We’ve all been there. You go over a treatment plan with your patient… they have tons of restorative work that needs to be done and horrible perio. You got out the models, showed them their radiographs, and yet what is the first question they ask after you review everything? Can I whiten my teeth first? Patients just plain want whiter teeth. But what about patients that are also concerned about chemicals and want all natural ingredients?
At the Dental Advisor, we recently received natural-ingredient Whitening Strips (Oral Essentials®). These whitening strips use a patent-pending formulation of coconut oil, lemon peel oil and sage oil, combined with Dead Sea salt (which contains minerals such as calcium, phosphate, and manganese)… no peroxide. According to the manufacturer, this formulation will whiten teeth in 30 minute sessions without sensitivity, and are ultra enamel-friendly. These strips have been on the market for several years now and the whitening strips are reported by the company to be the first in the industry to be clinically tested for use on porcelain crowns, veneers and composite restorations.
Complete contents of Whitening Strips package
Whitening Strips out of foil pouch
Holding up Whitening Strips to mouth (I love testing products but I am allergic to coconut so I was not going to try them on! LOL)
What were the Initial Insights of the Dental Advisor team? – First thing you notice when you open the package is how good they smell. – The had a lot of stick to them, can see that they would likely not slip around much on the teeth. – Maybe a bit too sticky… had a set fold over on itself and could not get it to unadhere to itself. Had better luck with the next set.
What do our Clinical Evaluators and their patients think about this product once it’s used in their offices? Look for a possible clinical evaluation in an upcoming issue!
Crown and bridge are a bread and butter procedure in most general dental offices. I want these procedures to be as predictable as possible; however, each clinical situation presents its own challenges. Different situations require different retraction and hemostasis needs. This is especially true in today’s digital dentistry world where gingival retraction is especially important to obtain clear margins on your scans.
Here at the Dental Advisor, we recently received Take 1 Retraction Paste (Kerr). This retraction paste is available in two viscosities. The Low Viscosity is recommended as an adjunct to your traditional two cord technique. The High Viscosity is recommended in situations where you can use it without the need for a cord. This paste contains 15% aluminum chloride and kaolin clay that provides hemostatis as well as gentle retraction. For further retraction they include retraction caps in the kit as well.
Take 1 Retraction Paste claims are that it is gentle, yet effective retraction and hemostasis in as little as 2 minutes (with a maximum of 10 minutes). They say it is easy to clean up with water and air spray without residue. Both materials can fit in any standard composite gun.
Two viscosities
Low viscosity being injected around model tooth
High viscosity being injected around model tooth
Enclosed retraction caps
High viscosity in standard composite gun
Low viscosity in standard composite gun
What were the Initial Insights of the Dental Advisor team and our editorial board? – When expressing the low viscosity we were surprised at just how easy it extruded from the gun. It is very easy to extrude and place. – You will have no troubles reaching the distal of tooth #2 with the high viscosity! The additional tip adds a significant amount of length to the compule. – If you have used other retraction caps that were like very dense cotton rolls, you will notice a significant difference with the retraction caps included in this kit. They are very firm and more like a stiff foam material. We can see them firmly compressing that material into the sulcus and adding additional retraction. – We tried a variety of composite guns and the material fit in all of the styles we had with no problem.
What do our Clinical Evaluators and their patients think about this product once it’s used in their offices? Look for our clinical evaluation in an upcoming issue!
When doing in-office whitening, having the proper gingival barrier is just as important as having a great whitening material. Nothing sours a patient’s feeling on their whitening treatment more than burnt gingival tissues.
Here at the Dental Advisor, we recently received Armor LC resin-based, light cured, protective gingival barrier (Mavrik Dental Systems Ltd.). What’s unique about this product? It has a foaming component. This is designed to allow a slight expansion into those nooks and crannies at the gingival margin that your barrier might be missing.
Armor LC syringe
Applying Armor LC
Removing Armor LC
What were the Initial Insights of the Dental Advisor team? – When it said “foaming” we were expecting something very different. It still comes out of the tip gelatinous, which allowed for easy placement. – The foaming is slight, we could see it as just enough to expand into sulcular areas. – Cured quickly and peeled off easily.
What do our Clinical Evaluators and their patients think about this product once it’s used in their offices? Look for a possible clinical evaluation in an upcoming issue!
