Rafael S. Beolchi(a), DDS, MSc Carlos Shimokawa(b), DDS, MSc, PhD Bruno Pelissier(c), MCU-PhD (a) University of São Paulo, School of Dentistry, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. (b) University of São Paulo, School of Dentistry, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. (c) MCU-PH, Dentisterie Restauratrice, service OCE. UFR d’Odontologie de Montpellier I. 545 Avenue du Pr JL Viala. 34193 Montpellier Cedex 5. Laboratoire EA 4203

Rafael S. Beolchi(a), DDS, MSc Carlos Shimokawa(b), DDS, MSc, PhD Bruno Pelissier(c), MCU-PhD     (a) University of São Paulo, School of Dentistry, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. (b) University of São Paulo, School of Dentistry, São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. (c) MCU-PH, Dentisterie Restauratrice, service OCE. UFR d’Odontologie de Montpellier I. 545 Avenue du Pr JL Viala. 34193 Montpellier Cedex 5. Laboratoire EA 4203  

User report by Jacques Nicolas Grebowiec Minimally invasive and aesthetic dentistry is becoming increasingly important —especially in the anterior region. Healthy, white teeth play a key role in self-esteem and social acceptance of patients. Considering this, the discoloration of one or more teeth in the frontal region becomes particularly noticeable and may have a psychological impact on the patient.

By Daniel Lewis COVID-19 has caused a global “tele” and digital tech wave, as industries proactively seek for opportunities to stay operational during the peak times of the pandemic. Workers telecommute, friends telesocialize, and doctors rely on telehealth to remotely connect with patients. Dentists find themselves uniquely limited in the teleworld, since patient care typically requires personal hands-on techniques. “If you need a filling, you still need see a dentist face to face,” says Dr. Christine May, an Australian-based clinician and founder of the teledentistry marketplace ViDe. “We have not worked out how to do that via remote consult robotics yet. I am sure in ten years we might, but we are not there yet,” she laughs, later adding “I really feel that teledentistry is going to disrupt the way we have been doing dental care to date.”

By Daniel Lewis Having a mouth full of misaligned, yellowed teeth can be an intense, even traumatizing experience. Folks may spend years ashamed of their smiles before they get to experience the metamorphic powers of a smile transformation. New Opalescence™ PF whitening for aligners is made for people who want to not only straighten their teeth, but to whiten them at the same time.

The holiday season seems more welcome this year than many prior. The simplest pleasantries are now often enjoyed with a renewed splendor. I hope this note finds you and your family safe, healthy, and happy. And I hope the upcoming new year is a better house guest in your life than 2020 has likely been.

The Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, has rapidly become a worldwide emergency. Dentists and dental teams all over the world are greatly at risk of being infected during a treatment. There are also extensive restrictions on their daily practice work as a result of social distancing and increased hygiene restrictions. In many places there is not enough or no adequate personal protective equipment available. Likewise, patients are currently hesitating to make a dental appointment. Therefore, many practices stepped back from their usual agenda - resulting in reduced workloads and plenty of free time.

The unprecedented global corona-halt is bearing down on all avenues of commerce and forcing industries to leverage creativity to stay productive. This is often manifesting in adopting technologies and stretching the current capabilities of telecommuting. Unfortunately for dentists, remaining productive can't be done by simply shifting morning huddles to Zoom calls. Clinicians have to interact with patients, simple as that.

From patient care to bookkeeping, clinical tools to advertising, the digital age has brought paradigm shifts to all aspects of dentistry. Many clinicians are experiencing changes in patients’ motivations for seeking care, while others patients to virtually test drive new smiles before committing to treatments. File cabinets have shrunk into hard drives and newspaper ads have been replaced by social media campaigns. The latter has created a cottage industry to help dentists navigate the stormy seas of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and whatever new platforms pop up next month.

The use of fluorides has always been an important element of prophylaxis treatments. The reason why is self-explanatory: they have shown to be very effective against tooth decay and sensitivity. However, the use of fluoride varnishes should be well thought through in order to guarantee ideal results.