Townie News Wire: Week of January 5th, 2015

1. Dr. Per-Ingvar Branemark, a Swedish orthopedic surgeon and research professor known to many of us as the father of dental implants, died December 20th from a heart attack in his home town of Gothenburg, Sweden, his hometown. He was 85.

2. DISCUS DENTAL LLC, California-based subsidiary of Philips Oral Healthcare, voluntarily recalled its Relief ACP oral care gel due to an “incorrect composition of ingredients.” www.discusdental.com www.philips.com

3. ASPEN DENTAL in Syracuse, New York agreed to pay $990,000 to settle a claim that it had engaged in deceptive advertising and marketing practices in the state of Massachusetts. Aspen management denied any wrongdoing in these allegations but agreed to make a settlement. In addition, the firm hired Doyle Williams, DDS as vice president of carrier relations and insurance operations. In this position, Dr. Williams will be the firm’s primary liaison with third-party payers. www.aspendental.com

4. WINESTRAWS LLC in Orange County, California began marketing Wine Straws that allow individuals to drink red wine without staining their teeth. These high quality plastic straws are $8 for a pack of 12. www.winestraws.com

5. Researchers in Brazil found that visual shade matching using a tooth shade guide is less accurate than employing a dental shade matching instrumental method. Their study may be found in the November/December 2014 issue of General Dentistry

6. Here is a video from YouTube of a genius dad with a new way to extract a very loose baby tooth. Tie one end of the floss to the tooth and the other end to a golf ball and give it a whack. Priceless.