Stay Informed on Equipment that Helps You and Your Practice

Each month, AGD Impact’s Testing the Tools column looks at products to help you in your practice. Read the latest reviews.

Make Interproximal Reduction Easier 

SpaceFile^® Contra-Angle Handpiece
Dentsply Sirona 
dentsplysirona.com 

Interproximal reduction (IPR) has always been a challenging part of limited or complete orthodontics. In my practice, we have always used standard diamond strips or hand-gripped diamond strips such as Garrison Fitstrips or Contact EZ. Handpieces using circular diamond wheels work in any slow-speed handpiece but can become bent and stop creating a uniformly sized IPR spacing. With the SpaceFile^® Handpiece from Dentsply Sirona, you can achieve precision hand-filing results with a handpiece. The file system can be used in all three ways — as a flimsy strip, with a more rigid finger grip as a handheld and in the handpiece. With the SpaceFile, there is minimal force and vibration, and the patient has a correspondingly significant decrease in discomfort. The accuracy of the IPR is more precise because there is little to no distortion in the file due to the quick back-and-forth reciprocating motion of only 1.6 millimeters. The system follows the same color progression as universal endo systems — begin with the purple file, and work your way up. I would recommend also having an IPR key system to confirm you have reached the reduction spacing that you desire, but that isn’t necessary after you have used the system a few times. Since the direction of the file can be rotated in the head, the files work well in the anterior and posterior regions, both maxillary and mandibular. The handpiece is compatible with almost all air-driven motors, and all parts of the system are autoclavable. Make your IPR/ortho life easier with this straightforward system. 

Comfortably Protect Yourself from Splatter 

ZShield
ZVerse 
zverse.com 

My team’s current in-office personal protective equipment (PPE) protocol includes N95/KN95 masks, level-two masks, surgical caps and face shields. Tying all that together adds a lot of extra tension and weight on our heads, and that has caused some literal headaches. One company has found an inventive way to help this situation — a 3D-printing company called ZVerse. Its ZShield hooks around your neck instead of the crown of your head and protects your face from the bottom-up instead of the top-down. Since we are sitting above our patients and looking down, this works wonderfully at preventing splatter from reaching our faces. Because of the comfort of not wearing the additional tight halo, as well as the less claustrophobic feel of having your shield cone open toward the ceiling, most of my hygienists have transitioned to this shield, and my wife is using it in her public school classroom. It is not as stable as other face shields since it does not anchor tightly to your neck and relies on gravity to seat, but you will only notice this while walking or making sudden movements. Like with all sturdy reusable shields, there is a risk of scratching it and reducing visibility, but the shields are easily replaceable if needed. This is a great product for dentistry and splatter protection. 

Upgrade Your Camera 

Sopro 617 Intraoral Camera 
Acteon
acteongroup.com 

I know I am preaching to the choir, but educating patients and visually telling the story of dental needs is the absolute best way to convert a treatment discussion into a scheduled treatment. Intraoral cameras are the best way to do that. We have always used Dexis™ cameras in our office, but this time we decided to purchase the Sopro 617 from Acteon. This camera is still Dexis-software compatible, so we didn’t have to change our infrastructure. The Sopro line of cameras includes the 617, 717, Life and Care models. The 617 is the basic intraoral model; the 717 has a zoom or macro function; the Life has a caries-detection function; and the Care has a plaque-highlighting ability. I’ve been blown away by the 617’s image quality and have also sampled the caries-detection function and zoom on the Life. The 105-degree field of view and autofocusing ability make it astoundingly easy to find what you are trying to show, and the caries detection is pretty accurate for occlusal decay especially. The button that you’ll find on most cameras has been upgraded to a touch sensor on the Sopro so that you can roll your finger over it instead of tapping a button and potentially disrupting your focus. Included in the kit are slip covers that pull tight and still allow for a great image, but the camera case is also entirely sealed and wipeable. I’m enjoying the camera’s picture quality and plan to check out some of the upgraded functions of the rest of the Sopro line.