Air Polishing, Pregnant Patients, and Keeping 'Warm'

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Other articles by Kim Miller

• Suction mirror, sharpening
• Flossing just got fun and brushing just got better!
• Oral health tools for tots

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by Kim Miller, RDH, BSDH

Acteon Air-N-Go

Have you tried your hand at subgingival air polishing yet? If not, you might want to request a demo and give this unit a try. The single handpiece is actually a dual purpose air polisher with the Supra version (blue chamber) for effective and painless polishing and the Perio version (green chamber) to treat periodontal disease and peri-implantitis subgingivally.

According to the manufacturer, Air-N-Go's handpiece has an unique ergonomic design with three nozzle angles. The options are 120-degree and 90-degree angles for supragingival air polishing and a 20-degree nozzle, which slides into the pocket adapting to all sides of the tooth or implant, for subgingival application. Additional features and benefits include:

• Two exchangeable heads
• "Stop Powder" function, which allows rinsing of the treated area as well as a way to rinse the device before sterilization
• Easy to prepare powder tanks with "Clip-N-Go" connector system
• Autoclavable nozzle, head, and front plastic body
• Three types of powder: Classic, Pearl, and Perio

Check out the Air-N-Go at www.acteonusa.com.

Prenatal Oral Health

I am so happy to inform you that the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Dentistry recently announced the launch of a new website devoted to "improving the health of every woman, fetus, and child." Prenatal Oral Health Program (pOHP) also hopes to encourage providers to deliver essential preventive oral health services during pregnancy by using pOHP as a model of care.

Let me encourage you to go to the website and register for free. Once registered, you can view the dashboard, which has four categories to choose from:

• Training videos/material for providers, including CE
• Step-by-step presentation for expectant mothers
• Forms for clinical practice
• Resources, including research articles, screening tools, follow-up and referral cards

There are some great resources available as we help "moms to be" understand the importance of their oral health. Please support this effort by take advantage of pOHP. Learn more and register today at www.prenataloralhealth.org.

Introducing the Interdental Brush Buyer's Club

The brainchild of Dr. Paul Crane, the Interdental Brush Buyer's Club is a place where patients can actually find the exact interdental brush their dental professional is recommending. Using the doctor's referral code, the patient saves 5% off their order with an additional 5% off for recurring shipments. In addition, IBBC links the patients' purchase to the dental office that recommended the patient to the site, which allows tracking and credit offerings to the professional so they never have to buy samples again.

my observation, as a periodontist, that interdental brushes are superior to other interproximal aids when used correctly. They are not for everyone and therefore the hygienists -- and, to a lesser degree, dentists -- need to introduce with education, proper sizing, samples and ultimately a site. Presently there are many obstacles dental professionals have in introducing the habit. The IBBC strives to make it as easy as possible for patients to learn how to use interdental brushes and remain compliant with them."

Currently the IBBC offers interdental brushes from Sunstar GUM, Piksters, STAINO, and TeePee. The website is loaded with consumer information about periodontal disease, clinical studies, and instructional videos. More importantly, ordering is easy and fast, once you've registered. Please visit this website at www.interdentalbrushclub.com.

Med-Sleeves

These are seriously cool, or should I say "warm" when you need it and cool when you don't! We all know how our doctors (and some of our team members) love to keep it cold in the office, causing some of us freeze. MedSleeves, a division of The Spirit Sleeve, offers the perfect solution. Slide the sleeves on when you're cold; take them off when you're warm. They come in 70 color combinations, and this fall they are launching a holiday line. I am especially fond of their new Hot Pink, just in time to support breast cancer awareness month. Visit www.spiritsleeve.com/med-sleeves to order yours today! Use the promotional code DENTAL for 50% off your first order!

As always, email me your comments and suggestions; [email protected]. 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].