Since the inception of TeamSmile in 2007, Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt has been involved. He’s contributed a tremendous amount of time, passion and financial resources to help serve the at-risk children through TeamSmile. On December 6, it was announced that Dustin Colquitt was selected as the Kansas City Chiefs nominee for the prestigious Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, presented by Nationwide, primarily for his work with TeamSmile.

“We’re taught to love and serve. Love others is the biggest thing I can say. So how do you do that? You do that with the resources that God gave you. It can be treasure. It can be time. Just talking to people. Anything like that,” said Colquitt. “At TeamSmile, we have these kids come in and they’re wrapping their gums around their teeth, don’t really want to talk to you. Then you clean it up, you turn the mirror around and they’re like, ‘Oh my.’ You just see this confidence that they’ve never seen in their lives. You see their parents. They’re not coming up to their kids because they’re happy that their teeth are clean. They’re saying, this is not my kid. He’s got his chest pumped out. It changes them from day one. If their mouth is healthy, their whole body is going to be healthier.”

The mission of TeamSmile (www.teamsmile.org) is to provide free dental care and oral health education to underserved children and to use the power of sports to provide a special lifetime experience to these children. To date, TeamSmile has now served over 30,000 children, provided over $17 million in free dental care and oral health education and conducted over 160 programs nationwide. The first program was started with the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in 2007. The 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization was founded by Kansas City dentist, Dr. Bill Busch, along with Jason Krause from Henry Schein. Dustin Colquitt attended the very first program, and has been involved ever since. Today, Dustin is a member of the Board of Directors of TeamSmile and has been engaged in various capacities.

What they’re saying about Dustin Colquitt’s nomination for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award:

Clark Hunt, Chairman and CEO, Kansas City Chiefs: “We are incredibly proud of Dustin Colquitt representing the Chiefs organization as our nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year. As a player Dustin has been among the best at his position for the entirety of his career. As a teammate his loyalty to the Chiefs organization is unparalleled, and his character and charisma make him an invaluable leader of the team. None of those attributes, however, equal Dustin’s commitment to the Kansas City Community. Through his leadership at TeamSmile and his involvement with Fuel Up to Play 60, Athletes in Action and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Dustin has shown tremendous dedication to improve the lives of youth in Kansas City, and we believe he is a worthy candidate for one of the most prestigious honors in sports.”

Coach Dave Toub, Assistant Head Coach and Special Teams Coordinator, Kansas City Chiefs: “It’s not surprising at all. He’s a great character guy. He’s a family man. He’s a man of faith. He does everything right off the field as well on as on the field. It doesn’t surprise me at all that he was named Man of the Year by our team.”

Dr. Bill Busch, Co-Founder, TeamSmile: “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. After the incredible amount of time and passion – as well as his personal financial resources – that Dustin has put into TeamSmile, I am thrilled that he has been nominated for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. With his family pedigree in dentistry, along with his personal character and the values that he lives……well, we have been incredibly fortunate to have Dustin Colquitt involved with TeamSmile. He’s such a special person, and we are truly honored that Dustin has chosen to spend so much time with TeamSmile. It’s a special day for him, and it’s a special day for TeamSmile.”

John McCarthy, Executive Director, TeamSmile: “Dustin Colquitt is one of the special ones. Through TeamSmile, Dustin has, literally, impacted thousands of children. It’s been awesome to watch his impact up close. He’s given his time, his passion and his treasure to TeamSmile. People often talk about character, values and morals. Dustin Colquitt LIVES those words. We are so fortunate to have him involved with TeamSmile, and I congratulate him on being nominated for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.” 

Doctors using Oral Care Portal to plan treatment for 3M™ Clarity™ Aligners and Carestream Dental’s CS 3500 and CS 3600 intraoral scanners now have an easy and efficient way to submit their digital scans: A new integration that allows doctors to conveniently send their files directly to 3M through CS Imaging software version 8, using the CS Connect portal.

There’s no need to export the case from the CS Acquisition software and then upload it through the 3M portal. Instead, the submission can be handled automatically within Carestream Dental’s software, reducing clicks and saving time.

“Any time cases must be manually moved between software programs there’s a risk for errors,” Ed Shellard, D.M.D., chief dental officer, Carestream Dental, said. “Our new integration with 3M automates the process of submitting cases and reduces confusion.”

The CS 3600 features an orthodontic workflow and is known for its speed and accuracy, both important features for capturing dual arches for clear aligner cases. Its acquisition software allows for up to five HD 2D intraoral quadrant “snapshots” to be extracted from the digital impression, eliminating the need to take intraoral photographs for documentation. Just recently, Carestream Dental introduced a new feature that even allows the scanner to play music during the scanning process, further delighting young patients.

“We’re excited to offer this new integration with Carestream Dental as part of advancing our open software platform, Oral Care Portal,” Beth Edgar, Custom Orthodontics Business Director, 3M, said. “Having a process to easily upload and transfer files eliminates manual steps and enables the office to complete their order for Clarity Aligners in a streamlined manner.”

To learn more about Carestream Dental’s intraoral scanners, or any of its innovative solutions, call 800.944.6365 or visit carestreamdental.com. To find out more about the 3M Clarity Aligners System, visit 3M.com/ClarityAligners.

About 3M

At 3M, we apply science in collaborative ways to improve lives daily. With $32 billion in sales, our 91,000 employees connect with customers all around the world. Learn more about 3M’s creative solutions to the world’s problems at www.3M.com or on Twitter @3M or @3MNews.

3M Oral Care promotes lifelong oral wellness through inventive solutions that help oral care professionals achieve greater clinical, professional and personal success. Learn more at 3M.com/OralCare.

About Carestream Dental

Carestream Dental provides industry-leading dental digital product lines and services, including imaging equipment, CAD/CAM systems, software and practice management solutions, for dental and oral health professionals. With more than 100 years of industry experience, Carestream Dental technology captures two billion images annually and aids in more precise diagnoses, improved workflows and superior patient care. For more information or to contact a Carestream Dental representative, please call 800.944.6365 or visit carestreamdental.com.

The new Planmeca Compact™ i5 dental unit has been built around five central themes – design, wellbeing, cleanliness, intelligence, and evolution. All of these principles are carried through in every detail of the dental unit, resulting in a perfect combination of functionality, durability, comfort, safety, and aesthetics.

Design – User-centric thinking

Planmeca Compact i5 has been designed not only to withstand time, but also to evolve with time. Its compact and lightweight design complements any dental clinic and can be easily tailored to different working preferences. From smooth delivery arm movements to the intuitive touch panel offering user guidance in 25 languages, every detail of the dental unit has been designed to make everyday work as smooth as possible, both now and in the future.

Wellbeing – A relaxed dental team and patients

Planmeca Compact i5 has been designed to support the wellbeing of both the entire dental team and the patient. The floating chair with a narrowing backrest and the small cuspidor base enable convenient access to the treatment area, while the balanced instrument arms guarantee an ergonomic use of instruments. Patient comfort is by no means forgotten: the foldable leg rest enables easy entry and exit, and the custom-molded upholstery guarantees an enjoyable patient experience.

Cleanliness – A safe working and treatment environment

In Planmeca Compact i5, all the essential infection control functions are integrated and neatly organised in their own compartments. The cleaning procedures are automated, and the LED indicator on the dental unit informs of their status. These practical solutions help to speed up infection control, which in turn means a faster patient flow and improved quality assurance.

Intelligence – Smart tools for smart dentistry

Just like all of Planmeca’s digital equipment, Planmeca Compact i5 can be easily connected to a network in order to produce valuable data. With Planmeca’s intelligent software solutions, clinics can track and follow their patient flow, optimise their capacity through real-time information, and monitor the use of their equipment. Furthermore, the dental unit’s smart sign-in system allows fast access to personalised dental unit settings with a flash of a card.

Evolution – Continuous improvement

The rapidly changing world of dentistry – with its increasing quality assurance demands and the constantly growing patient flow – sets new demands for dental clinics, and Planmeca Compact i5 has been designed to cater to these demands. The dental unit is guaranteed to have a long life span: it has been built so that it can be upgraded with new features any time. This makes it a truly future-proof investment.

Nobel Biocare announced that it will expand its signature event, the Nobel Biocare Global Symposium, into a series of symposia around the globe to bring the next wave of groundbreaking innovation to more dental professionals worldwide. 

The larger Nobel Biocare Global Symposia event series will span from 2019 to 2021 and take place in Europe, North America and Asia.

The originally scheduled Global Symposium will still take place in June of 2019, however, instead of the previously announced Las Vegas, the first stop will be changed to Europe where the initial wave of game-changing solutions from Nobel Biocare will be available first. 

The Global Symposium in Las Vegas will be held in April 2020, followed by another Global Symposium in Asia during 2021.

The enhanced event strategy follows the tremendously positive feedback received from clinicians involved in the early stages of the groundbreaking solutions to come. Having a full series of global symposia provides an optimal platform to effectively reach and train dental professionals around the world.

Participants at the symposia will be the first in their regions to discover original solutions ranging from redefined surface science, revolutionary implant design and site-preparation techniques to implant care and digital solutions designed to further enhance the patient treatment journey. The new innovations will be onsite for attendees to experience through in-depth demonstrations as well as new state-of-the-art training and educational activities.

Hans Geiselhöringer, President of Nobel Biocare said: “A larger Nobel Biocare Global Symposia event series will help us better leverage the enthusiasm and anticipation already being generated around our upcoming new breakthrough innovations. With exciting new symposia to be held in Europe, North America and Asia, more dental professionals than ever will be able to take part in what will mark a real turning point in implant treatment care.”

Dates and locations for the event series will be available soon. New information about the Global Symposium event series will be available at www.nobelbiocare.com/events.

Ultradent Products Inc. announced on November 27, 2018, known nationally as “Giving Tuesday,” that it would donate $10,000 toward a Humanitarian Medical and Dental Education Fund started by the Adams, Gladwell, Durham Foundation based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The money will go toward providing professional medical and dental education to underserved populations through online lectures and hands-on training provided to students through virtual reality programs. “We’ve basically created online education with hands-on education via virtual reality technology that allows the students to actually perform procedures as if they were on an actual human, in an actual lab, but via technology,” says Dr. Mark Durham, a prosthodontist and co-founder of the Adams, Gladwell, Durham Foundation. He adds, “The challenge on the planet today is that there is progress in some areas and the lack of progress in others which leads to problems for people—humans just like you and I,” adds Durham. “The solution is scaling education. If we can share this information with a lot of people they can start doing things that have never been done before and really create another renaissance, which would be beautiful for humanity. So what we’re doing is investing in systems and technology that we’re developing that allows us to go into areas of the world and deliver education for a fraction of the cost, with some of the best minds.”

The push to provide education in place of services, they believe, could change the world. “It’s teaching them how to fish, per se, instead of just doing the procedure for them,” added Dr. Nathan Adams, an oral surgeon and co-founder of the foundation.

As for their progress toward the goal of educating as many people as possible, Durham reports, “So far, the foundation has built three surgical modules for around $50,000, which can now be shared to any of the 7 billion people on the earth without us charging any of them a penny to download. This year, because we are getting faster at building modules, our team and our local collaborators have a goal to see eight modules built for the same amount of money. Imagine the amount of people that will receive surgical training with the additional eight modules we build together!”

To learn more about this wonderful cause, or to donate, please visit https://www.gofundme.com/smarty.

Ultradent gladly supports hundreds of humanitarian efforts every year, worldwide. This includes donations toward major disaster relief efforts as well as smaller, individually run humanitarian missions. To learn more about Ultradent’s humanitarian efforts, please visit ultradent.com/company/humanitarian.

MIT’s new Center for Additive and Digital Advanced Production Technologies (ADAPT) focuses on additive and advanced manufacturing. As the innovation leader in the dental industry for more than a century, Dentsply Sirona strongly supports MIT’s initiative by participating as one of the ADAPT’s founding members. ADAPT’s ambitious objectives fit perfectly with Dentsply Sirona’s inventive power. The overall goal of Dentsply Sirona’s ADAPT partnership is to develop the best possible solutions for both dentists and dental labs by continuously advancing dental workflows.

Tom Leonardi, Group Vice President Lab at Dentsply Sirona, explains, “We are very proud to be a member of this exciting new initiative together with such a renowned partner as MIT. Especially for dental labs, additive and digital advanced production technologies will play an even more crucial role in dentistry in the future than already today. Thanks to our unique combination of expertise for both technology and materials, we will contribute to and at the same time benefit from ADAPT.”

Dentsply Sirona Lab is the center of expertise and strong partner for dental labs and technicians. Its seamless digital solutions make dental labs’ workflows more predictable and help them stay digitally connected with their dentists. Dentsply Sirona Lab works closely together with labs and dental technicians to develop innovative products for better, safer, and faster lab workflows.

ADAPT starts with research projects and education programs

ADAPT concentrates on four areas: visionary research, scalable education platforms, actionable strategic insights, and an MIT-based academic-industry ecosystem. Besides the initiation of exploratory research projects and the establishment of a new, advanced additive manufacturing laboratory at MIT, ADAPT will organize members-only events and flagship symposia. In addition, ADAPT will also complement MIT’s education programs in terms of additive manufacturing (AM).

“I am excited to launch ADAPT to accelerate MIT’s efforts toward enabling a next generation of production technologies, wherein AM is a cornerstone. Moreover, AM requires multidisciplinary expertise in terms of mechanical engineering, computer science, materials, and other fields. Thus, we appreciate the support of our founding members and look forward to solidifying our research, education, and engagement programs in the coming term,” says MIT Professor John Hart who directs ADAPT and – among other respectable assignments – leads MIT’s Laboratory for Manufacturing and Productivity.

For more information on ADAPT visit https://adapt.mit.edu

Members of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry (AACD) now have access to online courses through Restorative Nation, curated by Dr. Lee Ann Brady.

The new benefit provides AACD members with an additional resource for clinical content relating to esthetics, materials, occlusion, restorative techniques, treatment planning, practice management, and more.

“We’re very excited to add this additional learning resource for our members,” said Dana Murn, AACD Membership Manager. “The addition of Restorative Nation as a member benefit means AACD members can utilize multiple learning platforms [AACD Virtual Camus, Restorative Nation, and DentalXP] to achieve the learning outcomes they desire.”

Restorative Nation grew out of many conversations Dr. Brady had with dentists all around the world. Through listening to their questions and asking them how they prefer to learn, she realized what was “missing” in post-grad dental education.

By partnering with Dr. Brady, the AACD can continue to offer superior education opportunities, in line with its mission. “The concentration for the AACD in 2019 is education. We are laser focused on providing cosmetic dentistry focused, clinical education that is relevant and engaging,” said Shane Walsh, AACD Professional Education Manager. “Dr. Lee Ann Brady and Restorative Nation will provide that, and then some.”

Members will receive an e-mail from Restorative Nation with their unique username and password. To login and access Restorative Nation, visit this website: https://restorativenation.com/login/. For more information, contact the AACD Executive Office at membership@aacd.com. 

The National Association of Dental Laboratories and Core3dcentres will offer a pre-meeting workshop Wednesday, January 16, one day before the kickoff of the annual Vision 21 meeting at Bally’s in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The workshop, sponsored by Core3dcentres and Carbon, will feature a lecture by Lee Culp, CDT, and Lida Swann, DDS, from 1-4 PM, titled, “An Owner’s Guide to Growth: Digital Dentures, Surgical Guides, Additive Manufacturing.” That will be followed by a presentation from Tim Torbenson of EVO820, from 4-5 PM, titled, “New Tools Require Focus on Compliance.”

Pre-registration and additional fees are required for this workshop, and limited space is available. For more information and to register, go to nadl.org/events/v21/2019.

Garrison’s newly devised FitStrip™ Interproximal Finishing and Contouring System has been expanded to include a comprehensive interproximal reduction kit. The new IPR kit provides clinicians with all the diamond abrasive strips and gauges necessary to quickly and accurately prepare teeth and measure interproximal space for advanced aligner treatment.

This complete kit includes ten diamond coated abrasive strips (two each of .11mm, .21mm, .30mm, .40mm and .50mm), two interchangeable handles and stainless-steel IPR gauges.

FitStrip represents the best solution for IPR (interproximal reduction), creating the space needed for minor movement of teeth when necessary. Working in concert with orthodontic treatments such as Clear Correct™, Invisalign®, Six Month Smiles® and others, the color-coded strips provide the roadmap for achieving the desired IPR quickly, easily and effectively. No other system provides FitStrip’s level of flexibility and ease of use.

In addition, the original FitStrip kit and new Universal FitStrip kit include both single-sided and double-sided strips. All the strips feature the unique ability to be adjusted from straight, for contact reduction, to curved, for interproximal contouring, with a simple twist of the color-coded barrel thereby eliminating clinician hand fatigue. The interchangeable handle easily attaches to any of the FitStrip™ components significantly improving clinician ease of use and patient comfort. The clinician’s hand stays outside the mouth providing a clear field of view and easier operation.

The FitStrip™ is indicated for use in IPR, contact reduction, interproximal finishing and contouring, crown and bridge cement removal/clean up as well as separating inadvertently bonded teeth.

Color coded and conveniently organized, the FitStrip™ Interproximal Finishing and Contouring System also has a complete selection of refills available. Contact Garrison Dental Solutions at 888-437-0032 or visit garrisondental.com for more information.

About Garrison Dental Solutions

Garrison Dental Solutions, established in 1996, is a privately held company specializing in the design, development and manufacturing of product solutions to improve the quality and efficiency of dentistry. The Company is the industry leader in sectional matrix systems and its products are sold globally. Please visit www.garrisondental.com for more information.

Dr. Josh Wren shares the case of an 8-year-old girl with congenitally missing teeth and a hypocalcified upper right first molar permanent molar with deep decay. Using bioactive materials, Dr. Wren was able to save this seemingly hopeless molar and prevent the girl from losing another tooth.

Read the article here

About PULPDENT® Corporation

PULPDENT® Corporation is a family-owned dental research, manufacturing company and leader in bioactive dental materials. ACTIVA BioACTIVE™, developed by PULPDENT, is the first esthetic bioactive restorative material. ACTIVA behaves much like natural teeth and stimulates the formation of apatite (the building blocks of teeth), chemically bonds to teeth and helps protect against decay. For over 70 years, Pulpdent has been committed to product innovation, clinical education and patient-centered care in the fields of restoratives, oral hygiene, endodontics, temporization, periodontics, orthodontics, and general dentistry. To stay updated on bioactivity and learn about the Heroic Dentistry Series, which demonstrates ACTIVA's unprecedented capabilities, visit the Pulpdent blog.