Impression Making: Tips for the Assistant

Dr. Dan Fischer discusses the anti-caries benefits to whitening with Opalescence. Dan E. Fischer is President and CEO of Ultradent Products, Inc. He is extensively involved in the research and development of many dental products and maintains a part-time practice with an emphasis on esthetic dentistry.

Dr. Carlos Ramos is the creator of the Endo-Eze Genius system, an endodntic system that combines the best aspects of various existing endodontic systems on the market. Learn about the ideal file motions for different objectives within the canal, the two preventable reasons for endodontic failure, and the biggest challenge in endodontics today. Dr. Ramos will also speak about different types of sealers, including resin-based and bioceramic sealers. Dr. Carlos Spironelli Ramos graduated in dentistry from the State University of Londrina in Brazil. He received the title of endodontics specialist and a PhD from the University of Sao Paulo, Bauru School of Dentistry. Dr. Ramos maintained a part-time endodontic practice from 1987 to 2012 and worked as a professor of endodontics at the State University of Londrina for 17 years.

Dr. Dan Fischer says dentists should be brand conscious about two products: curing lights and bonding agents. Ultradent created a notched-edge bond strength testing method that is so accurate, it has been the ISO standard for testing dental adhesives since 2013. Accurate testing means improved formulation and development of truly non-compromising adhesives. Learn about the advantages of a non-compromising adhesive and hear Dr. Fischer's recommendations for high quality adhesives in this week's episode. Dan E. Fischer is President and CEO of Ultradent Products, Inc. He is extensively involved in the research and development of many dental products and maintains a part-time practice with an emphasis on esthetic dentistry.

Production of inexpensive LED curing units is on the rise, but can those units compare with American-made VALO? Dr. Dan Fischer explains the difference between LED lights inexpensively manufactured overseas and VALO engineering. He summarizes findings in research by Dr. Richard Price and then outlines requirements for a curing light being used for posterior restorations and bulk fill restorations. Dr. Fischer also gives tips for getting an accurate reading on your light curing meter. Dan E. Fischer is President and CEO of Ultradent Products, Inc. He is extensively involved in the research and development of many dental products and maintains a part-time practice with an emphasis on esthetic dentistry.

Opalescence Toothpaste was born on Valentine's Day. Though it didn't provide much romance for our chemist (or our CEO) that day, it now freshens the breath and brightens the smiles of people all over the world. It provides high fluoride uptake, which is especially important for aging patients who experience high incidents of dry mouth and root exposure. Dr. Dan Fischer discusses how this low-abrasion formula is safe for daily use and explains exactly why it costs more than the average toothpaste. Dan E. Fischer is President and CEO of Ultradent Products, Inc. He is extensively involved in the research and development of many dental products and maintains a part-time practice with an emphasis on esthetic dentistry.

Soft tissue diode lasers are extremely versatile, being used for treatments such as gingivectomies, troughing, frenectomies, hemostasis, and more. Samantha gives an overview of soft tissue diode lasers, including specifics about Ultradent's Gemini Diode Laser and why Dr. Fischer thought it was such a good product, he wanted to add it to the Ultradent catalog. She also gives examples of procedures that can be completed using a soft tissue diode laser. Samantha Lujan is the Laser Specialist for Ultradent Products Inc. She started her dental career over 20+ years ago as a dental office manager and helped one of her doctors with a dental laser startup called Zap Lasers. Due to a series of mergers & acquisitions she has helped other dental companies successfully introduce soft-tissue lasers to the dental market. Out of all of the dental products and technologies Samantha has worked with, she is most passionate about dental lasers, and has helped educate dental companies, dentists and orthodontists on how to successfully implement soft-tissue lasers into their practice.

Like most dental assistants, Shannon Pace has extensive experience with impression making. In this episode, she shares tips for giving yourself more time to pour up the impression, preventing bubble formation, reducing distortion, and minimizing patient gagging.

Shannon has experienced great personal fulfillment in her career through providing tooth whitening services because she has seen the impact it can make in people's lives. After so many years and so many success stories, Shannon became drawn to treating pediatric patients due to their frequent self-esteem issues and their potential for being teased at school. Tune in to hear some remarkable, heart-warming stories about the impact tooth whitening can have on patients' lives. The AAPD has issued an official statement about tooth whitening for pediatric cases and the circumstances in which it is appropriate. Please refer to their website for details.

Gary Takacs discusses whitening as a "Gateway Service" in terms of practice building. He recommends three steps to growing the whitening component of any dental practice: shade match, value pricing, and lifetime whitening.

There are very few absolutes in this world. Rarely can we use the terms 'everybody' or nobody'. However, it is possible to say that virtually everybody would like whiter teeth. In fact, there was a recent study published in USA Today that reported that 85% of the people responded that they would like whiter teeth when asked, if they could improve their smile, what would they like to improve? Think about that for a moment. That means that if you happen to see 20 people in your dental office today, then statistically, 17 of them would like whiter teeth!