The White Paper - Aesthetic Dentistry and Teeth Whitening News from Beyond

The Dental Advisor Reviews Beyond Max Kits

2010-04-27T09:03:00.003-05:00

BEYOND Max Kits received a 4-plus rating based on an analysis to be presented in the May2010 issue of The Dental Advisor.

In a clinical assessment, the BEYOND Max Kits were evaluated by seven consultants in 35 whitening treatments. The kits received high marks for the ease of application and removal from the teeth. The ability to use the product with any light making it useable by any practice without an investment in new equipment was also noted in the review.

BEYOND Max kits are available in Max5 and Max10 configurations for as little as $20USD per patient!

The full review can be seen at http://www.dentaladvisor.com/beyond-max5

Check out the new Polus™ video!

2009-09-08T01:03:00.001-05:00

Case Study #1

2009-08-27T22:01:00.005-05:00

Patient Case Study #1: Moderate fluorosis resulting in "mottled" appearance post-treatment.

Treating Fluorosis Cases
Pre-treatment consultations are extremely important; especially when treating fluorosis cases. The examination will allow the dental professional an opportunity to check for possible fluoride spots and inform patients ahead of the treatment that the tooth enamel will not be entirely even in color immediately following the treatment.

Uninformed patients will be surprised by the mottled appearance of the enamel immediately following the treatment, and may be unhappy with the results. In less severe cases, mottling may be limited to one or two white spots. However in moderate to severe fluorosis cases, mottling can be more noticeable.

The white spots will become less noticeable within the 24-48 hour immediately following the treatment as the post-treatment color settles. Patients should be informed of this before the treatment.

Treatment schedules should be designed based on the severity of fluorosis. Mild to moderate discolorations can be treated during a single, in-office visit. (Vary 8-12 minute cycles depending on severity.) Severe cases should be treated with multiple, in-office visits (Week 1: Three cycles, 8-12 minutes each cycle; Week 2: Two to three cycles, 8-12 minutes each cycle.) Depending on severity, a pre-treatment acid etch of the enamel layer may also be necessary.

Causes of Fluorosis
The ingestion of excessive fluoride levels (higher than 1 ppm) in drinking water, or another medium, before the permanent teeth are fully formed can result in irregular calcification of the teeth formation of the enamel layer.

The higher the levels of fluoride intake, the more serious the individual case will be. Fluoride stains almost always occur balanced on the tooth arch, although this can vary between teeth.

Fluoride rarely affects deciduous teeth because it is not absorbed through the placenta. Premolar teeth, upper incisors, and second primary molars are the most easily affected. The next most likely to be affected are the canine teeth, first primary molars, and lower incisors, in that order.

The appearance of fluoride stains vary depending on which teeth are affected. In premolars and second primary molars, the stains are seen as white spots or stripes. In less severe cases, the discolorations may be yellow, brown, or black in color and accompanied by irregular enamel layer formations, resulting in uneven ridges on the enamel layer.

Clinical observations of teeth discolored by fluoride have produced important findings on the structural irregularities caused by fluoride. On the surface of fluoresced teeth, enamel fractures along the ends of the enamel columns are evident. The result of malcalcification, these damaged enamel cells fail to form a satisfactory enamel base.

Introducing BEYOND™ Blast™!

2009-07-30T00:29:00.004-05:00

BEYOND™ Blast®!

All of the same, intense whitening power as our original 35% pre-treatment paste formula, with a bright new name. BEYOND™ Blast® material is included in all BEYOND™ II Complete Single Patient kits, and available packaged separately for use with any BEYOND™ II whitening Gel kit.

BEYOND™ Blast® jump-starts the whitening for outstanding results with the most difficult cases, including tetracycline, fluorosis, and age-related stains. Welcome to our product family!

Free Bleaching = Practice Growth

2009-07-30T00:13:00.004-05:00

We heard about a dental clinic in the US that is offering life-long, free teeth whitening to patients who come in for check-ups twice a year. What a fantastic idea to consider for bringing in new patients, retaining old ones, and providing an incentive to come in for twice-annual health check-ups! With this business plan in place, everyone's a winner!

The original article can be found here, or read below.

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Other popular cosmetic dental treatments, including bonding, enamel shaping, and veneers, can be used to correct dramatic dental defects that cannot be satisfactorily addressed with whitening alone. But dentist supervised teeth whitening remains one of the safest, least invasive, and most effective options for creating the bright and sparkling smiles that will enhance the lifestyles of your patients—and can bring new sources of revenue into your practice.

Free Bleaching for Life

As a practice-builder, teeth whitening should be a no-brainer. Virtually every patient is a good candidate for some form of whitening technique. Whitening the teeth of your staff is a good initial way of showing how great a whiter smile can be—and a way of advertising the service to patients. Many new practices offer some complimentary whitening to attract patients, and established practices have used offers of free whitening to bring new patients through the door. One dentist, Dr. Jaimee Morgan of Salt Lake City, has expanded on this idea to offer free whitening to all her patients for as long as they are her patients. In effect, patients who visit Dr. Morgan for twice-a-year cleanings are eligible to receive free bleaching for life. Dr. Morgan recently opened a new practice, in the process closing 3 satellite practices and moving everything to the new location. “Although there had been satellite offices, this really was a new practice in a new area, so not all the existing patients came to the new office. Our first thought was that we would offer free whitening to bring in new people who might not know us. But it seemed like kind of a slam to our loyal patients that only the new people would be getting the free whitening. Offering it to everyone has brought us about 50% of our current patients—and has really helped in keeping our existing patients happy.”

Better than Advertising

Before offering the free bleaching, Dr. Morgan said that the practice advertised in all the usual ways: through a display ad in the phone book and by placing a lot of local advertising in newspapers and direct-mail shopper guides. She even advertised at the movies. “You know those ads, where you’re waiting for the movie and they throw the ad on the screen? We did one of those. It was very costly.” Yet with the exception of the yellow pages, none of this advertising had much noticeable effect. Offering the free bleaching has been a boon. “It’s worked out well for us because it provides us with fantastic word of mouth. Our patients help to bring in new patients. Your patients’ smiles look better, which makes your dentistry look better, and people want to know, hey, where do you go for that pretty smile? And for what we pay out in bleaching materials we get a great return—it’s better than any other form of advertising that we do.”

For the free bleaching program, Dr. Morgan offers an inoffice power bleaching session or 12 syringes of a 10% carbamide peroxide solution for take-home bleaching for each patient who wishes to participate. She says, “We want to make the program adaptable to what each individual wants, whether they want the power bleach or the take-home product. It’s just as easy either way for us and if it makes them happy, well, that’s better for us and for them.” For patients who want to maintain their white smiles, Dr. Morgan offers a bleaching maintenance program, for which she charges a fee. “We didn’t want to get into nickel and diming our patients by selling the product out of the office, but we did want to provide them with the product if they wanted it, so this seemed like a good compromise. We also provide the adaptable bleaching trays, and if they want a custom tray we are also happy to sell them those as well.”

Bleaching and Beyond

Dr. Morgan says she’s found that patients who have whiter smiles look for other ways to improve the way their teeth look. “Whitening tends to prompt the patient to think more cosmetically about their teeth. They’ll say, ‘wow, they’re so white, they look great! Now, let’s go and fix that little chip in that tooth or fill that space, or let’s get them straightened.’” Bleaching opens the door to may practice growth opportunities. It can help you retain the patients you already have and create word-of-mouth to attract new patients. And the positive results of bleaching can encourage patients to ask for other esthetic and restorative treatments to continue improving their smiles

Safety and Comfort = Our Priorities

2009-07-14T01:02:00.005-05:00

Did you know that the new BEYOND™ Polus™ Whitening Accelerator has the most advanced light filtration system in the industry? Our new filtration system (with LightBridge™ technology) contains over 150,000 optical fibers to remove all harmful heat and ultraviolet (UV) light. With BEYOND™ Polus™, your whitening treatment is fast, effective, comfortable, and safe. With BEYOND™, sensitivity is minimized and results are maximized.

Oral Healthcare Can't Wait

2009-07-08T20:51:00.004-05:00

The latest buzz in the online dental community is revolving around a push for more campaigns to educate the public on the importance of regular and preventative oral healthcare. A new campaign being launched by the Dental Trade Alliance (DTA), titled Oral Healthcare Can't Wait, promises to be an aggressive and effective marketing tactic to educate the American public on the importance of oral healthcare and it's impact on other health concerns such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and serious gum disease.

One of the most important steps in an in-office whitening treatment is the pre-treatment check-up and consultation. This gives the dentist the opportunity to examine the patient and determine any obvious oral health issues ahead of the treatment time. Before beginning any cosmetic dental treatment, it is important to ensure the patient is in good oral health. Educating the patient on the importance of regular check-ups, brushing, and flossing can also be emphasized during this time. The explanation that good oral health will maintain the whitening results for a longer time is an excellent argument for any patient who is concerned about the appearance of his or her smile.

Orange Juice Worse for Teeth than Whitening

2009-07-08T02:22:00.000-05:00

With the increasing popularity of whitening one’s teeth, researchers at the Eastman Institute for Oral Health, part of the University of Rochester Medical Center, set out to learn if there are negative effects on the tooth from using whitening products.

Eastman Institute’s YanFang Ren, DDS, PhD, and his team determined that the effects of 6 percent hydrogen peroxide, the common ingredient in professional and over-the-counter whitening products, are insignificant compared to acidic fruit juices. Orange juice markedly decreased hardness and increased roughness of tooth enamel.

Unlike ever before, researchers were able to see extensive surface detail thanks to a new focus-variation vertical scanning microscope. “The acid is so strong that the tooth is literally washed away,” said Ren, whose findings were recently published in Journal of Dentistry. “The orange juice decreased enamel hardness by 84 percent.” No significant change in hardness or surface enamel was found from whitening.

Weakened and eroded enamel may speed up the wear of the tooth and increase the risk for tooth decay to quickly develop and spread. “Most soft drinks, including sodas and fruit juices, are acidic in nature,” Ren said. “Our studies demonstrated that the orange juice, as an example, can potentially cause significant erosion of teeth.”

It’s long been known that juice and sodas have high acid content, and can negatively affect enamel hardness. “There are also some studies that showed whitening can affect the hardness of dental enamel, but until now, nobody had compared the two,” Ren explained. “This study allowed us to understand the effect of whitening on enamel relative to the effect of a daily dietary activity, such as drinking juices.

“It’s potentially a very serious problem for people who drink sodas and fruit juices daily,” said Ren, who added that dental researchers nationwide are increasingly studying tooth erosion, and are investing significant resources into possible preventions and treatments. “We do not yet have an effective tool to avert the erosive effects, although there are early indications that higher levels of fluoride may help slow down the erosion.”

A Texas-based company, Beyond Dental and Health, sponsored the trial in part by providing the 6 percent hydrogen peroxide.

In the meantime, Ren advises that consumers be aware of the acidic nature of beverages, including sodas, fruit juices, sports and energy drinks. The longer teeth are in contact with the acidic drinks, the more severe the erosion will be. People who sip their drinks slowly over 20 minutes are more likely to have tooth erosion than those who finish a drink quickly. It’s also very important to keep good oral hygiene practices, Ren added, by brushing twice daily with fluoride toothpaste, and see a dentist for a fluoride treatment at least once a year if you are at risk.

Eastman Institute for Oral Health is a world leader in research and post-doctoral education in general and pediatric dentistry, orthodontics, periodontics, prosthodontics, and oral surgery. Patients are seen at many sites throughout the Rochester community.

Republished from the URMC website.

Polus is here!

2009-06-15T01:11:00.003-05:00

BEYOND™ Polus is officially available for sale in all markets now. Contact your local BEYOND™ representative or distributor today to order!

Are you going to Cologne?

2009-03-18T21:36:00.002-05:00

Email info@beyonddent.com to arrange a meeting time!

IDS 2009 starts next week in Cologne, Germany!!

2009-03-16T20:13:00.006-05:00

We're excited!! Are you?

The entire dental industry is gearing up for IDS next week and we couldn't be more enthused about all of the fantastic new products we're going to have on display at our booth in Cologne.

Stop by our booth in Hall 3.2 F030/G039 and take home a whiter, brighter smile as a souvenir from your trip. We'll be performing live demonstrations all day on willing models! (Come as soon as possible on the first day! Slots fill up fast!)

Email info@beyonddent.com if you want to book a meeting time with one of our staff to discuss new products and distribution opportunities.

See you in Germany!

Continuing Education: Using the Resin Composite Test Plate to Determine Curing Times and Intensities

2009-02-11T20:49:00.015-06:00

When curing composite materials with the BEYOND™ Cordless LED Curing Light, we recommend using the Resin Composite Test Plate included with the device to determine the appropriate light-intensity setting and curing time needed to cure your composite. This test plate is simple to use and will save you from having to rework a composite that was cured incorrectly the first time.

To utilize the test plate, begin by determining the recommended curing time from the composite literature. Fill the appropriate composite thickness slot on the test plate (2mm, 3mm, or 4mm) and cure the test composite by moving the curing light in a slow circular movement over the “Cure Side” of the test plate. After curing for the recommended time, turn the test plate over to the “Test Side” and check that the composite has hardened fully. If the recommended curing time did not result in successful hardening of the composite, use the test plate to retest the composite curing time again.

For more detailed instructions on how to use your BEYOND™ Cordless LED Curing Light, you can email us at info@beyonddent.com to request a digital or hard copy.

Marketing Idea: Up-selling Whitening Treatments

2009-02-01T23:21:00.001-06:00

Train your office staff and hygienists to “up-sell” teeth whitening treatments when he or she is booking the patient’s next appoint or when cleaning the patient’s teeth. Patients are a great “captive” audience and are more likely to ask questions about new procedures when speaking to a dental professional they know and trust. Keep in mind that educating a patient about popular cosmetic treatments will not only educate them on new available procedures, but also generate interest in the treatments. Talking to your patients about exciting, optional, and non-invasive treatments will reassure the patient that you and your staff are up-to-date on new technologies and interested in helping your patients put his or her best smile forward.

Featured Product Showcase: BEYOND™ Impact Composite and Plastic Filling Instruments

2009-01-22T01:10:00.006-06:00

BEYOND™ Impact Composite and Plastic Filling Instruments are lightweight, non-stick, autoclavable anodized aluminum for efficient placement of composite material.

The complete set is designed for improved placement, condensing and contouring of composite material and plastic filling: Rounded and flat tipped instruments are included for condensing composite material; an acorn shaped instrument is available for carving occlusal anatomy in posterior restorations; an oval tipped instrument provides improved contact filling for larger restorations; curved tipped instruments (in medium and small sizes) are available for posterior and anterior shaping of the restoration; and a burnisher for easy blending of material to the margin for final contouring.

The BEYOND™ Impact Composite and Plastic Filling Instruments set is perfect for dental professionals who are tired of cumbersome, heavy instruments and younger dental professionals looking to stock his or her clinic with high-quality precision tools.

You can find more information on our website here.

Welcome to The White Paper!

2009-01-22T00:50:00.001-06:00

Welcome to the all-new online blog from Beyond Dental & Health!

We're transitioning from our monthly newsletter, The Beyond Messenger, to a more frequent publishing schedule with our new blog, The White Paper.

Feedback, questions, and requests for information are always welcome. Contact us directly at info@beyonddent.com and be sure to subscribe to our blog while you're here!