transport to the final cleaning area. In addition to surgical departments, other point-of-use locations that will benefit from 

 include dental clinics, labor and delivery rooms, emergency departments, free-standing surgery centers and other areas with reusable instruments and devices.

 is tested for broad material compatibility and actively protects delicate instrumentation by dissolving corrosive blood soils during transport before damage can occur in vulnerable jointed areas.

“Certol originated the concept of a pre-treatment spray 20 years ago with 

 Foaming Enzymatic Spray. As Joint Commission and other accrediting agencies push for compliance at point-of-use with device cleaning instructions, healthcare facilities are now coming on board with a better understanding of the need for policies and effective products,” says Peggy Spitzer, RDH, M.A.Ed., 

 Clinical Educator. “My experience in working with hospitals and surgery centers to achieve consistent compliance reinforces the value of 

 as a powerful new tool for pre-treatment. This product is far more effective than traditional gel sprays or wet towels for maintaining instrument preservation.”

 helps facilities with standards and device compliance since it is easy for surgical teams and other departments to apply. It has a green tint to help monitor coverage and compliance with pretreatment protocols. 

 is the ideal solution for 2 difficult challenges facing many facilities: (1) Overnight holding of contaminated instrumentation such as labor and delivery or emergency departments and (2) Transport of soiled instruments from off-site clinics to a Central Sterile Processing area or facility. 

 is tested and validated to sustain moisture, continue soil breakdown, and protect instrumentation up to 72 hours holding time. 

Gel is free rinsing to improve productivity and workflow in Central Sterile Processing. The bio-generated active soil breakdown is designed to now make final cleaning easier and more effective. 

 may also be used as a spot treatment when case carts are backed up in Sterile Processing.

Certol introduces product formulated to actively protect delicate instrumentation by dissolving corrosive blood soils during transport before damage can occur in vulnerable jointed areas. 