Clinician’s Corner – Equipment That Makes Me Happy

Clinician’s Corner – Educational Content for Clinical Directors,
Chief Dental Officers, Clinical Boards and the Entire Clinical Team.

Written by Dr. Mike Miyasaki, Chief Dental Officer, Miyasaki Dental
Sponsored by Vista Apex

Today, surveys are showing us that dentists are working longer hours, but because of the rising cost of operating their practices and dependency on insurance reimbursement dentists’ incomes are declining. At the same time, burnout in dentistry is on the rise, which is no surprise, working harder, making less, and trying to stay in business is stressful. To enjoy dentistry more and be more profitable the key I have found is not to work more but to use value-priced products that help you do a better job in less time. Vista Apex Dental Materials develops innovations in restorative and endodontic dentistry, and I use them daily. These products help make my clinical job easier, more efficient, and more profitable decreasing my stress.

PinkWave™ LED Curing Light

Almost everything we do in dentistry involves curing something, otherwise you are waiting for something to self-cure, a time waster. The PinkWave™ LED curing light was designed to make curing fast and predictable. It is ergonomic and lightweight, and powerful in so many ways.

For a curing light to be effective it needs an adequate output of energy and the PinkWave™ has us covered with 1,515 mW/cm² Standard mode and over 1,720 mW/cm² in the Boost mode. It is also the only light that has four wavelengths (UV, blue, red and near infrared) so everything I have in my office will cure completely. Speaking of power the PinkWave™ has been shown to cure materials up to an amazing 8.5 mm deep. Now why don’t we like to cure material too deep? Shrinkage stress. This stress can form when curing and may lead to post-op sensitivity. But research shows the PinkWave™ can decrease shrinkage stress by 26%. How? It is the unique near-infrared wavelength that activates the molecules so as the resin cures there is less stress in the material.

There are so many other features I appreciate. The built-in transilluminator helps me find cracks or decay making this light a diagnostic workhorse. And it has a large diameter lens, 12.1 mm, which means faster curing since the teeth are completely covered by the lens. There are an assortment of light guides. One helps with transillumination, one helps create tighter interproximal contacts and one is a 2 mm tacking tip. When seating restorations with light cured or dual-cure cements the cement filled restoration can be seated, and held down while I tack the cement for 5 seconds with the 2 mm tacking tip at the restorative margin on the buccal or lingual. This secures the restoration so it doesn’t move, but leaves all the other excess cement uncured. I then remove the excess cement and floss the contacts and then I come back and cure all the cement. This saves me a ton of clean up time, and time is money.

EndoUltra^® Cordless Ultrasonic Activator

Another lost revenue source in many general practices is doing root canals. Why don’t more GP’s enjoy root canals? Because some fail to heal. And why do they fail to heal? Residual pulp material in the canals is a very common reason. Metal files leave much of the root canal system untouched. The solution is literally solutions. Typically, clinicians use a combination of sodium hypochlorite, EDTA, and, maybe, Chlorhexidine. The irrigants have many purposes, such as, lubricating the canals, suspending debris, dissolving the tissue, disinfecting the canal, removing the smear layer allowing for better sealing of the canals.

The effectiveness of irrigating with these solutions is enhanced by activating them. Adding activation of the irrigation solutions to get into the nooks and crannies of the tooth is a practice that is proven, and makes sense. Activation stirs the pot, so to speak, pushing the irrigants laterally, shaking the solution to create much cleaner canals resulting in more successful endodontic procedures. Would you feel you were going get your clothes their cleanest by putting your laundry in still, soapy water. Wouldn’t you feel better if the water was agitated, mixing the solution into the fibers of the material. That is what Vista Apex’s cordless EndoUltra^® Ultrasonic Activator research shows. It does better than any other activator to enhance the antibacterial action of the irrigants and remove more debris.

Operating at frequencies up to 40,000 Hz it is 200 times more powerful than sonic devices. It allows for more effective irrigation with ultrasonic energy that moves the solutions into those areas the files miss with its acoustic streaming and cavitation to enhance the cleaning and remove the vapor lock at the apex that can prevent adequate irrigant action where it counts most. Using anything else is like using your grandmother’s laundry washboard (I remember washing with her) to get your clothes clean. The EndoUltra^® activator saves clinician time and increases the success of our endodontic treatment.

Impact Air 45^®

Another source of revenue are tooth extractions, and periodontal and endodontic surgery. But for these it is not recommended to use a restorative handpiece as its air exhaust and mist spray can blow air and bacteria into the tissue where the surgery is performed. This can lead to air emphysema and infections. The last piece of equipment to discuss in this article avoids these problems with its unique design.

The Impact Air 45^® Highspeed Handpiece has a name that has been recognized as the gold standard in rear exhaust handpieces used for intra-oral surgical procedures. I like that the Impact Air 45^® has its 45^o angled head which allows for maximum access and visibility. When doing surgical procedures other ‘must haves’ are the handpiece has to have more than adequate torque, not blow debris or air into the tissue and direct the irrigant as a pure jet, not a mist, into the surgical area to avoid problems. Of course, you can get the Impact Air 45^® with fiberoptic illumination for increased visibility. Many of us have known this handpiece for a long time as a proven piece of dependable equipment to accomplish surgery safely.

Conclusion

Want to be a hero? Purchase these three pieces of small equipment and have a more profitable practice. Another key to increasing your clinical efficiency using the PinkWave™, EndoUltra^® and Impact Air 45^® is to take the time to train your team so they understand why and how using these few things will help to improve the quality of your dentistry and efficiency. Try these products and give me feedback on your thoughts.

About the author
Dr. Michael A. Miyasaki is a 1987 graduate of the University of the Southern California School of Dentistry, and has always maintained a practice focusing on comprehensive, minimally-invasive aesthetic restorative dentistry and function. With over two decades of clinical and teaching experience, Dr. Miyasaki has established himself as a leading figure in the world of dentistry and continues to educate his peers and patients for the optimal patient experience. His numerous accolades are a testament of his dedication and Sacramento Magazine just announced Miyasaki Dental as a “Top Dentist” and “The Face of Lifetime Dental Health.” Read Dr. Miyasaki’s other articles:

• Steps to Ensure Your Zirconia Stays on the Tooth
• Increased Efficacy and Efficiency During Endodontics Can be Win-Win for Our Patients and Our Practice