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SheerVision, Inc. to Exhibit at the Connecticut, Kentucky and Texas Dental Shows

New Firefly Infinity™ LED Portable Light System to Be Showcased at All Three Events

SheerVision, Inc.  exhibited at the Connecticut, Kentucky and Texas Dental Trade Shows from May 10-12.

SheerVision which designs, markets and sells proprietary surgical loupes and light systems to the dental and medical markets will be featuring the new Firefly Infinity™ LED Portable Light at each of these three dental shows.

The Connecticut Dental show is being held at the Mohegan Sun Resort in Uncasville, CT. The Texas show is being held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas and the Kentucky show is being held at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

"I believe that our new light system which is nearly twice as bright as traditional LED lights will once again be very well received at each of these shows and aid in the Company's growth," stated SheerVision, Inc. CEO Suzanne Lewsadder.

SheerVision has quickly captured a leading position in the dental hygiene market segment. The company's value proposition revolves around its ability to provide top quality loupes and light systems directly to end-users at substantially lower prices than similar products.

SheerVision's light and loupe products are recommended by a leading independent non-profit dental education and product testing foundation and were featured in the foundation's 2005 and 2006 Buyer's Guide and in "Dental Lab Products" 2005 Buyer's Guide as the "Best of the Best" Offering.

Delta Dental Gives $250,000 To MDCH To Launch Fluoride Varnish Program For Low-Income Children

Program Expected To Reduce Tooth Decay By Up To 60 Percent In 22,000 Michigan Children

            

              Delta Dental of Michigan (Delta Dental) has given the Michigan Department of Community Health (MDCH) a grant of $250,000 to launch Varnish! Michigan, a program that will provide applications of fluoride varnish on the teeth of up to 22,000 children enrolled in Early Head Start and Head Start programs around the state.

            

              The goal of Varnish! Michigan is to provide early intervention to prevent or reduce dental disease among low-income children aged birth to five. Varnish! Michigan is expected to reduce decay between 48 and 60 percent in this group of children.

            

              Thomas J. Fleszar, president and chief executive officer of Delta Dental, said regular applications of fluoride varnish have proven to be one of the most effective measures to prevent or reduce dental decay.

            

“Fluoride varnish is safe, simple to apply, and an ideal treatment to offer in community-based programs like Head Start,” he said. “Our mission at Delta Dental is to improve oral health. I cannot think of a more appropriate initiative to support than Varnish! Michigan, which will help thousands of young children get off to a healthy start by preventing tooth decay.”

            

“Many of these children in this group have little to no access to dental care, and the unfortunate result is that by the time they reach third grade, one in four Michigan children have untreated dental disease,” said Janet Olszewski, MDCH Director. “We know that most dental disease can be prevented, and we are grateful to Delta Dental for stepping forward with this generous contribution to make sure at-risk children throughout the state get the protection they need.”

            

According to the National Institutes of Health, tooth decay is the single most common chronic disease among children – five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever. In Michigan, 20 percent of children bear 80 percent of the disease burden; these are the children with little to no access to dental care. Nearly one in 10 third grade children in the state have immediate dental care needs with signs or symptoms of pain, infection, or swelling.

            

              MDCH will administer the program through the use of competitive grants, with priority given to Early Head Start programs because intervention at the youngest ages is considered most beneficial.
              Grantees will be selected from non-profit agencies, local public health departments, and federally qualified health centers. Grants are expected to be awarded this summer. In addition to the fluoride treatment, the program will include caregiver oral health education and assistance to families in helping them find a dental home.

            

              Delta Dental of Michigan, with its affiliates in Ohio, Indiana, and Tennessee, is one of the largest dental plan administrators in the nation. In 2006, the enterprise paid out more than $1.7 billion for dental care for more than 6.2 million enrollees. Offices are located in Okemos, Farmington Hills, and Grand Rapids, Michigan; Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio; Indianapolis, Indiana; and Nashville, Knoxville, and Memphis, Tennessee.

Nanotechnology Dental Implants

Dental implant company BIOMET 3i™ has just introduced a new dental implant using nanotechnology.

“The new NanoTite Implant represents a notable advancement in dental implant technology,” says Alan Meltzer, D.M.D., one of the first periodontists to offer his patients the NanoTite Implant at his New Jersey practice.

The NanoTite Implant adds deposits of nanoscale calcium phosphate crystals to approximately 50% of the surface. These nanoscale deposits create a complex surface on the implant that, according to pre-clinical studies, appears to play a key role in how the implant bonds with the bone. Human bone recognizes calcium phosphate as being biologically natural, allowing the bone and implant to bond during healing.

Patient applications and benefits of the NanoTite Implant include use to replace single or multiple missing teeth due to cavities, decay, trauma or disease. The NanoTite Implant, like all dental implants, is designed to help preserve bone structure and natural facial contours.

Dental Coalition Says Dentists In Minnesota Must Attend Patients In Restrooms

A new regulation passed by the Minnesota Board of Dentistry requires dentists to remain with certain patients at all times – even if the patient or dentist needs a bathroom break, according to TEAM 1500, a nationwide coalition of healthcare professionals.

            

              The Minnesota regulation, which went into effect March 19th, makes no exceptions for male dentists treating female patients or vice versa. As a result, some adult patients must now anticipate their dentists joining them in the restroom and even in individual toilet stalls, according to TEAM 1500.

            

              Specifically, the rule pertains to those patients who are treated with an increasingly popular form of sedation, known as oral conscious sedation (OCS). This well-established treatment, which leaves a patient awake and responsive, has proven particularly effective in calming patients who otherwise avoid visiting a dentist due to fear and anxiety.

            

              Previously, oral conscious sedation patients were permitted to be escorted to the restroom by same-sex members of a dentist’s staff who had received specialized training. But the Minnesota Board’s new rules preclude anyone other than the dentist from keeping close watch over patients.

            

              While specific statistics aren’t available, several dentists in Minnesota who regularly treat patients with OCS told TEAM 1500 that roughly one out of every two extended-treatment OCS patients do at some point need to use the bathroom.

            

              Although the Minnesota rule seems absurd on its face, TEAM 1500 notes that the American Dental Association has proposed similar guidelines and other states are weighing their own regulations that would require dentists to double as bathroom monitors.

            

              Dean Rotbart, director of TEAM 1500, said he believes the Minnesota rules were passed in a deliberate effort to erect an obstacle between dentists and OCS patients. “Other dentists who are losing patients to those offering OCS see this as a means to trip up their colleagues,” Rotbart observed.

            

“Wait until members of the governor’s staff and state legislature discover that their family members had an unexpected bathroom visitor,” Rotbart said. “It will be interesting to count how long this ridiculous regulation lasts before it is rescinded.”

            For more on TEAM 1500 and the Minnesota regulation visit www.team1500.org.

Dentists Split Over Amalgam Fillings: The Wealthy Dentist Survey

Dentists are deeply divided over the issue of mercury amalgam fillings. In a recent dental marketing survey conducted by TheWealthyDentist.com, 52% of dentists reported they are no longer using mercury amalgam. The other 48% are still placing amalgam fillings. Some dentists criticized amalgam for its possible toxicity and tendency to fracture teeth; other dentists defended amalgam's long history and superiority to more modern composite fillings.             

There is a significant difference between general dentists and specialists on the issue of mercury amalgam. Though about one out of two general dentists still uses dental amalgam, fully four out of five specialists are using amalgam. In support of amalgam, specialists cited the lack of scientific evidence proving its toxicity and its superiority in certain situations.

            

"Amalgam is a durable and cost effective restorative material," said one Colorado prosthodontist. "I believe dentists who refuse to use mercury amalgam are misinformed." A prosthodontic colleague from Kentucky agreed: "Dentists who advocate elimination of dental amalgam are building their practice at the expense of the rest of the profession. Dental amalgams are perfectly safe." As one California dentist said, "As long as ADA and FDA say it is safe, then that is good enough for me."

            

Suburban dentists were least likely to use amalgam. "I practice in an affluent town," said a general dentist from suburban New Jersey. "Amalgam fillings would not be acceptable to my patients." Commented an Idaho dentist, "Amalgams are great; they just look so bad that nobody wants them." A Virginia doctor agreed, saying, "Patients just don't want them any more, regardless of the higher cost of resins." A California dentist was even more blunt: "Amalgam is very unaesthetic and boring to do."

            

Even dentists who preferred composites acknowledged the benefits of amalgam fillings. As one Nebraska doctor wrote, "Amalgam is my friend. Larger composites after three to five years usually look worn and leaking." A New York dentist defended the dental material: "Although we place amalgam restorations rarely, there are occasions where this is truly the most appropriate restorative material. Dentists who have completely eliminated it from their practices are really doing their patients a disservice by not giving them a safe, reasonable option."

            

Some questioned how mercury, a known toxin, could possibly be a safe material for dental work. "It's a toxic waste when I remove from someone's body, but not when it is in a human body?" asked a Washington dentist. "Mercury is one of the most powerful neurotoxins known," said a Pennsylvania doctor. "We can't put it in landfills, and any excess has to be picked up by hazardous waste haulers. Yet we can bury a filling that is 50% mercury three inches from a person's brain?"

            

A number of dentists also questioned the safety of composites, a material far newer than amalgam. "Composite is not inert; it releases formaldehyde. What foreign material would you rather have in your mouth?" asked a Connecticut dentist. "There are big concerns with bis-phenol A components of resins," mentioned a Wisconsin doctor. "Unlike composite... amalgam does not release estrogen as a byproduct," warned a New York dentist.

            

Many dentists pointed out that amalgam works better in certain situations: on posterior teeth, in wet situations, on elderly patients, for children's primary teeth, for patients prone to cavities and/or with poor dental hygiene, for uncooperative patients, for large or subgingival restorations, and in areas of the mouth that are difficult to reach or isolate. Amalgam's lower price was also a factor for poorer patients or those whose insurance will not cover composites.

            

The durability of amalgam fillings was cited by a number of dentists. "For all those who say this is a horrible material: how many 20, 30 and even 40 year old amalgams do you see out there?" asked a Florida doctor. Commented a Louisiana dentist, "They are the most durable of all restorations, with the exception of gold, that are available at this time." A Texas doctor agreed, saying, "Until I find posterior composites that can last fifteen or twenty years, I will continue to offer the amalgam as a restoration."

            

Amalgam fillings can lead to fractured teeth, a problem cited by many dentists. "While it may still be a safe material for use, its long-term use leads to cracked and broken and often devitalized teeth," said an Arizona dentist. "In my 30 years of practice, I have observed the failure of amalgam to adequately restore teeth; 99% of the time it is the source of fractured teeth," agreed a Kansas doctor.

            

Many respondents mentioned that it had been five, ten, twenty, or even thirty years since they had placed an amalgam filling. "I stopped using amalgam in 1984. The 3M composites I placed then are still serving my patients today," said a Colorado dentist. "I haven't used it for over 12 years," commented a North Carolina doctor. "Even if it was a beautiful, tooth-colored material, it would still suck... big-time!"

            

"Mercury is a toxin," wrote a Missouri dentist. "We all seem to be concerned about the welfare of the patient, but I worry about the long-term effect of exposure to mercury to dentists and staff. For the last ten years, I have been conducting a research study on this very topic. I have discovered that all dentists and staff who either place or remove mercury fillings have extremely high levels of mercury in their systems. Some of the offices, like mine, do not place mercury fillings; they only remove them." A Texas dentist agreed, saying, "I have high levels of mercury in my system based on testing with my doctor."

            

Though the survey's wording was designed to be neutral, the usage of the term "mercury amalgam" was criticized by some doctors as biased terminology. Although the word "amalgam" has come to mean any mixture, it originally referred only to mercury-based metal alloys. According to the older definition, "mercury amalgam" is a redundant term, and "silver amalgam" more accurately describes the mixture of mercury, silver and other metals used in dental fillings.

            

Said one Wisconsin dentist, "When we were in dental school we were taught they were 'Silver Amalgam' fillings. 'Mercury Amalgam' is a term invented by the media." A Pennsylvania doctor agreed, saying. "Were you to list all of the ingredients of either material, nobody in their right mind would want them in their mouth."

            

"Dentists are so passionate about the controversy over amalgam that we received a record number of responses to this survey," said The Wealthy Dentist founder Jim Du Molin, a dentist consultant and dental website design guru. "The ADA says amalgam is safe, consumer groups insist it's dangerous, and the FDA still hasn't made an official ruling. It's been used in dental work for over a thousand years and saved untold numbers of teeth. But they used to say it was okay for pregnant women to smoke, so really, how are you supposed to know what's safe?"

            

For additional information on this and other Wealthy Dentist surveys, as well as more dentist comments, visit www.thewealthydentist.com/survey.

            

The Wealthy Dentist is a dental marketing and dental practice management resource featuring dental consultant Jim Du Molin. The site’s weekly surveys and dental newsletters are viewed by thousands of dentists across the United States and Canada. The Wealthy Dentist is a sister company of the Internet Dental Alliance, Inc. (www.internetdentalalliance.com). IDA is the largest provider of dental internet marketing websites, email patient newsletters and dental directories in North America.

            

http://www.thewealthydentist.com            

Dr. Azimi, Downtown Las Vegas’ General and Cosmetic Dentist, Offers Easy Test for Diagnosis of Gum Disease, Hereditary Risks

Periodontal Disease Linked to Total Body Health Through DNA

A new test is available that allows dentists and patients to combat gum disease. The test is called DNA-PCR and is administered at Dr. Azimi’s downtown Las Vegas dental office.

There are two parts to DNA-PCR testing. The first, Micro Ident, costs around $150 and identifies oral pathogens for the accurate diagnosis of periodontitis, or gum disease. The second, PST, is administered for about $130 and evaluates the person’s susceptibility to gum disease.

“Using DNA technology, the DNA-PCR test allows us to specifically identify oral bacteria that cause infections much earlier and treat them before they cause severe damage to a person’s health,” said Dr. Azimi, DDS, the first general and cosmetic dentist in Nevada certified to administer the DNA-PCR exam.

“To administer the test, we gather saliva samples from the patient’s mouth using cotton-tipped swabs,” Dr. Azimi continued. “The samples are then shipped to a laboratory for analysis. The lab sends us a detailed report identifying the oral bacteria present, allowing us to quickly and precisely diagnose and treat periodontal disease.”

In the past, periodontal disease was treated by clinical signs and symptoms. Now DNA-PCR uses molecular biology technology derived from the Human Genome Project to provide a concrete method of identifying the disease, allowing dentists to prescribe an accurate treatment. The Human Genome Project, begun formally in 1990, was coordinated by the federal Department of Energy with the chief goal of identifying all of the approximately 25,000 genes in human DNA.

There are more than 600 different types of bacteria present in the human mouth. Scientists at the Forsyth Institute in Boston have identified 13 strains of pathogenic bacteria which are the most common chronic infection in the U.S. population. These strains cause gum disease and can also contribute to heart disease, stoke, preterm birth, pregnancy complications, worsening of diabetes and certain forms of cancer. Early treatment of periodontitis may help prevent these other health problems.

Gum disease, which affects 90 percent of Americans during their lifetime, is contagious and should be taken seriously. If one family member is diagnosed with periodontitis, other family members should be tested and receive treatment if necessary.

An oral health study—the largest government examination of the nation’s dental health in more than 25 years—by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on April 30, noted that the percentage of adults who said they’d seen a dentist in the previous year dropped to 60 percent, from 66 percent.

“Knowing that good oral health is an indicator of overall health, and may in fact help prevent systemic disease, should be motivation enough for everyone to regularly visit a dentist,” Dr Azimi said. A systemic disease is a disorder that affects the entire body.

“Some insurance plans will cover the DNA-PCR test,” said Dr. Azimi. “But even without insurance reimbursement, the peace of mind that comes as a result of the exam is worth it.”

About Dr. Afshin Azimi
Situated on Seventh Street near Charleston Boulevard, Dr. Afshin Azimi is downtown Las Vegas’ cosmetic and general dentist. The Dr. Azimi team provides skilled esthetic dentistry to help patients find their perfect smile. A consummate learner and dental instructor, Dr. Azimi is on the clinical faculty at the Esthetic Professionals Dental Education Center in Tarzana, Calif. where he regularly provides instruction to other dentists. Known as ‘the good doctor,’ Dr. Azimi is the team dentist for the Las Vegas Wranglers professional hockey team. Since opening his insurance-friendly downtown Las Vegas practice in January 2001, Dr. Azimi’s patients have benefited from his skilled dentistry and personal satisfaction guarantee.

Beverly Hills Cosmetic Dentist Performs Non-Invasive "Extreme Makeovers"

A recent influx in reality-based makeover television shows has seen more and more people opting for expensive, painful plastic surgery. However, "no pain, no gain" should not be the mantra when trying to look younger, says Dr. Eddie Siman of cosmetic dental spa Millennium Dental.

The first thing people usually notice is a smile, but most makeover shows skip over the simple process of fixing chipped, stained, or crooked teeth, in favor of the more severe measures of dangerous plastic surgery. Dr. Eddie Siman of Millennium Dental performs smile makeovers in Los Angeles in as little as two visits that are safe, healthy and life changing.

"Most of my patients who have had a smile transformation said they feel 10 years younger and are more confident as a result," said Dr. Siman. "In my opinion, compared to plastic surgery, it is the healthiest most non-invasive way that people can restore their youth and confidence."

Years of smoking, or drinking dark liquids, can stain teeth, making a person appear older than they really are. With an easy one hour, in-office laser whitening, patients can achieve up to 15 shades whiter teeth resulting in a brighter smile that illuminates facial features and creates a more youthful appearance. Another simple and affordable confidence booster is the snap on smile. This new technology allows people to have a dazzling "Hollywood Smile" without changing tooth structure.

Millennium Dental also offers bonding, implants, veneers and Lumineers to correct or replace chipped, broken or missing teeth. All procedures are done in their spa-like atmosphere where patients can smell aromatherapy oils and candles, watch DVDs or enjoy calm music on an iPod during treatment. With Sleep Dentistry, dental phobic clientele can sleep through a Los Angeles smile makeover and wake up to a new smile with little or no recollection of their appointment.

Many people go to unnecessary, painful extremes to improve their look when all they really need is some expert cosmetic dentistry. Dr. Siman's customized Los Angeles smile makeover leaves patients looking and feeling more confident and youthful without the pain or stress of invasive plastic surgery.