Only the best: A look at the 2013 Pride Best of Class Award Winners

For the last four years, Lou Shuman, DMD, CAGS, president of Pride Institute, has worked with his team of six dental industry experts to test the spectrum of dental tools and software, highlighting the best technology available to make your skills shine brighter and your practice run smoother.

Some products are new; some have been on the list before. Some have been around for a while but recently made adjustments that resulted in a stand-out product. All of them are worth a look.

As Dr. Shuman said, "The process is strictly unbiased and non-profit provided by the leadership in technology. The dental community can rely on these selections with complete confidence." Take a look at this year's list of the 18 best products available now — and see how your life in the field could be so much easier.

The distinguished selection panel is comprised of these leading experts in the dental industry:

Lou Shuman, DMD, CAGS

President of Pride Institute, Best of Class founder

Paul Feuerstein, DMD

Writer, speaker, and technology editor for Dental Economics

John Flucke, DDS

Writer, speaker, and technology editor for Dental Products Report

Parag Kachalia, DDS

Vice-chair of Preclinical Education, Research and Technology, University of Pacific School of Dentistry

Marty Jablow, DMD

Writer, speaker, and technology consultant and columnist for DrBicuspid.com

Larry Emmott, DDS

Writer, speaker, and technology editor for DentalCompare.com

Titus Schleyer, DMD, PhD

Associate Professor and Director, Center for Dental Informatics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine

For more about these products, including videos, click here.

I-CAT Flex

By imaging sciences international

"As a digital orthodontist who wants to provide the best to my patients, the i-CAT FLX allows me to have the MOST information for the LEAST patient exposure. With less radiation than a digital pan or ceph, how can an orthodontist justify taking a these 2D images for their diagnosis and treatment planning when they can obtain much more information, in 3D, with one 4.8-second low-dose i-CAT FLX scan? This technology should be the new standard of care for digital orthodontic treatment planning."

—Jeffrey T. Kozlowski, DDS

DDS Rescue

by liptak dental services

"I use DDS Rescue in my practice because it provides the very best down-time and disaster recovery protection available."

—John Flucke, DDS

Bruxzir Shaded

By Glidewell laboratories

"I love the BruxZir crown! I have been using these as my go-to crown of choice ever since Glidewell introduced it a few years ago. I am able to be conservative on my prep and still obtain superior strength... a win-win for me. Love the esthetic outcome too!" —Roy Joseph, DDS

Clinical Reactivator

By ActionRun

"In my time using ActionRun, I have seen an increase in number of appointments and revenue generated from my unresponsive patients. ActionRun allows me to focus on treating my patients by giving them clinically relevant reasons to return and have treatments started or completed. Best of all, it's completely autonomous and requires no effort by me or my administrative team."

—John Flucke, DDS, DPR Technology Editor, dental practice owner

Lexicomp Online for Dentistry with Visualdx Oral

By Lexicomp

"I rely on Lexicomp Online for Dentistry with VisualDx Oral to hone in on a differential diagnosis rapidly and accurately. It is an amazing tool. Just like the swift results from the drug interaction screening provided by Lexicomp, VisualDx Oral keeps our patients safe and the practice of dentistry efficient. It is comforting to have such precise dental information whenever we need it!"

—Steve Fink, DMD

SonicFill

By Kerr Corporation

"When you use SonicFill, you feel more confident in what you're doing."

—Dr. Greg Gillespie

Velscope VX

By LED Dental

"A scan told us the patient had cancer, but we couldn't find the primary source by just looking in her mouth with regular light. Using a VELscope exam, I was able to visualize the oral source of the cancer. The surgeon removed it, and the patient is still with us over six years later. VELscope literally saved the patient's life."

—Anthony Palombaro, DDS

ISODRY

By isolite systems

"Nothing reduces humidity like Isolite. Rubber dams and cotton rolls are great, but there is nothing that gives us total control over the oral environment in so many applications as Isolite. At this point, we use it daily and couldn't practice without it."

—Drs. Michael Melkers and Jeanine McDonald

GXDP-700 SRT Technology

By Gendex

"It's as basic for my practice as my explorer and mirror. I don't even really calculate a return on investment on this machine because it's also a panoramic and ceph machine — we use it daily. Patients are just astonished when you present this technology, and they can see themselves in 3D. You reach them better — you can better explain treatments so they have a more accurate understanding of what is going to happen."

—Dr. Norberto Velazquez

TRIOS

by 3Shape

"TRIOS provides many advantages. It avoids uncertainties and potential errors that can come with traditional impression taking and casting in plaster. Precision becomes significantly higher."

—Simon Kold, The Herning Implant Center

Ceramir Crown & Bridge

By Doxa Dental

"At three plus years of continual use in my practice, when compared to ALL other general luting agents, Ceramir has proven to be the most superior material. Easy to use, easy to clean up, biocompatible and zero sensitivity. Ceramir is a trusted and regular part of my prosthetic armamentarium."

—Brian J. Gray, DDS

Tru-Align

By interactive diagnostic imaging

"Tru-Align is one of those rare products that is so good at what it does and does exactly what it claims to do, that the tendency is to say it's too good to be true, [but] I assure you, this is the real thing!"

—Kenneth Kornblum, DDS

VALO

by ultradent products, inc.

"When we got the Ultralume curing lights, we thought that it couldn't get any better than that. The very day the sales rep came to our office and told us about the VALO light I knew it would be a great product just because of our experience with Ultradent's products and the Ultralume, so I ordered one. Just as I thought, it can't get any better than this! We have them in all our operatories now. As I told everyone at the seminar in Cancun in February, anyone that is aware of the VALO and doesn't have one is a bonehead."

—Lance C. Brimhall, DDS

STATIMG4

By scican, inc.

Employing a proprietary positive pressure pulse displacement (PPPD) technology (using saturated steam to remove air and effectively sterilize instruments), the STATIM autoclave by SciCan, Inc. ensures dentists always have an ample supply of instruments ready for use.

Smarttrack Aligner Material

by Align technology, inc.

"The clinical results with SmartTrack have been excellent. The fit around the teeth from aligner to aligner is better than with any group of patients I have treated with Invisalign in my practice. Without a doubt, SmartTrack is the most exciting change in Invisalign technology among the many that have been introduced in recent years."

—Dr. Clark Colville

XV1

By orascoptic

XV1 by Orascoptic is a wireless all-in-one loupe and headlight, providing visualization through magnification and illumination. This allows dental professionals to provide better procedural outcomes with ease and puts less strain on their bodies. XV1 removes heavy and bulky belt packs and includes a lightweight cable-less design.

Dexis Imaging Suite and Dexis Go

By Dexis

"DEXIS go provides what I call a ‘personal patient experience' as the images simply come alive in their hands. I can use a monitor for patient education, but putting an iPad in their hands, scrolling through the images — or letting them do it — creates a much more intimate setting for discussion. Not just a cool device, DEXIS go on an iPad is now part of the essential technology that benefits my patients on a daily basis."

—Christopher Anderson, DMD

SESAME 24-7

by sesame communications

"Our no-show rate decreased by 89 percent! That's a testament to the experience we give our patients and the support we get from Sesame."

—Fedra Witting, DDS, LLC