Dental industry news, trends and information from Patterson Dental.
It’s March, which means snow melting, birds chirping, sun shining, and pulp…pulping? That’s right, we’ll be taking this month to focus on all things endodontics, starting with one of the most infamous procedures of all: the root canal! Root canals are a lot like broccoli: […]
February 28 marks Tooth Fairy Day, a day which pays tribute to the generous little sprite kind enough to visit our bedrooms and leave treats, trinkets, or money, in exchange for our lost baby teeth. Losing teeth can be a jarring experience for little tykes, […]
PART I: THE PROBLEM How many times have dental professionals heard something like this from a patient: “I came in to have my teeth cleaned, and now I’m leaving with them feeling fuzzier than they did when I walked in!” This “fuzzy feeling” comes from […]
Brrrrrr, it’s chilly outside. That makes it the best time of year to bundle up! We’re not talking about scarves, mittens, or mukluks, though. We’re talking about bundling up with a Power Bundle from Crest and Oral-B. It might not keep you warm in frigid […]
February is National Children’s Dental Health Month, which we at Patterson couldn’t be happier about! You best believe we’ll take any chance we can get to talk about the importance of children’s oral hygiene. Research has shown time and time again that our health habits […]
Vinyl Polysiloxane, or VPS, impression material involves a chemical reaction between 2 substances known as a base and a catalyst. These two components must be mixed evenly and thoroughly for the product to set correctly. There are 4 main delivery methods to creating this mixture. […]
Hu-Friedy, a global leader in manufacturing dental instruments and products, released the results of an independent scientific study evaluating the sharpness and edge retention of two scaler brands. Research was conducted by the Cutlery & Allied Trades Research Association (CATRA), a specialized third-party blade laboratory, […]
In today’s market place, there are 4 primary generations of dental bonding agents. The number of steps needed to create a proper bond has been reduced generation to generation, but each generation carries its own benefits. Here’s a simple guide to each of them. 4th […]
With the market flooded with attractive ads for “new and improved” cements, the practitioner may wonder if, and when, they are worth the extra money. Since our trust in the quality and sealing ability of composite resins has grown, that has tended to flow over […]
Just when you thought it wasn’t possible for Sirona to do it again – they did. Their CEREC software update 4.4 provides what I think is a BIG GAME CHANGER when it comes to implantology – CEREC Guide 2. What Is CEREC Guide 2? CEREC […]
If navigating options for teeth whitening is making you dizzy instead of dazzled, you’re not alone. The options are endless, especially with so many new over-the-counter (OTC) teeth whitening products on the market. But teeth whitening is not black and white, and it might not […]
There are many different instruments needed for the extraction of a tooth and they vary greatly for many reasons including the number of teeth needing to be pulled, the location of the tooth within the oral cavity and the reason for the procedure. The degree […]
As a leader in providing valuable educational content to our customers, Hu-Friedy is excited to offer Implant Fundamentals, a three-part eBook series that focuses on the full life cycle of an implant. Implant Fundamentals is evidence-based and peer reviewed, making it a great resource for […]
With the onset of fall sports (football, lacrosse, soccer, etc.) make sure to remind your patient athletes that a mouthguard should be considered part of the protective equipment pickup this season! If a patient participates in organized team sports, the use of a mouthguard can […]
Managing the maintenance and compliance protocols for dental unit waterlines can be confusing, time consuming and costly … OR NOT! Many offices treat their waterlines with daily tablets; however, these protocols leave room for human error and in some cases, leave caustic chemicals behind in […]
KaVo is known for producing premium dental equipment worldwide, but you don’t have to take our word for it – you can put a variety of our products to the test with the TryKaVo program! How it works Choose a KaVo handpiece you’d like to […]
CDC, OSHA, OSAP, ADHA. These are all organizations that require dental offices to be compliant with infection control regulations. Practices that do not meet these standards are subject to hefty fines and in extreme cases, loss of license. Beyond the punitive damages that can result […]
Did you know there are 35 million children between the ages of 5 and 18 who play organized sports in the U.S.? Did you also know the parents of those children spend upwards of 5 billion dollars annually on sports equipment? Want to tap into […]
We all know that good oral healthcare begins at an early age (by age 1, if we’re following the guidelines of the American Association of Pediatric Dentistry and American Dental Association). For optimal compliance in young dental patients, a lot practices turn to products that are […]
There are several benefits to being proactive with preventive dentistry, and regular semi-annual dental cleanings are a large part of any good oral health care regime. These visits can benefit the patient in six simple ways: Prevent cavities and decay Stop tooth loss Brighten their […]
You work hard to help keep your patients’ gums and teeth clean, but let’s face it, good oral health starts at home. The products patients use after they leave your office will dictate the condition of their oral cavity for the next 6 months between […]
Dental isolation has been around for many years but in the last decade there has been new, innovative technology allowing for a more effective and efficient way to isolate the oral environment. With a combination of isolation, suction and retraction, hands-free isolation opens the door […]
National surveys have reported that 41% of children aged 2 to 11 years had dental caries in their primary teeth and 42% of those aged 6 to 19 years had caries in their permanent teeth.¹ With these large percentages of decay reported there are approximately […]
We’re really excited about endodontics here at Patterson. So excited that I wanted to share what my ideal endo tray setup would look like. Here’s what our endo tray looks like. These are fundamental needs for endo procedures, and you can save on these basic […]
All signs are pointing to the fact that this digital health trend that we’re all witnessing, maybe even experiencing, is not really a trend at all. We are well on our way to an era of mobile connectivity and personal health. By 2017, half of […]
Just like your hand scalers, ultrasonic insert tips wear with use. Worn insert tips can significantly diminish your scaling efficiency: 1 millimeter of tip loss results in a 25% loss of efficiency 2 millimeters of tip loss results in a 50% loss of efficiency Think […]
Similar to carbide and diamond burs, dental instruments present many unique combinations of shapes, sizes, applications and materials. Because of this, we knew we could create a better search experience on pattersondental.com by creating faceted search pages for instruments or, simply, the “dental instrument finder.” […]
There is often misunderstanding as to what OSHA regulates in a dental facility. OSHA, in fact, is concerned with only one thing—the safety of employees. OSHA, which is an acronym for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, was formed through an act of Congress and […]
I purchased a dental practice in August 2014. This practice has only had only one other owner who built this practice from scratch in 1982. The practice philosophy was practically etched in well-mineralized enamel (forget stone) and the patients are very loyal and wonderful people […]
With new OSHA regulations coming into play, it’s time to rethink your bulky Material Safety Data Sheet binder. New OSHA Regulation – Hazard Communication For all hazardous products, OSHA requires dental offices to maintain Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) in a place that ensures they […]