Change a smile —change a life!

by Joe Blaes

Here I am — on the road again — on a plane between St. Louis and Atlanta. Planes have become more uncomfortable since 9/11. Gone are many of the big planes with their comfy seats. More common now are the small jets and the even smaller jet props. I am sitting (uncomfortably) in an EMB145, trying to find a way to type on my computer with so little space between the seats.

Travel has really picked up with all the meetings I have had scheduled in the past couple of weeks. I have presented courses in El Paso, Texas; Springfield, Mo.; and Madison, Wisc. I also attended the American Dental Association meeting in Orlando, Fla.

At the ADA meeting, several show stoppers were on the exhibit floor. Since so much medical surgery is being done via a TV screen, I often have wondered why this technology has not come to dentistry. I found such a system on the exhibit floor! Imagine a high-resolution endoscopic camera, located above the patient's mouth, with the ability to put an enlarged image of a tooth on a plasma screen monitor. Your head is up in a comfortable position as you look at the screen and prep the tooth. You will no longer need loupes or microscopes to magnify teeth. I have ordered mine, and I cannot wait to use it and report back to you on how well it works. The company is Heads Up Dentistry and you may visit the Web site at www.headsupdentistry.com.

Ivoclar Vivadent launched the Empress Esthetic Cover Model Mania at the ADA meeting. This unique campaign is identifying Empress smile makeovers that best demonstrate the manner in which changing a smile can transform someone's life. The four-month-long search invites dentists and laboratories to enter their patients in the competition for a chance to be one of the next Empress Cover models. A panel of judges — with varied backgrounds in the dental and fashion industries — will select the winners who best represent the style of an Empress smile. Entry forms are available from any of the certified Empress centers located in North America, or you may download them from the company's product Web site at www.GetEmpress.com.

These forms request information about the clinical aspects of the case, before and after images, the patient's background, and the impact the smile makeover has had on the patient's life. Empress cases must be entered in the competition between October and January 2005. The deadline for entries is Jan. 15, 2005. Here is your chance to be recognized for the great service that you do for your patients — "Change a Smile — Change a Life!"

The winners of the Empress Esthetic Cover Model Mania will be announced at an industry event to be held during the 2005 Chicago Midwinter Meeting. The talents of the cover models, their dentists, and their dental laboratories will be showcased at the meeting. Additionally, the new Empress cover models will be featured in the 2005 Empress print advertisements. Log on to GetEmpress.com now to get started.

As I travel this wonderful country of ours, I keep seeing more and more examples of how great our profession really is. We should hold our heads high and be proud of the services we provide for our fellow man. Thanksgiving is a time of family and friends, and eating and football. Take a few minutes on Thanksgiving to reflect on how lucky we are, and then give thanks to our Creator for all He has given us.