New hygiene instruments from Premier Dental
Every hygienist I know loves having lots of choices when it comes to instruments. Good news! Recently Premier Dental Products introduced several new options for hand and power scaling. Premier products are made in the USA and the company has over 100 years' experience!
Be sure to try the new anterior Morse 0/00. Also, check out the three handle options now available for the posterior 135 scaler: the Big Ultralite, Big Easy, and Light Touch. The anterior scaler has two mini-jacquette blades and the posterior has a universal curette design with a pointed scaler working end. Both of these instruments provide excellent access to tight interproximal contact areas.
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Other articles by Kim Miller:
- Biosonic Piezoelectric, Lmergo Access, Orthogami
- CAMBRA Codes, Elevate Oral Care, Durashield Varnish
- Air Polishing, Pregnant Patients, and Keeping 'Warm'
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Also new from Premier is a complete line of internal flow ultrasonic inserts. Which insert is your favorite? Mine is the triple bend! The universal, the triple bend, and the thin tip design each feature a resin handle with the same ergonomic design as the Big Easy line. Premier ultrasonic inserts are compatible with most magnetostrictive handpieces. Ask your dealer about Premier Dental Products or visit them online www.premusa.com.
X-Floss by iDontix
You are going to love this unique floss! It's unlike any I have ever seen. Manufactured by the Australian company iDontix, this floss is ideal for patients with implants, bridges, braces, and wide perio spaces. X-Floss comes in three styles: X-Floss, X-Floss lite, and X-Ribbon.
X-Floss has a thick and bulky texture, but its flexibility makes it perfect for cleaning under bridges and around implants. Best of all, the attached "firm nylon threader" resists bending and buckling during use, making it easy to thread.
X-Floss lite is thicker than normal floss, but thinner than X-floss, making it easier to adapt to tighter spaces. According to the manufacturer, this floss is soft enough to flatten out under tension while still providing effective interproximal cleaning. The added benefit of the attached threader makes it easy to get the floss where it's needed.
X-Ribbon is "Extreme floss for large gaps!" It's actually not floss at all, but a wide, textured gauze strip. The width of the gauze strip covers more surface area, and the coarse texture is designed to "grab" the plaque. X-Ribbon is perfect for patients who need to floss behind implant dentures, in gaps where teeth are missing, behind the last molar, and in areas of major recession and bone loss. X-Ribbon also has an attached threader.
Visit the iDontix website and check out the photo gallery for some great photographs of each of these products being used for different applications.
In addition to manufacturing innovative premium oral hygiene products, iDontix is the founder and sponsor of i-Hope, a charity that rescues orphans. Visit www.i-Hope.org.au to learn more about its projects.
To request a free sample of X-Floss, visit www.idontix.com. If you're ready to buy, order directly from Henry Schein.
Kaboom Sticks
Dr. Brian Midei, CEO and founder of Improve Oral Health Now, believes "the clearest path to improving oral health and getting a patient to regularly engage in healthy oral hygiene habits is to offer them an effective and desirable product that is convenient, fun, and easy to use." Enter Kaboom Sticks.
These innovative toothpicks are "green" and toxin free. They are made from 100% sustainably harvested white birch wood from Maine. Each stick is infused with zero-calorie sweeteners such as xylitol, along with precise amounts of flavors and functional ingredients clinically proven to improve oral health.1
Kaboom Sticks come in three types:
- Coffee Sticks with caffeine, in mocha and cappuccino flavors
- Mint Sticks with caffeine, in chocolate mint, cinnamint, and peppermint
- Xero Sticks for those with dry mouth, in orange buzz, arctic grape, and tropicool
The pros and cons of using toothpicks have long been debated. A recent study found equal plaque reduction between floss (73%) and toothpicks (74%) when combined with tooth brushing.2
I've always been a big fan of toothpicks. Kaboom Sticks are a great marriage of functional product delivery and easy-to-use, affordable home care.
The Xero Sticks are the company's next generation of Kaboom branded oral-care formulation designed to relieve the symptoms of xerostomia. An estimated 20% of the general population suffers from dry mouth, which is more common in women than men. Remarkably, it is estimated that 50% of the elderly suffer from dry mouth.3
The Xero Sticks are infused with a concentrated extract of spilanthes acmella, which helps to hydrate the mouth by promoting salivation. According to the U.S. Biological Sciences website, "Spilanthol is a fatty acid amide isolated from Acmella oleracea. Spilanthol extract has been discovered to aid in saliva stimulation (sialogogue) for people suffering from dry mouth (xerostomia)." The spilanthes plant, or the "toothache plant," has been used for centuries to treat problems of the mouth. Its native origin is unclear, but it most likely came from a related Brazilian species.
To order any of the Kaboom Sticks or learn more about the products, visit www.xerosticks.com. Trial packs are available at the website. Enter coupon code RDH2014 for a special discount.
GUM Soft-Picks for wider spaces
I love Soft-Picks. I'm a huge fan! I use them and recommend them for use between brushing every day. I even used one as a replacement for a temple screw on someone's glasses during a flight one day. I'm pretty sure that's not a recommended use, but it worked nonetheless.
I'm really excited to see the new Soft-Picks for wider spaces. They're about 25% wider to provide better cleaning in larger areas. Soft-Picks are easy to use and convenient to keep with you. The small, flat carrying case makes it easy to carry them in a pocket or purse. If you haven't tried these, be sure to try them yourself and suggest them to your patients. Visit www.soft-picks.com for more information.
References
(1) For research references please visit www.xerostick.com/clinical-literature.
(2) Sarner B, Birkhed D, Andersson P, Lingstrom P. 2010. Recommendations by dental staff and use of toothpicks, dental floss and interdental brushes for approximal cleaning in an adult Swedish population. Oral Health Prev Dent 8:185-194.
(3) Furness S, Worthington HV, Bryan G, Birchenough S, McMillan R. Dec. 7, 2011. Interventions for the management of dry mouth: topical therapies. In Furness, Susan. Cochrane database of systematic reviews (Online)
(12): CD008934. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD008934.pub2. PMID 22161442
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