Dental Tribune U.S. Edition

We’re all well aware of the difficul- ties that traditional dentures present to both you and your patients. There are more than 39 million Americans suffering every day with difficulties related to eating, speaking and pain- ful sore spots. Today, with a great focus on the relationship between dentistry and systemic health, we must take into consideration that edentulism has a direct impact on patients’ overall health with problems ranging from psychological to nutritional and digestive concerns. According to Dr. Carl Misch, stud- ies demonstrate that complete tooth loss is associated with illness; 17 percent of edentulous people take medicine for gastrointestinal disor- ders. In a transformative document called the McGill Consensus, which was published in 2002, it was deter- mined that all mandibular dentures should be retained with a minimum of two implants. This would greatly prevent any further bone resorp- tion and provide for a more stable, more retentive denture. The ADEA endorsed this form of treatment in 2004. So it begs the question: why have so few dentists followed these rec- ommendations? The answer is sim- ple: the population we hoped to serve more often than not did not have the time, bone or money to afford conventional two-stage dental implants. Here are just a few of the stagger- ing statistics: • 88 percent of people in the Unit- ed States who could benefit from implants never receive treatment due to lack of time, bone or money • Of the U.S. population who are aged 65 and older and have lost all of their natural teeth, 35.9 per- cent has an annual income of less than $15,000; 25.3 percent has an annual income between $15,000 and $24,999. • Only 22 percent of older persons are covered by private dental insur- ance. Fear of surgery, time constraints, inadequate bone and cost are often cited as the reasons people don’t choose to have implants to sup- port their dentures. There is now a reliable and affordable way for Americans wearing lower dentures to get the comfort and confidence they need to live satisfying lives — all without costly or debilitating surgery. Thanks to the Atlas® Denture Comfort procedure, millions of peo- ple who are suffering with the pain, embarrassment and disabilities that come from dentures that don’t fit properly can receive state-of-the- art Atlas narrow-body implants at a fraction of the cost for traditional implants. The Denture Comfort procedure was developed by Dentatus USA in conjunction with world-renowned researchers at New York Univer- sity College of Dentistry (NYUCD) Department of Implant Dentistry to be a simple and affordable alterna- tive to traditional, larger implant- supported dentures. The Atlas implant system advanc- es the art of dentistry by eliminating old technology associated with hous- ings and O-rings. This improvement makes it far easier both for dentists to use the system and more comfort- able for patients by reducing the number of visits. Insertion/removal of the denture of the easier and offers the patient a new advantage of being able to sleep with his or her dentures. Tuf-Link silicone is the magical component in the system; it is the interface between the patient’s ridge and denture. There is no need for adhesives with this protocol, which are known to cause bacteria and result in halitosis. The Tuf-Link sili- cone is so durable that patient’s do not need to have it replaced until their scheduled annual visits. These features distinguish Atlas from other products on the market, which, while sharing the slim diameter, rely on technology originally devel- oped more than 30 years ago. Dentatus’ goal is to make avail- able to the American people and abroad, dentistry that is affordable, accessible and life improving for the rather significant segment of people who are underserved in this area. The company continues to seek out clinical research by leaders in the DENTAL TRIBUNE | May 2011 Industry News 25A The ‘Denture Comfort’ procedure profession and focuses on product improvements and real-life patient needs as they become known. Dentatus leads the way with more university based published data and clinical research than any narrow diameter implant currently available in the U.S. Narrow-body implants have come a long way since they were first introduced as transitional implants in 1993. In 2004, Atlas received FDA approval for long-term use or any length of time as determined by the healthcare provider. They are manufactured and package certified to ISO 9001/ISO 13485, CE Marked and Health Canada Approved. In 2005, Dr. Rohrer performed histological studies showing that these implants integrate just as con- ventional diameter, machined-sur- faced implants. In 2007, a five-year study performed at NYU reported a 94 percent survival rate and 100 percent patient satisfaction. Isn’t it time you looked into this treatment option to restore qual- ity of life for your denture patients? Dentatus makes it easy for you to get started with their half-day hands-on workshops. All the materials for your first case are included in the registra- tion fee, and the course will pay for itself once you perform your first case. For more information check out www.dentatus.com, call (800) 323-3136 or visit Dentatus at CDA booth No. 584. DT Switzerland’s Electro Medical Sys- tems (EMS) wants to demonstrate how treatment with an ultrasonic scaler can be enhanced even more with the brand new Piezon Mas- ter 700. EMS points to the special refinements of integrated i.Piezon technology. It is designed to assure smooth interaction between the original Piezon handpieces and the EMS Swiss instruments made of bio- compatible surgical steel to ensure the best in patient comfort. The company says that the i.Piezon module assures that instru- ment movements are perfectly aligned with the tooth surface, and vibrates 32,000 times per second to make it extremely effective. The intelligent feedback control minimizes damage to the tooth sur- face. The result is a uniquely smooth tooth surface and maximum soft- tissue protection. As EMS explains, this is the formula for incomparable The EMS promise: painless ultrasonic therapy Fig.1: The Piezon Master 700: a new ultrasonic scal- er with integrated i.Piezon technology. and precisely operated by simply touching the self-explanatory oper- ating elements or tapping on the desired action. This enables the sys- tem to meet all the requirements in respect to ease of use, and especially hygiene. The two replacement bottles with a capacity of 350 ml or 500 ml for holding various antiseptic solutions are resistant to UV radiation and can be replaced easily and quickly thanks to their snap-shut caps. DT Electro Medical Systems S.A. Chemin de la Vuarpillière 31 CH-1260 Nyon Tel. +41 22 99 44 700 Fax +41 22 99 44 701 welcome@ems-ch.com precision and therapy that is practi- cally painless thanks to optimum instrument movements. The balanced Piezon handpieces show how substantially improved illumination of the oral cavity can be achieved with the six LEDs arranged around the tip of the handpiece. In the words of the manufacturer, which describes itself as the leading maker of dental hygiene systems, this advance enables dentists to handle ultrasonic instruments with even greater precision. This means even greater preci- sion for periodontal and root canal treatments, calculus removal, cavity preparation and other conservative treatments. The seamless housing of the Piezon Master 700 has an esthet- ic, ergonomic and hygienic design, which promises a high degree of operator comfort. The touch panel can be rapidly Fig. 2: The balanced Piezon hand- pieces show how substantially improved illumination of the oral cavity can be achieved with the six LEDs arranged around the tip of the handpiece. CDA BootH no. 584