Platypus Orthodontic Toothbrush and Vortex Toothpaste — Scheduled to launch mid-May, the new Platypus Orthodontic Toothbrush by the Platypus Co. was designed by a man whose daughter wore braces and faced the challenge of biofilm control. Specifically designed to remove biofilm from around and on the orthodontic brackets, the two center rows of the toothbrush have shorter medium bristles to clean the brackets. The outer rows of bristles (one on each side) are a bit longer, concave, and soft so they curve around the sides of the brackets to remove biofilm where the brackets meet the tooth. These brushes can be viewed on their website, www.platypusco.com.
While visiting Platypusco.com, I read about their Vortex Color Changing Toothpaste. I think it’s a great product, and I want you to check it out too. This grape bubble gum flavored toothpaste changes color during brushing, encouraging kids to brush longer and more thoroughly. The developers wanted to minimize the chemical additives. So the color change is achieved by optics: dispensed in two streams of red and blue toothpaste, the colors combine, making a vivid purple while the child brushes. Vortex eliminated the foaming agent (SLS), making it possible to reduce the flavoring by 80% and the colorants by 70%, further minimizing additives. Check it out!
GC America’s MI products with Recaldent — A couple of months ago, my husband experienced a “sudden toothache.” I asked him what his pain level was on a scale of 1-10, 10 being the worst; he was at 9. I headed for my medicine cupboard to look for something to treat the unknown cause of his toothache, and I came back with a tube of MI Paste.
Dean used the MI Paste about four times per day during that weekend. By Sunday night, when I quizzed him on his pain level, he responded with a “2.” Wow! A really big wow! That certainly exceeded my expectations. While I have been a fan of MI Paste for a very long time, I am now a raving fan.
(By the way, Dean had untreatable subgingival root resorption on the buccal of No. 2, resulting in extraction.)
So, naturally, when I heard that GC America was coming out with MI Varnish with Recaldent, I was intrigued and wanted to learn more.
Between the toothache weekend and the writing of this column, I was fortunate enough to share a limo ride from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport to the downtown Chicago area with Dr. Brian Novy. We struck up a conversation about caries infection control and the newest protocols and products, including MI Varnish.
Dr. Novy is brilliant in this area. In addition to practicing dentistry and speaking, he is an assistant professor in the department of restorative dentistry at Loma Linda University (which happens to be my alma mater), where he is conducting caries infection control research. If you get a chance to hear him speak on the topic, do it; you will not be disappointed.
To quote Dr. Novy, “It takes four ingredients to accomplish the most effective remineralization results — calcium, phosphate, fluoride, and protein — and MI Varnish has all four.” MI Varnish is the only 5% sodium fluoride varnish that features the added benefit of Recaldent (CPP-ACP) technology to maximize the effectiveness of the sodium fluoride. Casein phosphopeptides (CPP), a source of protein, calcium, and phosphate, which naturally occur in milk casein, bind to teeth, dentin, oral mucosa, and biofilm. The added benefit of amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) in combination with CPP enhances enamel acid resistance and boosts salivary bioavailable fluoride levels. Binding CPP and ACP to the biofilm allows the ingredients to remain on the teeth longer, driving subsurface remineralization for more effective desensitizing results.1,2
Applying MI Varnish professionally in combination with home use of MI Paste or MI Paste Plus provides an effective system for the treatment of moderate to high caries risk as well as hypersensitivity, which is how my husband got such great pain relief.
Check out MI Varnish for yourself at www.gcamerica.com. While there, reacquaint yourself with GC America’s line of preventive and caries risk assessment products (which also include the Saliva Check Buffer kit, and the GC Tri Plaque ID Gel). These products are designed to give you a variety of treatment choices while helping your patients improve their oral health.
Johnson-Promident’s Clear Advantage Hygiene Handpiece and the Deldent JetSonic 2000M — If you are a Midwest RDH handpiece lover, or just in the market for a new handpiece, you’ll want to check out the new Clear Advantage Hygiene Handpiece recently launched by Johnson-Promident. The Clear Advantage is lightweight and ergonomic with a smooth 380-degree swivel, making it comfortable for the clinician by reducing fatigue while still providing excellent intraoral positioning and access. It features removable, autoclavable, color-coded bands for easy identification (this feature can also be added to your Midwest Handpeice). The Clear Advantage has the same design, performance, and warranty as the Midwest for half the price.
Johnson-Promident recently introduced the Deldent JetSonic 2000M combination scaler/polisher unit. This unit has built-in “sensor technology” that automatically activates either the scaling or polishing handpiece without manually switching over the equipment. I really appreciate the fact that this unit also automatically tunes both 25k and 30k inserts regardless of the manufacturer. The polishing unit features a patented polishing system that prevents nozzle clogging.
For more information about the Clear Advantage hygiene handpiece or the Deldent JetSonic 2000M, call (845) 589-0210 or visit johnsonpromident.com.
Sea buckthorn oil — Sea buckthorn is highly regarded as a powerful tonic, often referred to as “God Sent Medicine” or “Liquid Gold” in the Tibetan, Chinese, and Mongolian cultures. Also referred to as a “super fruit” to improve oral health, sea buckthorn has super antioxidant and anti-inflammatory response properties, making it immune-supportive and therefore a great addition to any oral health-care regimen.
In fact, Dr. Gerald Curatola, clinical associate professor in the division of cariology and comprehensive care at New York University’s College of Dentistry, uses sea buckthorn oil as his “secret weapon” for maintaining the oral health of his patients. The oil combats periodontal disease because of its high omega, antioxidant, and other nutritional content by helping support the immune system.3
SeabuckWonders, a division of Health King Enterprise and Balanceuticals Group, features a line of oils and soft gels. These products are made with certified USDA organic sea buckthorn that is harvested from the Himalayan region. It’s not surprising that 90% of the world’s wild sea buckthorn forests are found in this region; the climate there is perfect for the plant and its extraordinarily nutritious fruit to thrive.
The berries that grow in this area provide a higher concentration of Omega 7 than any other region due to sea buckthorn’s natural adaption to the area’s high altitude, strong ultraviolet radiation, the severe cold and heat, and sandy, barren soil.
SeabuckWonders products feature Omegas 3, 6, 7, and 9, and supplies vitamins C (15 times that of an orange), E, B1, B6, and β-carotene, amino acids and dietary minerals. They provide more than 100 bioactive elements that coincide with what bodies need to be healthy.4
For more information, go to www.SeabuckWonders.com and check out the berry oil and seed oil, which can both be used topically in the mouth.5
Sea-buckthorn oils are also used as a source for ingredients in several commercially available cosmetic products. In fact, I have one such product called SeaBuckthorn Best Skin Ever, sold by livinglibations.com. I use it as eye makeup remover and moisturizer. It has a great fragrance, a light, smooth feel, and it’s quickly absorbed into the skin.
As always, email me at [email protected] and tell me about your favorite products and how you use them.
References
1. Remineralization of enamel lesion by a novel cream with both CPP-ACP and fluoride. Kariya S, Sakaguchi Y, Sato T, Kato S, Chen L, Iijima Y. Poster session 136 – 54th Annual ORCA Congress 2007.
2. Effect of CPP-ACP paste on tooth mineralization: an FE-SEM study. Oshiro M, Yamaguchi K, Takamizawa T, Inage H, Watanabe T, Irokawa A, Ando S, Miyazaki M. Journal of Oral Science, Vol.49, No.2,1 15-120, 2007.
3. Omega-3 fatty acids prevent and may reverse gum disease naturally; NaturalNews.com November 12, 2010.
4. Wikipedia, Sea-buckthorn
5. The medicinal research and development of seabuckthorn, Mingyu X, Xiaoxuan S, Jinhua C; Xiyuan Hospital of the Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine of China, Beijing; Department of chemic engineering, Taiyuan University of Technology.
Kim Miller, RDH, BSDH, is the co-founder of PerioFrogz.com, which provides current oral-systemic research summaries and patient education downloads. She speaks internationally, provides hands-on training, writes articles and webinars, and practices dental hygiene in Redding, Calif. Contact her at [email protected].
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