Around The Industry
Around The Industry
Call Him Captain Sikes
Lindy Sikes, CDT, successfully completed course work and testing which allows him to become a U.S. Coast Guard-certified captain with a OUPV (Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessel rating. This license allows him to captain vessels up to 100 gross tons with six or less paying customers on inland or coastal waters within 100 miles of the USA. A few formalities remain to be completed before he can submit our application packages to the USCG in Charleston,S.C., then go there in person to be sworn in to the Merchant Marine Service.
Fennessy Named Marketing Manager of Kodak’s
Dental Film, Anesthetics, Digital Cameras
Eastman Kodak Company has named Krista Fennessy U.S. & Canada Regional Marketing Manager for KODAK Dental Systems, Film Systems and Anesthetics.
Fennessy will oversee the development and marketing of Kodak’s dental radiography film and chemistry, dental digital cameras, COOK-WAITE brand local injectable anesthetics and other associated products.
Fennessy previously worked as worldwide marketing manager responsible for developing customer loyalty initiatives for Digital & Film Imaging Systems, the Kodak division that serves consumer, professional and advanced amateur photographers.
“My passion is to design customer-driven programs that are both innovative and practical,” Fennessy said. “It’s rewarding work, because when we help dental professionals improve patient care and boost practice productivity, we earn their business and their trust. Additionally in this role I will also be involved in supporting our channel partner marketing which will help to integrate our customer direct marketing and our partner marketing to fully leverage the KODAK brand and portfolio of products.”
Master Dental Program Graduates
More than twenty dental technicians and dentists graduated as Master Dental Technologists from the New York City on-site 2004 Master Dental Program presented by the American Society of Master Dental Technologists.
The photo shows the 2004 ASMDT graduating class at their graduation dinner. Picture includes graduates, instructors and staff at ASMDT.
Dr. Gary Klasser Joins University of Illinois
at Chicago College of Dentistry
An interest in orofacial pain inspired Dr. Gary D. Klasser, recently hired as a Visiting Adjunct Clinical Professor in the Department of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry, to leave his home in Canada after 22 years of practicing dentistry and start a new journey.
Dr. Klasser, who earned his DMD from the University of Manitoba in 1980, considers himself fortunate to have seen both sides of dentistry--private practice and academia. His long-term goal is to "educate, inform, facilitate, and bridge the gap between academia and private practice," he said. "I want to be a wet-fingered academician. I believe that due to my experience as a practicing general dentist I will be able to relate to the dentist who's got a screaming kid in his chair and a waiting room full of people."
The faculty, staff, and students of the UIC College of Dentistry Department of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences offer their expertise and services to patients from within the College, as well as from outside referrals. These include patients with cancer habits or lifestyles that increase cancer risk (e.g., tobacco smoking, heavy drinking of alcohol, exposure to the human wart virus, poor oral hygiene, and diet), pre-cancerous and cancerous lesions, infectious diseases, auto-immune diseases, oral manifestations of HIV, orofacial pain, sensory disturbances, and temporomandibular disorders. The Department is in the process of establishing a biopsy service and state-of-the-art tissue analyses and cytologic methodology to detect early changes before lesions are present. For more information, call (312) 996-1264.
DTI CQC Dental Lab Conducts Implant Seminar
DTI CQC Dental Lab in Rochester, N.Y. recently held an implant program for surgeons, periodontists, general dentists and staff members. The program was held at DTI CQC’s
Facility in Rochester, and was attended by more than 20 members of area implant teams. The program was designed to assist implant teams in achieving predictable success through treatment planning, restorative protocol, component selection, component usage, and sequencing the case through placement.
Program presenters included Robert Ingrassio CDT, Jim Macdonald, BS, CDT, both implant qualified managers from DTI CQC Dental Lab, and Scott Ward, general manager of DTI Ward Dental Lab in Hartland, Mich. The program was sponsored by DTI CQC Dental Laboratory, Kerr Corporation, and Strauman USA
Dr Mark Murphy, DTI director of clinical education, remarked “This program is another example of DTI’s commitment to helping our Dentist clients succeed and to the added value we bring to our accounts”
DTI Interstate Dental Lab Achieves NBC Certification
DTI Dental Technologies Inc announced that the DTI Interstate Lab in Vancouver, Wash., has achieved Certified Dental Laboratory status from the National Board for Certification.
DTI Interstate is a full service laboratory providing top quality restorations to dentists in Northwest Oregon and Southwest Washington. The laboratory was founded by Arnie and Gwen Clem in 1986 and became part of DTI in early 2004.
“We are proud of becoming a CDL and plan on letting all our accounts know about it,” said Dave Erickson, laboratory manager. Pictured in front of their newly displayed certificate are Dave Erickson and Arnie Clem.
DTI Westbrook Recognizes CDTs
DTI Westbrook Dental Lab in Garland, Texas, recently recognized their CDTs. Laboratory Manager Paul Westbrook said, “We want our Dentist clients and our employees to be aware of the education and training that the CDT certificate represents. I thought the lab coats with CDT patches would be a great way to call attention to the program.”
DTI Westbrook has been a Certified Dental Laboratory since 1996. Modeling their new laboratory coats above are Chan Lee, CDT, Jimmy Fincher, CDT, and Paul Westbrook, CDT.
Sirona Establishes Distribution Company
in Australia and New Zealand
Sirona Dental Systems, one of the leading manufacturers of integrated dental equipment, will establish its own distribution company in Australasia; to sell and service their innovative Treatment Centers, Handpieces, X-Ray systems, Sterilizer and CEREC 3D products.
Sirona Dental Systems Australasia will provide customers with manufacturer know-how and support for all sales and after-sales service activities; thereby bringing Sirona closer to their customers. The company’s President and CEO will be Tim Carse, Sirona’s former Country Manager, who has 25-years dental industry experience. Sirona´s existing distributors, Halas Dental in Australia and Shalfoon Dental in New Zealand, will continue to sell and service all Sirona products until Sirona Australasia takes over responsibility for sales and service.
Kodak Raises Over $9,000 For Breast Cancer Research
October was National Breast Cancer Awareness month, and this year Kodak employees commemorated it by raising $9,150.00 for breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment programs.
Kodak’s Dental Systems Group, raised $6,800.00 while participating in Lee’s National Denim Day, the world’s largest single-day fundraiser for breast cancer, on October 8. Kodak employees wore jeans and pink shirts and posted donation slips in memory of friends and family members.
“2004 was our first year participating in this event,” said Rich Hirschland, general manager and vice president worldwide dental business, Kodak’s Dental Systems Group. “It was wonderful to see everyone’s enthusiasm for supporting this important cause.”
On the same day, another Atlanta-based Kodak office also launched the Women’s Forum of Kodak Employees, a volunteer employee network organized to discuss women’s issues. The importance of women having annual mammograms was shared by a medical professional and a breast cancer survivor. Kodak employees attending the forum raised an additional $2,350.00.
The funds have been donated to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the eradication of breast cancer.
Nationally, more than 1.5 million individuals participated in Lee’s National Denim Day this year, raising over $7.6 million.
Sirona Strengthens its Position in the Chinese Dental Market
Sirona, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of dental equipment, is strengthening its position in China by taking over the HTC Hipwo Group and setting up Sirona Dental Systems
Foshan Co. Ltd. HTC is one of China’s three largest suppliers of treatment centers and will be integrated into the newly-founded company. The enterprise, headquartered in Foshan, about 70 kilometers to the north of Hong Kong, has around 170 employees. “Taking over HTC and establishing Sirona Dental Systems Foshan are important steps for Sirona in its efforts to shape this highly promising growth market. A strong presence in China enables us to better satisfy the needs and desires of our customers in Asia and tap into new markets”, states Dr. Lothar Groener, Sirona Vice President Treatment Centers Division.
Already in 1998 Sirona opened a representative office in Beijing. Over the past few years Sirona has positioned itself within the Chinese dental market as the state-of-the-art equipment supplier for larger clinics and modern private practices. With the acquisition of HTC, Sirona is now able to service the largest market segment in China. Sirona will be supporting its customers in this basic segment, in which equipment and quality have a balanced price/performance ratio. China is one of the strongest growth markets, particularly for treatment centers worldwide. Over the past few years, sales have grown by an average of 20 percent.
The new CEO of Sirona Dental Systems Foshan Co. Ltd. Stevan Petrovic is 39 years old and has extensive experience in the Chinese market; he has been living in China since 1998, holding CEO positions in high-tech companies.
Cosmetic Appeal Increases Popularity of Oral Care Products
A growing number of oral care products are gaining in consumer popularity not because of their promise to fight cavities or reduce our time in the dentist’s chair, but rather because of their cosmetic appeal according to "The U.S. Market for Oral Care Products," a new report from market research publisher Packaged Facts. In the $7.4 billion oral care products market, products like gums, whiteners, and breath fresheners that promote healthier, youthful images through brighter, whiter smiles are being positioned to appeal to everyone from youth and teens to ethnic and senior consumers.
The latest spin on product positioning seems to be working, the report adds, as overall sales in the market have increased by nearly $1 billion in the four-year period from 2000-2004. This comes despite a decline in the rapid sales growth that propelled breakthrough oral care products and boosted the market from 2000-2002. These items include whitening strips, extra-potent breath mints, and low-end electric toothbrushes.
"Plain-old cavity-fighting protection is, on its own, passé in the oral care arena," said Don Montuori, Acquisitions Editor for Packaged Facts. "Now, if a toothpaste, floss or even toothbrush doesn’t perform several tasks, paramount among them whitening, consumers have very little interest. Even our toothpaste has to multitask today."
Despite its maturity, the oral care market is remarkably robust, thanks in large part to innovation among product producers. And even when a product’s novelty wears off, as has been the case with breath strips, a new one soon arrives to capture the public’s attention.
"The U.S. Market for Oral Care Products" is now in its fully updated fifth edition. It provides historical and projected dollar and brand shares, analysis of demographic data, and consumer behavior. Also profiled are overall markets, marketers, the competition, retail strategies, products, and trends and opportunities for future growth.
Sirona and Straumann Sign Worldwide Agreement
Sirona Dental Systems, one of the leading international manufacturers of dental equipment, and Straumann, a global leader in implant dentistry and dental tissue regeneration, have signed a cooperation agreement with the intention of producing individualized implant prosthetics for the Straumann® Dental Implant System using Sirona’s CEREC inLab and infiniDent technology. The goal is to expand the range of services offered by each company.
The cooperation will enable dental technicians to use the Sirona CEREC inLab scanner system to model and order - via the Sirona web portal ‚infiniDent‘ - individualized implant prosthetics. Straumann produces the implant prosthetics to the specifications, quality and precision of the Straumann Dental Implant System. Under the cooperation agreement, Straumann will manufacture the implant prosthetics but not conventional crown or bridge restoration prosthetics.
Each company will finance the development, training and marketing costs in its own respective field. The first individualized implant prosthetics are expected to reach the market through a controlled launch in the second half of 2005.
Renowned for its outstanding quality and precision, the Straumann Dental Implant System is one of the most successful and widely used implant systems in the world. It is also one of the longest and most extensively documented systems and is backed by more than 3000 publications. Its lasting success is the result of outstanding reliability and safety. Designed for maximum flexibility with a minimum number of components, the Straumann system offers excellent solutions for all indications using just three implant types: the Standard implant, optimized for non-submerged placement, the Standard Plus for semi- or fully submerged placement, and the Tapered Effect implant, designed for placement immediately after tooth extraction. All Straumann implants are finished with the SLA surface, which continues to be the state-of-the-art technology and which offers the option of immediate loading (with good primary stability, appropriate occlusal loading according to indication). Straumann dental implants are complemented by a comprehensive portfolio of implant prosthetic components, offering optimal solutions for tooth restorations with sustainable high-end esthetic results.
Zimmer Dental Celebrates Grand Opening
of Its New Operations Building
Zimmer Dental Inc., a leading provider of dental oral rehabilitation products and a division of Zimmer Holdings, Inc., has relocated its manufacturing facility from Calabasas, Calif., to a new operations building located in Carlsbad, Calif. The grand opening of the new building took place on November 12, 2004.
The new building, located at 6221 El Camino Real, is an impressive 72,425 square foot facility and home to Zimmer Dental's manufacturing, design, engineering, machining, packaging, HA (hydroxyapatite) coating, warehouse and distribution operations. The new building will allow for more expansion, ideal material flow, and reduced costs. A unique feature of the new building is a mezzanine level with several training rooms and a 100-seat auditorium, allowing for on-site training and presentations leading to more interaction with clinicians.
In addition, an approximately 23,000 square foot building is currently under construction directly adjacent to the new operations building. In the early part of 2006, it will be the new Zimmer Dental Corporate Headquarters.
