Varnish pen is a stroke of genius
Young Dental introduced a brand new “varnish pen” at the RDH Under One Roof conference. If you were unable to stop by the Young booth to pick up a sample of this innovative varnish application system, visit varnishpen.com for a free sample.
The Young Varnish Pen is a convenient, all-in-one system that allows quick and easy varnish application with a simple twist and gentle press (see photo). No more mess, no more mixing, no more double dipping, or fussing with sticky packaging! This mess-free varnish “contra-angled” pen allows for quick application of 5% NaF. It really is a stroke of genius! For more information, visit youngdental.com or contact your dealer to order.
Diamine fluoride
Elevate Oral Care has a full line of innovative preventive care products. Recently added to this lineup is the first and only 2.5% NaF varnish available in the United States known as Advantage Arrest Silver Diamine Fluoride (SDF). In October, the FDA granted Elevate Oral Care its Breakthrough Therapy Designation that indicates the recognition of caries as a serious, life-threatening disease and that SDF research shows promise.
Silver diamine fluoride has been used extensively around the globe for decades. According to the manufacturer, Advantage Arrest offers the following benefits:
- Provides immediate relief from dentinal hypersensitivity
- Kills pathogenic organisms
- Hardens softened dentin making it more acid and abrasion resistant
- Does not stain sound dentin or enamel
- Can provide important clinical feedback due to its potential to stain visible or hidden lesions
Advantage Arrest silver diamine fluoride is now available in unit-dose ampules, each containing enough material to treat up to five sites. The original 8 mL economy-size bottle is also available. Advantage Arrest is an FDA regulated prescription medical device and is only available for purchase and administration by a licensed healthcare professional. Call (877) 866-9113 for more information, or visit elevateoralcare.com.
Dental healing aid
Armor Dental Corp. was founded in 2013 by Cherie Le Penske, CEO, and Dr. Katherine Haltom, chief clinical officer and renowned oral surgeon for over 30 years in the Boston area. Their team is passionately committed to improving patient care once the patient leaves the dental office by empowering their own home recovery with helpful products, clinical data, and superior customer service.
Armor Dental recently launched Mouth-Mate, a patented dental healing aid device for patients’ home use. The product allows patients who have had oral surgery and other dental procedures to brush their teeth without disturbing the surgical site. The product comes with four adjustable tips of different sizes and shapes that are used to cover or retract the oral wound area. According to the manufacturer patient benefits include:
- Pain-free brushing while protecting and not disrupting the surgical area
- Reduce inflammation, swelling, infections, and improve healing at home
- Heal faster and help patients get back to their normal routine
- Eliminate fear of brushing near a wound and thoroughly brush to preserve dental work
- Please visit armor-dental.com for more information and to view their patient videos and testimonials.
Simplified Electric Tooth Brushing
Simon Enever, founder and CEO of Quip, came up with the idea of a new brushing paradigm after he experienced an eye-opening checkup in 2012. He discovered he was causing irreversible damage to his mouth by brushing the wrong way. Simon was not alone. His dentist explained that most people have bad brushing techniques, brush too hard, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10518854 for too short a time, don’t change their brush heads every three months as recommended, and a surprising 50% don’t even brush twice per day.
Simon and his team set out to help people consistently adopt better brushing habits through guidance and inspiration. The result was Quip. The first modern, online oral care service, designed to inspire, guide, and automate good brushing habits through beautifully designed products and simple services.
Quip’s first product is an electric toothbrush that, according to the manufacturer, improves technique, inspires brushing, simplifies routines, automates upkeep, and includes the following benefits and features:
- Vibrating bristles/pulse timer: Quip’s soft bristles vibrate to help patients brush softer and better. A two-minute timer with 30-second interval pulses guides patients around their mouths.
- Slim, silent design: This electric toothbrush is a quarter of the size of most on the market, silent in use, and crafted from materials such brushed aluminum.
- Wireless mount doubles as travel cover: Quip includes a unique wireless mount that suctions to mirrors to remove the clutter and bulky wired charging stands. This mount can pop off to double as a travel cover so you can take your favorite brush everywhere.
- Optional subscription service: For $5 quarterly, including free shipping, Quip sends a fresh brush head (and for $5 extra, an anticavity toothpaste).
Quip is focused on creating the best dental product range to help patients with all aspects of at home care. Quip’s website is slated to become an oral health advice hub and will start to use its patient-professional connection service to help dental practices attract new patients and better communicate with and incentivize existing patients to schedule regular dental hygiene visits and follow through with professional recommendations.
The price point for Quip is a reasonable $25 for the plastic version and $40 for the metal version. Visit getquip.com.
Farm to pharmacy
For several years, I have enjoyed using a variety of organic and handcrafted products created by Anima Mundi Apothecary. Their “farm to pharmacy” company vision is to preserve the art of ancient botanical traditions by incorporating vital techniques derived from rainforest tribal herbalism, Ayurveda and daoist medicine.
In addition to creating a unique mineralizing tooth polish formula, Anima Mundi also crafts medicinal elixirs, tonics and herbs, applying biodynamic techniques by following astrological calendrics within every production. This process ensures that all elements within the herb are fully extracted providing a truly holistic formulation.
The raw, vegan botanical tooth polish is literally a “living plant paste” filled with enzymes, minerals, and probiotics in their natural state. The nutritional tooth polish is fluoride- and gluten-free, and contains the following ingredients: bentonite and white clay for detoxifying; organic antimicrobial coconut and neem oils, clove, and myrrh extracts to boost oral ecology; and organic peppermint essential oil for a fresh minty taste.
Up until recently, the tooth polish was only available in a jar; I definitely prefer the tube, although the consistency is a bit thinner that you might expect a paste to be. Check it out today at animamundi.com.
As always, email me at [email protected] with your favorite or new products you would like to see reviewed here. RDH
KIM MILLER, RDH, BSDH, is the co-founder of PerioFrogz.com, an information-based website providing free current oral-systemic research summaries and patient education downloads. Kim is also a coach with Inspired Hygiene, delivering customized hands-on training. She speaks internationally, writes articles and webinars, and enjoys clinical dental hygiene. Kim lives in Arizona and welcomes you to contact her at [email protected].
