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f DT page 1 XTend ceramic kits and turbines With the launch of its new XTend™ ceramic line of turbines and kits last year, ProScore offers dentists the best quality do-it-yourself prod- ucts for high-speed handpieces in the market. Not only are XTend ceramic products backed with the best warran- ties in the business — one-year for turbines and six-months for rebuild kits — XTend products outperform steel bearings, last longer and pro- duce less noise and vibration. The ceramic bearing technology incorporated into XTend ceramic products provides many handpiece performance benefits: • Reduced wear: ceramic balls are twice as hard as steel balls. • Increased durability: ceramic balls are 40 percent lighter than steel balls, which reduces the internal forces and loads caused by high-speed rotation. • Longer life: ceramic bearings perform better than steel under marginal lubrication. • Quieter and smoother operation: Noise and vibration are reduced due to lower loads. ProScore’s other EZ Solutions offer dentists various do-it-yourself repair and maintenance options. EZ Press III and EZ Rebuild Kits The EZ Press III™ Repair System is the answer to the high costs and downtime associated with sending high-speed handpieces out to be repaired. Allowing the dentist to easily change those parts that have worn out, the EZ Press III utilizes simple procedures, requires no guesswork and ensures precision placement of the bearings on the spindle. EZ Install Turbines For an instant repair, dentists can replace cartridges chairside with EZ Install™ Turbines, which are manufactured with the highest qual- ity parts and quality assurance procedures in the market, including dynamic balancing. The result is a high-performance, long-lasting tur- bine that outlasts others in the market. Smart Cleaner The Smart Cleaner is a one-of-a-kind maintenance tool that not only helps prevent residue build-up in handpieces and coupler waterlines, but also clears away obstructions if they occur. Simply connect the handpiece or coupler to the Smart Cleaner and activate the hand pump to clear obstructions and debris. EZ Care Cleaner and Lubricant EZ Care™ Cleaner was formulated to flush debris and remove build- up from the handpiece’s internal rotating parts, improving long-term handpiece performance and sterilization efficacy. EZ Care Lubricant has been designed to minimize bearing wear and to resist corrosion. When used together, EZ Care Cleaner and Lubricant ensure that handpieces and accessories will achieve maximum longevity and main- tain optimum performance. ProScore has been dedicated to do-it-yourself handpiece repair and maintenance since entering the dental market over 15 years ago as Score International. Now ProScore is part of Henry Schein’s “Family of PROs,” which includes ProRepair and ProService, to offer you the best fit for your repair needs. For more information, visit ProScore at CDA booth No. 2338, call (800) 726-7365 or visit them at www.scoredental.com. DT (Photo/ProScore) alternative for standard implants is needed. • Tooth loss will continue in the U.S. population. A decrease in eden- tulism rates is more than offset by higher edentulism incidence in aging and immigrant populations, which are both growing exponentially. The absolute number of edentulous individuals and number of dentures needed is expected to increase in the coming decades. • Edentulism rates vary across regions of the U.S., but it is increas- ingly associated with lower socioeco- nomic status. Low-income communities have a greater need for prosthetic services, but are least able to afford universally recommended basic implant-overden- ture protocols. • Utilization of implant method- ologies for edentulous patients is low. The estimated market saturation in the U.S., with fee-for-service as the primary financial vehicle for implant treatment and without the likelihood of future third party support, is 1 to 2 percent. In the Netherlands, with govern- mental and third party support for implant treatment in edentulous patients, the saturation among den- ture patients is 8 percent. • Typical surgical placement of den- tal implants in the edentulous man- dible is moderately invasive because of the need to create a soft-tissue flap and to expose the crestal aspect of the alveolus for visualization. Computer-generated surgical guides have the potential to improve accuracy of implant siting and dra- matically reduce invasivity. However, guided implant surgery has high tech- nology costs and is not widespread at this time in the U.S. • The most rapidly enlarging popu- lation cohorts are the advanced elder- ly. Polypharmacy and management of multiple chronic medical conditions are now routine in these populations and require a conservative approach in implant dentistry. Surgical techniques with minimally invasive aspects are often indicated for these patients. • The resorption patterns of the edentulous mandible often create a narrow ridge crest, which is problem- atic for placement of standard diam- eter implants (4 mm). • The need for a healing inter- val of months following traditional implant placement is inconvenient for patients who increasingly expect instant results. Narrow-body implants (NBI) have a diameter less than 3 mm and have been commercially available in the U.S. for more than 10 years. They are made of titanium alloy and are placed in alveolar bone for a variety of pros- thetic purposes. The optimal indication for these implants is in the anterior edentulous mandible for retention of a mandibu- lar overdenture. If the placement is sound (at least 20 Ncm of torque), the implants can be immediately loaded. Osseointegration will occur if the early loading is optimized. Once integrated, the long-term prognosis is favorable. Several studies have documented 5-year individual NBI survival rates around 94 percent with high patient satisfaction.1 The minimally invasive nature and reduced expense of NBIs are advan- tageous for patients compared with conventional implant treatment. NBIs are being used to solve mandibular denture problems on a routine basis in private practice, hospital and com- munity clinics and in dental schools. There is potential for widespread use in dentistry because of the oral- health issues presented above and because NBIs broaden the spectrum of treatable prosthetic conditions by implant modalities. The Dentatus Atlas NBI was engi- neered specifically for denture reten- tion and is unique in its lack of an additional attachment device inside the denture. In the Atlas system, a resilient silicon material (Tuf-Link) is placed inside the patient’s existing denture, creating a close fit around the retention features in the Atlas implant head. The silicon material is simple to use and replace. Dentists who lack familiarity with attachments and implants find the Atlas system to be user-friendly and effective. Patients are extremely gratified that the surgical procedure is atraumatic and that denture adhesive is no longer needed to secure the denture in place. A range of implant diameters and lengths make the Atlas system very versatile for treating a variety of eden- tulous patients and is particularly well suited for those patients with narrow ridges, complex medical histories and financial restrictions. In the real world of dental practice, this means that the Atlas NBI is an appropriate implant option that can return hope and confidence to the majority of patients with mandibular dentures. DT 1. Cho S-C, Froum S, Tai CH, Cho YS, Elian N, Tarnow DP. “Immediate load- ing of narrow diameter implants in severely atrophic mandibles.” Practical Procedures & Aesthetic Dentistry, Vol. 19, No. 3, April 2007, pp. 167–174. About the author Eugene LaBarre, DMD, MS Department of Removable Prosthodontics University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry San Francisco, Calif. Visit Dentatus at booth No. 471 at the CDA Meeting Industry News DENTAL TRIBUNE | May 201024 cDa BootH no. 2338