Eight great products introduced at the CDA meeting in Anaheim

By Kevin Henry

After walking the halls of the Anaheim Convention Center and seeing what's new and what's hot in the dental industry, here are eight new products (listed below in no particular order) that I think will make an immediate impact in dental practices around the country.

1. myPatientReviews.com from ProSites. With the changing face of Google search, being listed locally is more important than ever. A key factor to local listings are the number of reviews from sites such as Yelp, Yahoo, and even Google. The folks at ProSites came up with an easy way to have your patients review your practice before they ever leave the office by combining all of your review pages onto one customized site. All patients have to do is use their smartphone to click on a customized QR code at the front desk and they will be automatically directed to your review site. It makes it easy for your patients to tell about the great service they received and ensures that patients will actually review your office (as opposed to hoping they will when they get home). For more information, check out www.mypatientreviews.com.

2. G*U*M* PerioShield Oral Health Rinse from Sunstar Americas. The only oral rinse approved by the FDA as a device (all others are drugs), G*U*M* PerioShield provides a unique plaque-blocking technology which forms a shield to help prevent bacterial plaque from adhering to tooth and gum structures. It doesn't actually kill the bacteria, but breaks it down to make it easier to remove. At the same time, it coats the teeth and gums to prevent additional plaque from sticking. The manufacturer says it's as effective as CHX and tolerated better by patients. It will be available in August, so get a headstart by checking out www.sunstaramericas.com.

3. The CS 9300-1 from Carestream Dental. With up to seven selectable fields of view and tremendous image resolution, this product offers the dental practice greater flexibility and the ability to have the field of view you want to suit your patients' diagnostic needs. Looking for a flexible field of view? This product gives you everything from 5 cm x 5 cm to 17 cm x 13.5 cm. Situated at the front of the exhibit hall, the demonstrations had plenty of people looking. For more information, visit www.carestreamdental.com/9300.

4. AirFloss from Sonicare. I first saw this product launched at the IDS meeting in Cologne, Germany. When I heard it would be introduced in America at the CDA meeting, I knew it would draw some attention. Did it ever! Lines were long to try out the new device which Philips officials emphasize is not a replacement for flossing. "We are addressing some unmet needs with this product," said Dr. Joerg Strate, one of the men behind the creation of the AirFloss. "We are addressing the clinical needs of interdental cleaning." To see the AirFloss in action, check out our video by clicking here. For more information from Philips, check out www.sonicare.com.

5. The Justin Bieber singing toothbrush from Ashtel Dental. If you don't know who Justin Bieber is, you must not know any of the millions of pre-teen and teenage girls who have "Bieber Fever." The teen sensation has sold millions of albums, starred in his own movie, and now has his own toothbrush line. With different Bieber songs set to play for two minutes for morning and nighttime brushing, Bieber fans can keep a healthy smile while rocking to their favorite artist. Due out in stores in July (and in your dental practice if you choose), expect your patients to be asking about this product. For more information, check out our exclusive video from CDA by clicking here. For additional information, go to www.justinbiebertoothbrush.com.

6. The ProMax 3D Mid from Planmeca. Another product first introduced to the world at IDS 2011 but making its debut at CDA, this machine has both 2D and 3D capabilities. It has an intuitive graphical user interface that offers preprogrammed target sites and exposure values for different image types and targets. It also complies with the ALARA (as low as reasonably achievable) principle to minimize radiation. It seems to be a great addition to Planmeca's strong line of digital offerings. For more information, log on to www.planmecausa.com.

7. CEREC Software 4.0. I first saw this at the IDS meeting as well, and the difference in the software between previous versions and 4.0 is amazing. CEREC has really made this version very user-friendly for the practitioner. Sirona's Roddy MacLeod describes it as, "much more than an upgrade. This is a major re-engineering of the CEREC software platform." He's exactly right. Among the new features are design tools that can now be executed directly on the tooth, providing a more natural hands-on feel to the design process. The streamlined restoration design also makes it easy for the practitioner to go back and forth between design steps if needed ... and not undo previous steps. Nice. For more information, log on to www.cereconline.com.

8. Impregum and Imprint 3 Single-Use Intraoral Syringes from 3M ESPE. Impression materials are a common item in most dental practices, but so is the waste that comes along with unused material. 3M ESPE has taken a step to eliminate that waste with these new syringes that have a similar design as the recent revolutionary Ketac Nano dispensing unit. According to the company, the Imprint syringe results in 67 percent less material waste for VPS materials, while the Impregum syringe produces 84 percent less waste for polyether materials. The syringes are compatible with any VPS or polyether wash material delivered from a 50mL hand-dispensed cartridge. For more information, log on to www.3mespe.com.