Industry News

Vista Dental Announces Acquisition of Apex Dental Materials
Vista Dental, a manufacturer in dental and endodontic product solutions, small equipment and ancillary consumable products, has announced the acquisition of Apex Dental Materials. Apex was founded in 1998 to address the need in the dental industry for a company dedicated to solving the restorative material issues of the practicing clinician.

Scott Lamerand, co-owner of Apex Dental Materials, says the Vista Dental team can help take the Apex restorative lines to the next level, and Townie Dr. John Kanca III says the joining of these two companies is an exciting event that will help provide the best products to dental practices.

There will be no immediate changes to ordering and service procedures for customers or vendors. However, in the future, Apex products will be available through Vista’s established distribution partners.

Glidewell Dental to Host 3rd Annual Symposium in Orlando
Glidewell Dental has announced that the third annual Glidewell Dental Symposium is scheduled for Nov. 8–9 at the Hilton Bonnet Creek & Waldorf Astoria in Orlando, Florida.

The event will provide practical clinical and business education, with a first day of presentations and a second day of in-depth lectures and hands-on programs crafted specifically to help doctors overcome the challenges of everyday dentistry. Attendees enrolled for both days will earn up to 12 hours of continuing education credits.

The symposium is for dentists, hygienists, and chairside and front-office staff. Topics include dental implants, restorative techniques, aesthetic dentistry, in-office milling, sleep-related dentistry and practice management.

Tuition is $195 for the Friday general session, $320 for both Friday and Saturday. Early bird pricing is available for those who register by May?1.

For the complete symposium agenda and to register, call 866-791-9539 or visit glidewellsymposium.com.

America’s ToothFairy Unveils New Education Initiative During Midwinter Meeting
At its annual Celebration of Smiles event, held Feb. 21 during the Chicago Dental Society’s Midwinter Meeting, America’s ToothFairy executive director Jill Malmgren unveiled a new initiative, Smile Guardian, that gives dental practices a way to equip at-risk kids with the information and basic tools needed to prevent decay. The initiative is a response to reports from the nonprofit dental clinics that America’s ToothFairy serves as part of its nationwide Dental Resource Program.

Through Smile Guardian, benefactors help America’s ToothFairy distribute resource kits to organizations and schools that work with at-risk populations. Depending on the level of support each benefactor chooses, up to 2,000 children can learn about proper oral health and be provided the basic tools needed to take care of their mouths. The kits contain scripted oral health lessons and activities, toothbrushes, educational activity sheets, mirror clings and brushing charts to remind children to brush, and Smile Drive tool kits to raise oral health awareness within the community.

For more information about the Smile Guardian educational initiative, call 704-719-9089.

Oxyfresh Partners with Patterson Dental
Oxyfresh, a provider of environmentally friendly dental care products for people and pets, has announced its partnership with Patterson Dental. Oxyfresh dental products feature an ingredient that gently neutralizes the cellular debris and organic compounds that cause bad breath and contribute to an unhealthy smile.

Founded in 1877, Patterson Dental, a business unit of Patterson Companies, is one of North America’s largest providers of dental products and solutions for private practices and large group dental networks with more than 70 offices in the United States.

For more information, visit oxyfresh.com or call a customer service representative at 800-333-7374.

Christian Brutzer Named President of Ivoclar Vivadent North America
Ivoclar Vivadent recently announced that Christian Brutzer has been appointed president of Ivoclar Vivadent North America, effective July 1. Currently a vice president of Ivoclar Vivadent NA, Brutzer will be responsible for leading the North American subsidiaries.

Brutzer joined Ivoclar Vivadent AG in 2006 as director of sales for the Asia/Pacific Global Region and vice president of Alloy Sales for North America. He was appointed to the Ivoclar Vivadent AG corporate management board in 2011. Until July 1, Brutzer will continue in his current role in North American operations and work with current Ivoclar Vivadent President and CEO Robert Ganley toward an effective and seamless transition. He will also maintain his position on the corporate management board responsible for the Asia/Pacific Global Region.

After graduating from law school and a postgraduate program in Japan, Brutzer began his career in the dental industry by holding several executive management positions in Europe, Japan, Southeast Asia, Australia, China and the United States. An honorary fellow of the Academy of Dentistry International and a fellow of the International Academy for Dental Facial Esthetics, Brutzer also served as president of the Association of International Dental Manufacturers from 2014 until 2016, and is currently vice president of the Academy of Dentistry International Foundation.

Benco Dental Announces New Partnership with Voco
Benco Dental recently announced a new partnership with Voco. This collaboration delivers Voco’s extensive product line of direct and indirect materials and digital workflow technologies to Benco customers.

Benco Dental, headquartered in northeastern Pennsylvania, is the largest family-owned dental distributor in the United States, offering a full array of supplies, equipment and services to dentists across the nation. In 2018, the company launched an Innovation Index, a key metric that tracks the percentage of products sold that were introduced in the previous three years.

Based out of Cuxhaven, Germany, Voco performs extensive research and development in the fields of direct and indirect restoratives, oral care and digital dentistry. Voco researchers partner and maintain close contact with more than 150 universities and research institutes worldwide and have been leading several research projects co-sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Research.

Voco exports to more than 100 countries on six continents. Benco’s national network includes five distribution centers and three design showrooms and features a team of more than 400 sales representatives and more than 300 service technicians.

For more information, visit benco.com or call 800-462-3626.