Natural clay toothpaste

By Kim Miller, RDH, BSDH

EARTHPASTE

I was introduced to this product by one of my clients, a biologic dentist in Franklin, Tenn. She loves this toothpaste and recommends it to her patients. I tried it, and I loved it too.

The Redmond Trading Company in Heber City, Utah, developed Earthpaste because they wanted an all-natural, safe toothpaste for their families. They start with hydrated Redmond Clay, and then add xylitol, essential oils, and Redmond Real Salt. Earthpaste contains no foaming agents such as sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), as well as no chemicals such as titanium dioxide to make the paste bright white. There are no artificial colorings, no fluoride, and no glycerin in Earthpaste. The limited ingredients make Earthpaste "amazingly natural and different!"

In fact, it's safe to swallow since each ingredient is food grade and safe for consumption. Take a look at the ingredients list:

• Purified water to hydrate the clay into a creamy paste
• Food grade Redmond Clay, a polishing cleanser with antibacterial properties that has been used for centuries to promote digestive health
• Xylitol, a natural sweetener that has been shown to promote healthy teeth
• Redmond Real Salt to enhance the flavor and lend antibacterial properties associated with sea salt
• Tea tree oil, a natural essential oil that is commonly used to promote healthy skin, supports oral health with excellent antiviral and antifungal properties
• Menthol, found in peppermint and wintergreen Earthpaste, leaves your breath fresh and mouth feeling clean
• Essential oils used for flavor choices and a wide variety of other health benefits.

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The flavors include peppermint (for fresh breath, also widely used to promote stress relief and support digestion), wintergreen (for a sweet, minty flavor, also used to promote dental health), cinnamon (for spicy flavor, also an antioxidant used to promote healthy immune function), lemon twist (with essential oils of lemon, lemon verbena, tangerine, and lime, great for kids), and unsweetened, extra-strong spearmint (their newest flavor).

My favorites are the cinnamon and lemon twist. Try it for yourself by calling (800) 367-7258 or visiting www.earthpaste.com.

Cavitron FitGrip

natural, comfortable grasp. The large grip diameter lessens fatigue and discourages the use of a pinch grip, while the rippled texture and contoured shape allow for a confident grasp during treatment.

FitGrip Ultrasonic inserts are available in nine 30K Cavitron inserts:

• Focused Spray SlimLine — Right, left, straight (10) and 1000 triple bend with coined edge, all designed for better access and adaptability in the removal of light to moderate deposits. I especially like these for biofilm disruption.
• PowerLine — 10, 100, 1000 and three all have a standard sized tip specifically designed for efficiency during the removal of heavier deposits.
• ThinSert — It has a curve similar to the Focused Spray SlimLine Straight (10) but is even thinner allowing access to those difficult to reach narrow pockets.

My favorites are the Focused Spray 1000 & 100 for mod to heavy supra or sub-calculus. I'm also a big fan of all of the Focused Spray SlimLines. To learn more about these new inserts, visit www.professional.dentsply.com today.

ImplaMate Micro-mini Curettes

Nordent Manufacturing, Inc. recently announced the introduction of ImplaMate Micro-mini curettes. While Nordents' ImplaMate scalers and curettes are not new to the industry, the Micro-minis are a welcome new addition to the line. These designs feature shorter and narrower blades, providing exceptional access around abutments with tightly attached soft tissue.

All ImplaMate curettes and scalers feature titanium tips for safe and effective maintenance of implant abutments. Since they're made of titanium, you no longer have to worry about damaging or scratching the implant. In addition, because they are titanium, these instruments never need to be sharpened and may be sterilized by any method. If you're tired of dealing with plastic instruments (that really don't work anyway), you might want to give these a try.

To facilitate organization and efficiency, each ImplaMate instrument is produced in Nordents' DuraLite ColorRings handle, which allows you to easily identify instruments in offices with more than one hygienist. In addition, all of the tips are color-coded purple, making them easy to identify and avoid getting them mixed in with your stainless steel instruments.

ImplaMate offers the following implant instrument selections:

• Universals —Langer 1-2, Langer 3-4, Langer 5-6, and Barnhart 5-6
• Sickles — 6-7, Posterior Sickle 204S
• Anterior Scalette N137M (curette/sickle combo)
• MicroMinis — Langer 1-2, Langer 3-4, and Langer 5-6

For more information, call (800) 966-7336, or visit www.nordent.com.
As always, email me at [email protected] with your thoughts and ideas on great products and technologies.

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].