Bredent produced this carbide instrument to finish and smooth fissures in porcelain and metal. At 0.2 mm grooves can be trimmed more delicately and precisely than ever before.

Letter From The President
As we move toward the new millennium, we wish to thank all of you who have chosen Bredent products and attachments to complete your cases. I'm glad to say that every year Bredent introduces new innovative products that can make your laboratory life a little easier. Bredent has expanded technical support that will include a state of the Art Training Laboratory in Miami, Florida. We are continuing to offer ways and means to market your technical skills, so you can improve service and better respond to the needs of  your dentist and their patients. Once again, we thank you for all the support you have given us. Together, we can move forward into the next millennium with Bredent.

Peter T. Pontsa, R.D.T.

Enamel Fillings
Recently we learned from the Sunday Times that the days of frightful dental fillings could soon be over. Dentists should be able to restore teeth with a natural substance, human dental enamel, instead of restoring them with dental filling materials. After 17 years of study, a team of researchers at the University of South California is close to creating a process that can make enamel artificially. Traditionally dentistry has used many different materials, but nothing is as good as the natural enamel, one of the researchers said. When their work is finished, the commercial application and the health implications could be enormous. Charles Shuller, director of dental research at USC says "The advantage of this enamel s that you can restore teeth with a physiologically compatible material. It will have the same physical properties as dental enamel, biocompatablity with the body and should not generate the reactions that can be caused by foreign materials". The researchers estimate that they are two years away from producing a prototype paste of the enamel, which will eventually lead to "bioceramic fillings" to provide a long term answer to tooth decay. According to one researcher "It means that we understand how nature forms the enamel, and how to the mineralized tissue is formed biologically. The great triumph for science will be that we can reproduce enamel outside the body". Unlike bones, enamel does not regenerate. When they have produced a prototype, the researchers believe recreating dental enamel will lead to a wide range of commercial applications. Should the researchers be right about creating enamel in vitro, the principles could be extrapolated to create other bioceramic materials.

Dentists up for $100,000 Award
After four years of work, an implant system designed by a Collingwood dentist has been nominated for the $100,000 Manning Award according to our local Huronia business newspaper. Dr. Milan Somborac is one of 24 innovators from across Canada in the running for the Manning Award, which recognizes Canadian innovators from all disciplines. The Tenex Dental Implant System employs a number of the best features of existing implant systems. While traditional implant procedures require two separate surgeries the Tenex system requires one operation.  With the  Tenex System there is no need to cut any of the adjacent teeth and the implant's porous coating allows for rapid healing. Other benefits of the implant are a relatively uncomplicated procedure and a predicted life expectancy of up to 30 years. Stringent testing and a  100 page document submitted to Health Canada led to the implant receiving regulatory clearance. The implant is manufactured in Cambridge by Strite Industries. To date about 70 patients have been fitted with the new implant. Dr. Somborac has spoken about the benefits of the Tenex system recently to the Ontario Dental Association. Dr. Somborac plans to market his implant system through a full service dental dealer.
 

The Dent-liner; Vol. 1, No. 1
Publisher: Peter T. Pontsa RDT
Editor: A. Van Breemen BA
E-Mail: info@dent-line.com