Dental News - Meeting review: 2017 Greater New York Dental Meeting

Sierra Rendon / DTA

Tue. 5 December 2017

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NEW YORK, N.Y., USA: Attending her second Greater New York Dental Meeting, Asmaa N Yagob of Brooklyn, N.Y., was in the standing-room-only area on the outer edges of the live dentistry arena Sunday morning intently following “The predictable crown procedure (part 1): A live patient demonstration.”

“Last year I missed the live dentistry,” Yagob said. “So that’s the main reason I’ve come back again this year. I wanted to see this crown procedure.” Yagob practiced in Khartoum, Sudan, for five years before coming to the U.S. two years ago. She plans to become licensed here and hopes to enter a licensing program soon. “This meeting helps me keep up with the changes in dentistry,” she said. Yagob was able to observe the second part of the demonstration the next day.

At the opposite end of the live-dentistry aisle, Jung-Min Kim, of Fort Lee, N.J., was checking out the free health-screening booths. Kim has been coming to the Greater New York Dental Meeting every year for more than a decade, in part because it’s so easy. “My practice is here in Manhattan, just over on 32nd Street,” he said. He and his brother are partners at 32 Central Dental P.C. “We’re nearby, so it’s a great way to earn C.E. credits.”

Depending on his work schedule, Kim is able to take courses and attend other C.E. opportunities to earn between five and 25 credits at the meeting each year. This year, the practice was open during the meeting, so he was here only for the weekend, to attend a couple courses and check out the exhibits. “The exhibit hall is a great way to keep up with what’s new — and to order supplies for the practice,” Kim said. “It’s a real benefit to be able to handle the products and have everything available in one place.”

Kim had his eye on a new pair of loupes from Designs for Vision. He had already been measured Sunday morning and was leaning toward placing an order before leaving. “I really like the new wireless light you can get with the loupes,” he said, indicating a purchase was likely.

Designs for Vision, with its ultra-light, high-definition loupes and headlights, was just one of seemingly countless dental companies here with their latest innovations. In the DenMat booth, attendees could try the NV PRO3 Microlaser, a lightweight and wireless laser designed to reduce fatigue. Attendees could also learn about Sonendo’s GentleWave Procedure, a single-appointment, minimally invasive root-canal procedure that helps preserve dentin while cleaning even the most complex portions of the canal system. In another booth, attendees could try out the Foresight 45, a self-generating LED surgical handpiece. It uses an air-driven generator to power an LED light, directed straight into the surgical pocket.

Jared Scott Percyz, DDS, was essentially on a pilgrimage Monday morning as he headed into the exhibit hall at the Greater New York Dental Meeting, following his journey into the city from Southington, Conn., where he lives and has a dental practice.

He’s been coming to the meeting without fail (except for one year when family obligations intervened) for 15 years. Usually he’s here on the meeting’s Sunday. So that was a bit different this year, but his mission was the same: Check out the latest technology and other innovations in the exhibit hall.

“It’s the only place where you see everything there is — all under one roof — and where you can actually see and feel with your hands before buying,” Percyz said.

Two years ago, Percyz did exactly that, buying a CEREC intraoral scanner after working with one in one of the booths. This year, Percyz wasn’t on a specific mission to buy, but he was prepared to be tempted by an endless array of technological advancements and basic dental-practice provisions.

There were many temptations. Midmark was offering substantial rebates on its sterilizer and QuickClean Ultrasonic Cleaner. Bisco had a buy-one-get-one-free offer on its TheraCem self-adhesive resin cement, which it bills as the “Next Generation Cement.” Microcopy had exclusive show specials on NeoDiamond burs in its booth. You could get a free sample of the new Ivory ReLeaf hands-free suction solution in the Kulzer booth.

Going a bit higher on the cost spectrum, laser systems appeared to be on display around every corner of the exhibit hall. Many were bound to capture the attention of Maria Torres, RDH, from Bronx, N.Y., who was attending a class in the exhibit hall Monday morning, “Laser tech talk,” which is part of a series of coursed sponsored by the American Academy of Laser Dentistry.

“There is a laser in our office, and I want to know how to use it for soft-tissue and perio work,” Torres said. “This session has been very interesting. Lasers are becoming more affordable, so I think we’ll be seeing more and more of them in practices.”

If you have been thinking about joining the dental laser revolution, the GNYDM exhibit hall was a great place to take your first steps. Hands-on opportunities seemed to be available from laser companies in almost every aisle — and more times than not, a dentist or hygienist can be seen testing out the technology.

That was the case on Tuesday, with many attendees perhaps inspired by that morning’s live dentistry session: “The laser LANAP Protocol for treatment of periodontitis: A live patient demonstration,” performed by Dr. Yetta G. McCullom and sponsored by Millennium Dental Technologies. The live dentistry arena was filled to capacity for the presentation, and the audience peppered McCullom with a wide range of detailed questions following the procedure.

Among the attendees was Nelly Nunez, DDS, who with a partner has a general-dentistry practice on 40th Street in Manhattan: Holland Dental. “It was really interesting,” Nunez said of McCullom’s session. “I liked it. The doctor was very good. She did a great job of taking us through the procedure step by step. It was very informative.”

Later in the day, McCullom was in the Fotona booth, learning about the Lightwalker ATS dual wavelength Nd:YAG and Erbium laser in a 20-minute session on perio/implantitis presented by Dr. Mike Egan. It was the third laser booth of the day for McCullom, following her visits to Millennium (inspired by the live LANAP Protocol procedure) and Biolase, where she watched the Waterlase being demonstrated.

“We’re planning to get one or maybe even two lasers for the practice this year,” Nunez said, primarily to keep more perio patients with the practice. Nunez said she is attracted to the idea of patients experiencing little if any pain, minimal if any swelling and less stress. In the Fotona booth, Nunez was impressed with the Lightwalker’s ability to work within two spectrums. “That really adds functionality,” Nunez said. But, she and her partner are still debating what the final choice will be.

In the Biolase booth, numerous demonstration stations are set up to enable attendees to try or watch the recently launched Waterlase Express all-tissue laser system in action. Also available to check out is the company’s recently launched Side Firing Tip, which is designed to be used for moderate to severe peri-implantitis.

In another booth, Dr. John Graeber would show you how to use the PioneerPro and PioneerElite soft-tissue diode lasers from Pioneer Lasers. The units’ portability and affordability are among their major attractions, along with multiple preset soft-tissue procedures.

Falling a bit outside of the laser camp, but providing similar benefits to patients and practitioners, is the Gentle Wave Procedure, which you could test out in the Sonendo booth. The alternative root canal therapy uses “Multisonic Ultracleaning” to deliver a vortex of procedure fluids and a broad-spectrum acoustic technology to thoroughly clean each canal from crown to apex.