Dental product update: Home care with Mouth Mate, Livionex; remembering Esther

Mouth Mate

Mouth Mate is a home-care instrument for patients who have undergone many different types of dental surgical procedures. The shaft resembles a toothbrush, and, in fact, is used in conjunction with a toothbrush. Patients recovering from procedures ranging from implant placements to grafts will either avoid the treated area during due to pain, or will risk negatively influencing the intent of the surgery.

The Mouth Mate shaft is tipped with four different shapes to help the patient protect an area while brushing. Although the patient is using both hands to both brush and protect an area with Mouth Mate, the patient does not need to be ambidextrous. The Mouth Mate is simply held over the sensitive area during home-based care.

A U-shaped tip was developed for implants, bone grafts, and extractions. An oval tip protects the treated area after soft tissue graft, crown lengthenings, and biopsies. A circular tip was designed for protecting areas after wisdom tooth extractions, apicoectomies, and frenectomies.

While hygienists can work closely with orthodontists, oral surgeons, and dentists in recommending Mouth Mate for post-op home care routines, Mouth Mate also can help oral care compliance during the appearance of canker sores, orthodontic sores, and other oral lesions.

Livionex

When the Livionex Dental Gel was introduced on a large scale three years ago, the product initiated some discussions of how toothpaste causes a reaction from biofilm, including in these five articles here, here, here, here, and here.

On Jan. 23, Livionex Inc. announced the release of LivFresh, which offers a thicker formulation than the original gel and is delivered differently.

In a statement, Amit Goswamy, the company’s CEO said, “LivFresh is a little bit different than the original dental gel. Some of our customers have been asking for a denser, more minty tasting version of the original gel, a taste and texture they are more familiar with in a toothpaste, before making the switch to Livionex. We reformulated the original gel to be thicker in consistency, and we packaged it in a pump, instead of a tube, that gives measured doses of three squirts per brushing.”

The Livioinex products retail between $20 to $22 for a six-week supply. The Livionex formulas do not contain fluoride.

You can visit the company’s website at livionexdental.com.

Remembering Esther—always

When Dr. Esther Wilkins passed away in December 2016, many dental hygienists fondly remembered the day they asked the author of Clinical Practice of the Dental Hygienist to autograph their copy of the textbook.

A leader of the dental hygiene profession for many decades, Dr. Wilkins would pause at dental conferences across the country to sign copies of her book. The Hygienists’ Institute for Leadership (The HIL) has created commemorative bookplate that was signed by Dr. Wilkins. The bookplate can be easily adhered to the inside cover of a textbook.

The HIL program provides hygiene scholarships and studies trends in public health, dental hygiene education, and other related professional issues.

You can contact The HIL at [email protected]. Gail Weisberg, RDH, is the program’s director.