Show and tell - updated

MedVisor/dental™ by Reality Engineering - Once in a great while, I get a product that I immediately know fills a void, has no competition, and will help the entire dental office staff. MedVisor/dental is one of them. The days of scribbled notes and diagrams on scratch paper and bracket table covers to explain the latest techniques in dentistry are gone. I have seen a brand new 3-D technology that will allow you to show your patients graphic simulations of diagnoses and treatment plans. Not only that, you will be able to draw or highlight anything you want, change positions of the animation to get a better look, and precisely answer patient questions. MedVisor/dental is a patient education and communication tool that translates highly technical details and procedures into easily understandable three-dimensional dental animations. These 3-D animations are unique to dentistry. You can select from an extensive portfolio of dental animations that allow you to spotlight any dental problem such as interproximal decay, the stages of periodontal disease, cracked tooth syndrome, tooth flossing, cosmetic dentistry, and anything else you can think of. If you’re thinking, “So what? I can do all these things with a lot of programs,” read on! You can add your patient’s images to the animation and show before-and-after shots. Then comes the best part. With drawing and highlighting tools, you can make your explanations of dental treatment come alive to show the patient all the benefits of your treatment plan. MedVisor/dental is an impressive interactive tool. Your entire staff will love this technology because it is quick and easy to learn and can be utilized in a variety of dental practice environments and office configurations. It can be installed in a lightweight wireless tablet PC equipped with Microsoft® Windows XP that’s completely portable. Or, it can be installed in an existing computer system using Wacom “penabled” LCDs, or with existing chair-side monitors and a Wacom electronic writing pad (or even other ways I haven’t thought of). MedVisor/dental transforms clinical information into patient understanding. After treatment consultations, you can record patients’ acknowledgements of your conversations by having them sign the screen right on the spot, and then save all the marked-up visuals and signatures to individual patient records, or print them out and send them home with patients, or both. How’s that for improved patient communication and enhanced record keeping? I can be in one room discussing implant procedures, while down the hall a hygienist is reviewing the art of brushing and flossing with a young patient and his or her parents. Reality Engineering is a privately held product development firm in Vancouver, Wash., that specializes in 3-D animations for commercial, industrial, and professional applications. Reality’s brilliant engineers have developed digital modeling solutions for such companies as Microsoft, Freightliner, Zimmer Dental, and Ortho Biotech, a Johnson & Johnson company. The future of interactive patient communication is here and waiting for you. Call (888) 338-4767 or visit their Web site at www.medvisordental.com for more information.

"The Gross, Disgusting, and Totally Cool Mouth Book" by Dr. Theordore Croll

“The Gross, Disgusting and Totally Cool Mouth Book” by Dr. Theodore Croll - Speaking of patient communication, here is another great tool. It is one book that will get your complete attention by just looking at the cover! My good friend, Dr. Ted Croll, a pediatric dentist from Doylestown, Pa., has written a guide to better health care. Dr. Ted was not getting his small patients’ attention with the usual tooth-care visuals, so he designed his own. Here is Dr. Ted’s explanation of what happened next: “A few years ago, an eight-year-old who had just been given oral hygiene instructions in my office, including viewing of some graphic photographs of oral disease conditions, told me that my pictures were ‘gross, disgusting and totally cool.’ I knew immediately that I had a noteworthy book title. I also figured if my images were impressive at 4 by 6 inches, they would be even more impressive at 9 by 12 inches. The basics of oral disease prevention are presented as a terrifying and effective teaching manual. The legends for each picture are brief, direct, and easily understood by children and adults alike. You would not believe the impact it is having on the kids and parents in my practice and in the pediatric dentistry, general dentistry, and orthodontic practices that already have a copy.” If you are a general dentist, orthodontist, or pediatric dentist, you need this book in your reception area and all your treatment rooms. A dentist friend of mine described a 23-year-old woman with rampant decay caused by the sugar water we call “soda” or “pop.” I think she would understand The Gross, Disgusting and Totally Cool Mouth Book! Order your copy by calling PRACTICON at (800) 959-9505 or online at www.practicon.com.

Crystal Mouth Mirror by Zirc - Do you know that your rhodium mirror is not giving you a true reflection? Zirc Company has just introduced the new Crystal Mirror that provides brilliance and color previously unavailable in mouth mirror technology. With this mirror you get reduced eye strain, a 99 percent color accuracy, scratch resistance, and a handle that is extremely comfortable to hold. No special care is required; the mirror is autoclavable with the rest of your instruments. Order the Crystal mouth mirror by calling Zirc Company at (800) 328-3899 or visit Zirc at www.zirc.com for more information.

IntraFlow™ HTP by Intravantage - Now you can numb a tooth in one step. The IntraFlow system is the only one-step anesthesia delivery technology that is immediate, reliable, and eliminates facial numbness and patient discomfort during and after dental procedures. How many times have you had a patient return with a lip or tongue chewed up because of lingering numbness? With IntraFlow, anesthetic is isolated to the targeted tooth with no lingering numbness. Patients resume daily activities immediately. It can improve your productivity because anesthesia is immediate; there is no waiting for it to take effect. I can safely say you will save five to 12 minutes per patient. Wow! You could probably take time off with that kind of time savings. In addition, you can treat more than one quadrant per visit so you will not need follow-up visits. The system is great for cosmetic dentistry because you can give anesthetic without numbing the lips. The company has an online training course on intraosseous technique. The course is ADA/CERP approved for four continuing education credits. Order from your dealer or visit www.intraflow.com for more information.

Crystal Mouth Mirror by Zirc — Do you know that your rhodium mirror is not giving you a true reflection? Zirc Company has just introduced the new Crystal Mirror that provides brilliance and color previously unavailable in mouth mirror technology. With this mirror you get reduced eye strain, a 99 percent color accuracy, scratch resistance, and a handle that is extrememely comfortable to hold. No special care is required; the mirror is autoclavable with the rest of your instruments. Order the Crystal mouth mirror by calling Zirc Company at (800) 328--3899 or visit Zirc at www.zirc.com for more information.

IntraFlow HTP by Intravantage

IntraFlow™ HTP by Intravantage— Now you can numb a tooth in one step. The IntraFlow system is the only one-step anesthesia delivery technology that is immediate, reliable, and eliminates facial numbness and patient discomfort during and after dental procedures. How many times have you had a patient return witha a lip or tongue chewed up because of lingering numbness? With IntraFlow, anesthetic is isolated to the targeted tooth with no lingering numbness. Patients rdesume daily activities immediately. It can improve your productivity because anesthesia is immediate; there is no waiting for it to take effect. I can safely say you will save five to 12 mintes per patient. Wow! You could probably take time off with that kind of time savings. In addition, you can treat more than one quadrant per visit so you will not need follow-up visits. The system is great for cosmetic dentistry because you can give anesthetic without numbing the lips. The company has an online training course on intraosseous technique. The course is ADA/CERP approved for four continuing education credits. Order from your dealer or visit www.intraflow.com for more information.