The Dental Pod® from Zima Dental™ is an ultrasonic cleaning machine designed to remove plaque build up and eliminate bacteria and viruses from dental appliances. It cleans by using high-frequency 42,000 hz ultrasonic waves that vibrate the cleaning solution (water and a Dental Pod® tablet ) and produce millions of nano-scale bubbles (cavitation). The Dental Pod® is intended to clean a wide range of appliances including aligners, retainers, mouth guards, and dentures.
BeforeAfter
Initial Insights
Very small size device, does not take up space on my counter.
Really quiet, barely knew it was on.
Tablets did a nice job cleaning and did not leave a residual taste on my appliance.
Would be nice if battery powered; cord limits placement.
Dr. Marks’s HyGenie® with DentalFresh® cleansing gel, is a cleaning system for removable dental appliances. It is designed to clean and store orthodontic retainers and aligners, occlusal splints, sports mouth guards, sleep appliances, and dentures. Available from Whip Mix®, the Appliance Kit includes one HyGenie® device and two DentalFresh® cleansing gels (50ml). The Denture Kit includes an additional SureGrip® brush.
Appliance seats easily on to the bristles Cleansing gel is soap-based with a pH of 5Opposing brushes have ten separate brush clustersPerforated casing allows for ventilation and dry storage of appliances
Initial Insights
Great design of bristles locking in for maximum scrubbing! It really allowed my appliances to seat in the device and feel as though they were really getting clean.
Very easy to use.
My night guard tasted fresh and minty after cleaning.
The gel viscosity could be a little thicker.
The addition of a tartar and stain removing gel would be great for tenacious deposits.
Keep an eye out for this product in an upcoming issue of DENTAL ADVISOR!
Needles pose a great danger if their caps are dropped or go missing, and even recapping can lead to needlesticks. Orabloc Needlestick Safety System from Pierrel Pharma is a hands free, counter-top needle recapper created to combat this problem. The needle is simply pushed into the opening, which caps it with a brightly-colored capsule. The now-capped needle is withdrawn, and a spring inside the system pushes the opening to the next capsule. Once the needle is removed from the syringe, the opposing end can also be capped. There are 100 protective capsules in each system.
A funnel guides the needle right to the capsules
It works well with short needles, too
Initial Insights
The caps stay right on the needle so they don’t fall off or get lost.
There’s a plastic coating that keeps the needle from going all the way through.
The color-coding is really nice to let you know when you’re running low on capsules.
I would love to see a smaller size footprint!
Keep an eye out for this product in an upcoming issue of DENTAL ADVISOR!
Mojave Mobile is a self-contained, portable evacuation system. Weighing just 85lbs, the unit is very easy to move between operatories. Aside from use in mobile dentistry, Mojave Mobile can also be used in practices where HVE is not available for hygiene. The unit contains two HVE lines, a saliva ejector line, and an integrated amalgam separator. It includes disposable traps. Maintenance is simple: run water through between each patient, then run suction line cleaner once each day.
Smooth surfaces are easy to clean
Hygienist favorite
Hygienist utilizing Mojave Mobile during a procedure
Initial Insights
The hoses make the HVE and saliva ejector so much lighter than our current hoses and valves.
The unit is sleek and compact, it rolls really easily, and can be positioned quickly.
Surfaces are smooth and aseptic, very easy to clean.
Keep an eye out for this product in an upcoming issue of DENTAL ADVISOR!
The 3M™ Versaflo™ PAPR is a powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) that offers an alternative to N95 respirators. The air pump is worn around the waist and attaches to a hood via a flexible tube. Air flows from the pump into the hood, inflating it and defogging the clear shield at its front. It is designed to keep the user’s face cool and allow for a wide view of their work area. There are two options for hoods/headpieces, with or without a shroud, and two sizes, small/medium or large in the non-shrouded headpiece.
Non-shrouded headpiece
Shrouded hood
Initial Insights
Compared to other PAPRs I’ve worn, this was much lighter. I didn’t feel a strain on my neck.
It’s a much more comfortable alternative to the N95. If I had to choose an N95 or this, I’d choose this in a heartbeat.
Position the battery pack to the side if you have a stool with a backrest.
I’m not sure yet of the practicality in a busy hygiene schedule.
Keep an eye out for this product in a future issue of DENTAL ADVISOR!
The nice thing about when I was a dental assistant was that no one was afraid of me. Now that I am a dentist, when I walk in the room patients look at me like I am a needle wielding maniac… until they get to know me. We advertise painless dentistry, but the injection is still a huge source of fear for our patients.
One technique to minimize injection pain is to give the anesthetic slowly. There have been a couple of computerized systems on the market that give the anesthetic at a slow pace for us. They also have a look that is unfamiliar to patients, so (even thought we try to hide it) they do not get that spike in blood pressure if they sneak a peak. Until now these systems have been clunky machines that take up counter space and have a bunch of wires, hoses, and a foot control.
Recently, we received Dentapen® (Septodont) at the Dental Advisor. This electronic syringe is cordless and battery operated. All the controls are on the handle, so no foot control necessary. You use your own needles and anesthetic carpules as usual. It has 3 injection speeds and 2 modes – continuous flow or gradual increase.
Dentapen dispensing anesthetic at slowest setting
Box contents
Two styles, traditional and pen grasp
Putting a carpule into Dentapen
Dentapen assembled
Dispensing anesthetic with traditional syringe handle (my preference)
Dispensing anesthetic with pen-style handle
What were the Initial Insights of the Dental Advisor team and our editorial board? – Super light weight! – Easy to assemble and we like that you can use your own anesthetic and carpules. – It takes kind of a long time to reverse after administering the carpule, so if you want to administer more then one carpule you have to sit and wait. – Comes with 2 extra batteries in the container, which makes us wonder about battery life.
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!
