Noah Levine

Information available at laresdental.com Available in three models to meet every dentist’s needs and budget, the LightWalker line of lasers includes a single Er:YAG and two dual Er:YAG/Nd:YAG wavelength models designed for hard- and soft-tissue applications.

1. With a life of 30,000-plus hours-10 times longer than halogen-the everLight eliminates the need to replace light bulbs.

Dr. Matthew Young’s West Hendersonville, N.C., practice is free of many things that can be commonly found in many dental offices. He practices without fluoride, without the use of any latex products and does not place any mercury amalgam fillings.

Information provided by 3Shape. Improving on existing functions and adding expanded capabilities, 3Shape’s Dental System™ 2012 software is designed to provide CAD/CAM solutions for new indications, help dental labs increase productivity and help dental labs help their dentists.

When I recently came across a graphic clearly illustrating the rapid pace of computer technology’s twin progressions of increasing power and decreasing size, it sparked an image in my head of where all this could lead and ways the even more powerful and compact computers of the not-too-distant future computers might be put to use.

Designed for use in full-contour situations, highly translucent Prettau® Zirconia can be used in conjunction with a specialized coloring system to create esthetic, implant-supported bridges.

Whether talking about cell phones where something new and improved comes along every other day or cars where the next model comes out next year, the state-of-the-art in any category only remains so until something better comes along.

3D Systems recently introduced its new ProJet™ 6000 “crossover” 3D printer that combines SLA® part performance with 3D printer utility. The ProJet™ 6000 delivers production quantities of exceptionally detailed and accurate dental working models printed with VisiJet® e-Stone™, a new print material developed specifically to produce dental models. The material is available in a high contrast peach color to illustrate stunning dental anatomy.

Recommendations from friends are still a big part of how patients find a new dentist, but in a time when the whole world is much more closely connected through the Internet those “recommendations” and “friends” are available from a much wider array of sources, all of which are easily searchable.

Getting the most from your computer is about more than just having a super-charged machine to run the latest software at blazing speeds. Efficiencies come from knowing all the ins, outs, and shortcuts to the systems you use and finding the best way to issue commands for them to execute.

Keeping your feet on the ground and your head out of the clouds has long been sound business and general advice. However, these days there seems to be endless talk of the numerous benefits of sending things to the clouds.

I can still remember the first time I came across a computer mouse when a childhood friend was showing me the brand new Apple Macintosh computer in the corner of his family’s kitchen. Sure, I’d grown up in a house where there was always at least one machine, but our tan and brown Commodore 64 was text controlled, forcing me to quickly learn both rudimentary typing and the basic commands in order to use the computer on my own. So when I encountered that pixilated cursor and the new concept of pointing and clicking, I was completely blown away.

Some magicians have been known to amaze crowds with a trick where it appears they are catching bullets with their teeth. However, the tooth marks found on a 200-year-old musket ball on display at The Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry, on loan from Kathy Lee Erlandson, are more likely to have come from a wounded soldier than a showman from two centuries ago. “Apparently there’s some credence to the ‘bite the bullet’ for pain kind of thing,” said Museum Curator Dr. Scott Swank.

The search for a practice management software application that fits your practice’s needs can be a tricky endeavor. With a wide range of options ready to handle your scheduling, billing, patient records and more, it’s important to make the right choice because this will be the central hub for all of your practice’s information.

The potential for new design and production technologies to reshape the dental laboratory industry is certainly real. When combined with developments in materials, new technologies can be leveraged to increase capacity, achieve efficiencies and even increase the accuracy of the restorations fabricated by American dental laboratories.

There are numerous moving parts-sometimes literally-involved with creating a high quality dental restoration. Working with technologies, tools and materials that are designed to work together can make that process a little less complex.

The number of patients seeking therapy for snoring and sleep apnea has increased by 60% in the past decade, making sleep dentistry a profitable new practice driver for doctors and one of the fastest growing segments in dentistry today. According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, oral appliance therapy is first line treatment for snoring and mild to moderate sleep apnea.

The days of the AV cart are most certainly numbered. Like other sectors of the high-tech world, audio-video equipment continues to shrink at a brisk pace. Now, instead of rolling a bulky cart with a projector on top to wherever a presentation or movie will be shown, that projector can be carried in a pocket.

Tablet PCs are nothing new. Besides popping up in science fiction movies for decades, the real things have existed in one form or another for quite some time. So why then was the entire tech world and much of the media so excitedly agog a few weeks back when Apple unveiled its first tablet, the iPad?

As I enter my 25th year of general practice, I have been fortunate to be able to divide my time between clinical practice, lecturing, publishing and working with dental manufacturers in helping develop and evaluate the products that the dental profession ultimately uses. I have seen some products not last the test of time and others have become reliable staples in our profession.

Load the platform with 30 dies, initiate the job and within 15 minutes, the automatic scan and design application produces final coping designs. Its 140 mm x 140 mm x 140 mm scan volume provides access for large fully articulated models.

With laptops, notebooks, and netbooks, not to mention smartphones, tablets, and cloud computing, computer portability has never been more accessible. But just because there are many ways to make a computer portable, doesn’t mean managing this portability is simple. If, like many people, you have a powerful desktop at the heart of your computing set up, using a smaller machine while traveling can make data management a nightmare.

Whether working with a milled bar or a cast bar knowing what will be built around it comes from experience. Different technicians and labs follow different protocols for working on these cases, but there are definite factors that must be taken into account when creating a denture that will be attached to a number of implants.

Today Apple launched its latest generation of the iPhone, and as always seems to be the case when this company is launching something new, the media and general public are rapt in anticipation. However, this launch was the company’s first big move since founder and technology icon Steve Jobs stepped down from an active roll in running things and the press event seemed a bit lackluster without his smirking boasts about the wonderful things the company's latest can do.

November 2010 | Dental Lab Products It’s not quite as light as the element from which it draws its name, but the latest iterations of Apple’s ultra-trim MacBook Air are getting mighty close.

Information provided by NevinLabs. With a balanced, lightweight and compact body designed to reduce hand fatigue, the LabPro™ handpiece provides optimum comfort and increased efficiency even on delicate pieces of work requiring extended periods of time.

The digital technology currently available to dental laboratories opens numerous new opportunities for collaboration and outsourcing, but there are plenty of options for labs looking to incorporate CAD/CAM production without relinquishing control of any part of the workflow.

The Enzymax Earth line of cleaning products provides the same cleaning power as the company’s biodegradable and phosphate-free Enzymax cleaning products, while reducing bioaccumulation potential and using enzyme stabilizers that are safer for the environment. Earth friendly: The enzymes used are more rapidly biodegradable, with lower inherent toxicity and fewer toxic byproducts.

1. With its ability to surround your patients-whether seated or reclined-with digital media, the Flexview HD media delivery system gives your practice a “wow” effect patients are sure to remember. 2. Designed to make the most of your intraoral cameras, digital x-ray systems and software, the crystal-clear Samsung monitor shows patients-in high definition-everything you want them to see.

Unless you live TV free, by now you’ve likely been exposed to the seemingly endless advertising battle between Verizon and AT&T over their respective 3G networks. The wireless providers pull no punches as they take shots at each other’s service networks, but they never really stop to explain just what 3G means.