Here they are—the celebrated winners of the 2020 Cellerant Best of Class Technology Awards. Normally the ceremony is held at the American Dental Association’s (ADA) Annual Conference behind velvet ropes in a part of the exhibit hall that has been nicknamed “Best of Class Alley.” It’s full of glitz and glamour, pomp and circumstance. Product managers and company executives take photos with awards in one hand and champagne in the other. Presiding over the affair is the CEO of the Cellerant Consulting Group (and a member of the Dental Economics Editorial Advisory Board) Lou Shuman, DDS, who created the awards more than a decade ago. Since there won’t be any in-person celebrations or exhibitions at dental meetings this year, I recommend that you seek out online or in-office demonstrations so you can see the winners firsthand.
These awards are not given lightly. To be Best of Class means that a scrutinizing group of dentists—Drs. Paul Feuerstein, Marty Jablow, Pamela Maragliano-Muniz, John Flucke, and yours truly—selected the technology as being truly outstanding in the field. Traditionally, on the Friday evening of the Chicago Midwinter Meeting, this intrepid group deliberates into the early hours of the morning about why one scanner should win over another, or why a whole class of technologies should not have a winner at all. The debate can get heated, but fortunately the panelists leave their arguments at the door and return home as friends.
The end result of these passionate discussions is the list you see here. You will be familiar with some of these companies and products. But pay close attention to the Emerging Winners, typically newer and smaller companies whose innovations may not be on your radar yet.
2020 Best of Class Award Winners with judges’ comments
Carestream Dental—CS 9600
“The CS 9600 has excellent imaging and unique patient positioning. There are several fields of view with high-resolution imaging, making it suitable for a range of dental specialties. It uses video cameras to aid in patient positioning. Digital, interactive guides are projected onto the patient’s face on an integrated touch-screen interface that then walks the user through the positioning process.” —Dr. Paul Feuerstein
Dentsply Sirona—Primescan
“The CAD/CAM space is constantly changing, but the new features and software of Primescan put it in the Best of Class. Our focus is on the scanner itself, which has added accuracy, greater depth of field, ability to scan well into sulci, and speed. Even at shallow angles, Primescan is able to take highly accurate digital impressions of virtually the whole tooth surface, usually capturing it in the first pass.” —Dr. Paul Feuerstein
3Shape—Trios 4
“[This is] the best intraoral scanner 3Shape offers. It sets the standard for intraoral scanning—the only wireless intraoral scanner, making it easy to take between ops. Caries detection and wear detection give you enhanced diagnostics to better treat your patients. One scanner with multiple use cases is why Trios 4 is Best of Class.” —Dr. Marty Jablow
Shofu—EyeSpecial
“The EyeSpecial is designed to grab the specific types of photos that we need in dentistry, while still having the simple usability of a point-and-shoot camera. Shofu has done an amazing job of combining a tremendous high-quality photo platform with the simplicity of a camera that anyone can learn to use in under 10 minutes.” —Dr. John Flucke
Bien-Air—iOptima
“Bien-Air iOptima systems set the standard for electric handpieces. Whether for restorative, endodontics, or implants, the precision handpieces, motors, and controllers make doing dentistry easier. With the introduction of iOptimaINT, any dental unit can be upgraded to a fully integrated electric system for increased efficiency and infection control.” —Dr. Marty Jablow
Tokuyama—Omnichroma
“Omnichroma is a Best of Class winner because it offers an esthetic solution for many restorative indications. It allows the dentist to get a perfect shade match most of the time, without having to maintain an extensive inventory of composite. It’s not only esthetic, it also handles and polishes well. It’s a home run for direct restoratives!” —Dr. Pamela Maragliano-Muniz
exocad—ChairsideCAD
“exocad ChairsideCAD is the first complete open-architecture CAD software platform for single-visit dentistry. Easy integration with most intraoral scanners, along with step-by-step instruction for CAD design, makes fabricating restorations in-house or sending to your favorite lab simple. The default standard for many mills, printers, and scanners.” —Dr. Marty Jablow
Apex Dental Materials—PinkWave
Emerging Winner
“The PinkWave curing light from Apex is turning heads because of its characteristic pink-light emission and elegant design. But its place as a Best of Class technology [winner] is also because of its patented QuadWave Technology. PinkWave emits four different wavelengths, which allows for better polymerization, less shrinkage, and decreased postoperative sensitivity, among other benefits.” —Dr. Chris Salierno
Smart Mirror Dental—SmartMirror
Emerging Winner
“The SmartMirror is Best of Class because there isn’t anything out there like it! It’s a mirror that contains 36 LEDs: the oral cavity is illuminated very well, and the mirror can record real-time videos. This provides a modern, innovative approach to patient education. In addition, the mirror can record dictations that can automatically integrate with a patient’s electronic health record. This is truly the mirror of the future!” —Dr. Pamela Maragliano-Muniz
Apteryx—XVWeb
“Apteryx XVWeb is your cloud-based solution to imaging. This open-architecture software allows for easy integration with your current imaging hardware from 2-D to 3-D to intraoral scans. It offers flexibility along with the security you demand for your imaging. Easy integration with practice management software and access to images from anywhere with an internet connection makes XVWeb Best of Class.” —Dr. Marty Jablow
Nobio Ltd.—Infinix
Emerging Winner
“The idea is simple, while the science is pure genius. Nobio has developed a chemical with antibacterial properties and incorporated it into Infinix composite. Most composite restorations last just five to seven years due to recurrent caries at the restoration-tooth interface. Infinix solves that problem by basically killing any bacteria that comes in contact with the restoration.” —Dr. John Flucke
Dentulu
“Dentulu is a teledentistry and mobile dentistry platform. It allows dentists to connect with dentists, patients to connect with dentists, and patients or dentists to connect with other industry professionals in an affordable, secure application. Dentulu is on a HIPAA-compliant platform that enables you to safely exchange patient x-rays, images, and chats. This includes live video calls and appointment scheduling.” —Dr. Paul Feuerstein
SleepArchiTx
“Many dentists have dabbled in treating sleep-disordered breathing, only to get in over their heads clinically or get frustrated getting medical benefit coverage. SleepArchiTx streamlines the diagnostic, treatment, and payment processes by training your entire team and providing a turnkey workflow playbook.” —Dr. Chris Salierno
MMG Fusion—MMG ChairFill
“An empty operatory chair means lost revenue and lost opportunities to serve your patients. Contacting patients and filling that chair time is laborious and inefficient. ChairFill by MMG Fusion automates this process and allows for customizable campaigns to incentivize patients to fill your schedule.” —Dr. Chris Salierno
YAPI
“YAPI is a standout because it is a software solution that cleans up many inefficiencies in a dental practice. It allows offices to be truly paperless; no more scanning or having to take extra steps to integrate paperwork. In addition, communication within the office and with patients has never been more effective. When offices are efficient and communicating, clinicians can provide more personalized care.” —Dr. Pamela Maragliano-MunizMouthWatch—TeleDent
Emerging Winner
“TeleDent is the communication arm of MouthWatch. First in the industry, it is a HIPAA-compliant secure portal to allow secure patient messaging, live video conferencing, cloud collaboration, and more. TeleDent enables remote treatment planning, supervision, and collaboration in real time and asynchronously. There is also a portal to securely store and share case information and images.” —Dr. Paul Feuerstein
Simplifeye—Amplify
“Amplify is a digital concierge service provided by a live human who communicates to website visitors through a dedicated chat window. The Amplify service runs 24/7/365 and can be delivered in multiple languages. The concierge collects the information to schedule the patient, and the chat transcript is available. Amplify sets the office apart and increases the number of quality appointments made.” —Dr. John Flucke
Weave
“Weave uses the internet to perform office communications, allowing practices to securely use the HIPAA-compliant Weave app to text patients. You can also call or text patients from a personal device using the app to appear as if you are communicating from your office. Weave also connects to practice management software to provide the front desk with patient information as soon as the phone rings.” —Dr. John Flucke
Emerging Winner
“BruxRelief helps dentists diagnose and treat bruxism without having to wait for signs of tooth wear. Patients wear a comfortable headband for a few nights, while a smartphone app captures data on their clenching and grinding habits. Dentists can prescribe more night guards and other therapies with greater patient buy-in and diagnostic confidence.” —Dr. Chris Salierno
