April 2023 - Shelton, CT - Centrix Inc. welcomes Samantha Skerlos as the new Account Manager for the Southeast where she will support clients in North and South Carolina, West Virginia and Virginia. Samantha has six years of experience as a dental assistant working with dental and orthodontic patients and clinical staff at area practices. She was most recently a sales development representative at Revgen where she learned to use technologies like Salesforce and Outreach to build and enhance customer relationships.

Improved safety standards and increased efficiency is a goal all dental practices strive towards. Saving time and money while focusing on patient safety is an ideal scenario but it can be hard to achieve, especially in times of crisis such as economic downturns or the COVID-19 pandemic. Thankfully Centrix^® has over 50 years of experience creating the perfect solution: unit-dose delivery systems! Many of our dental innovations are designed with single-patient packaging, preventing cross-contamination while providing the perfect amount of product and eliminating waste. Your team doesn’t have to spend all day preparing for a procedure as unit-dose products are faster and easier to use and there is no more disinfecting large, bulky packaging! With our mini-sized material delivery systems you won’t be throwing money out the window by using more material than necessary.

Check out our Top 5 unit-dose products!

Every year on March 6, we celebrate a holiday that not many outside of the dental community know about – National Dentists Day. We at Centrix^® would like to raise awareness about this special occasion because we understand how important a dentist’s job is. A healthy smile contributes to good overall health and increased self-confidence. A dentist doesn’t promote preventive care just because that’s what they learned in dental school – they want to see their patients maintain good oral health for life.  A dentist doesn’t just “fill a cavity” – they restore the form and function of the tooth. A dentist doesn’t just perform dentistry – they change their patients’ lives!

We are thrilled to announce that Tempit-E, our moisture-activated temporary filling and sealing material with eugenol, was awarded the Preferred Product Award for 2023 by the prestigious independent dental materials testing laboratory, The Dental Advisor. We appreciate this recognition as the selection process is very thorough, taking into account clinical and evidence-based research. This seal of approval means Tempit-E is one of the best in its category, providing optimal results every time. 

As we age, our bodies and lifestyles change. Seniors face reduced physical ability, which makes it more difficult for them to manipulate toothbrushes and properly brush their teeth. Lower mobility also increases the likelihood of skipping regular hygiene visits, which are crucial to maintaining good oral health. These factors combined with increased rates of debilitating diseases such as Alzheimer’s and diabetes, are a recipe for dental problems. 

Most dentists are tied to the location of their practice and do not get to perform dentistry outside of their state. Some dentists, however, find ways to combine their profession with travel. One such dentist is Dr. Bob Koff. It all started with a 1985 trip to China, when the Colorado-based dentist took the opportunity to visit the country and establish a dental program with the humanitarian aid organization, Project Hope. Since then, Dr. Koff has traveled across the globe doing charitable dentistry and engaging in several dental projects. Most recently, he has been the U.S. Antarctic Program dentist at McMurdo Station, located on Ross Island, 850 miles from the South Pole. Practicing dentistry in such remote and extreme locations is not easy. We were delighted to learn that Dr. Koff names the delivery systems from Centrix as one of his “musts” in this extreme dental practice! 

We often assume that middle-aged patients fall in the safe category – unlike younger patients, they are mature and have the life experience to make good health decisions; however, unlike senior patients, they don’t yet have the advanced health problems detrimental to oral health. But, the assumption that this age group is safe from risk is false. Risk factors for the middle-aged include root exposure, drug- or disease-induced xerostomia, multisurface and interproximal restorations, reduced or lack of fluoridated water consumption (because they drink bottled water) and recent decay. They might also be undergoing radiation or chemotherapy or have addiction problems. In a lot of ways, middle-aged adults need more attention and preventive care than younger patients.
 
Amy Porto, RDH, CDA, describes how to look after middle-aged patients to ensure the best outcome given this age group’s unique circumstances.

In August, the position of Regulatory Affairs Manager was taken on by Tim White. In October we added two new faces to the Centrix sales team, Milo Kersey and Grace Allen joined as Account Managers. Milo will be covering the Southern California territory and Grace will be managing the Southeast territory.

We look forward to Tim, Milo and Grace’s contributions in helping the Centrix team continue to grow and improve as we strive towards our goal of Making Dentistry Easier!

Mature adults are at increased risk for root caries due to a combination of exposed roots and xerostomia. Cementum and dentin have half the mineral content of enamel so...

Young adults who developed unhealthy oral self-care habits in high school and college are likely to keep them for life unless they make a conscious effort to focus on preventive efforts that will change the oral pH and reduce the level of S mutans and lactobacillus in the mouth. It is never too late to improve your oral hygiene, and patients in their 20s should ensure they are taking proper care of their teeth and gums if they want to keep a healthy smile for a lifetime. Many patients are not aware that caries is a bacterial infection caused by an imbalance of healthy bacteria. Since patients who present caries in the previous two years are at risk for developing another lesion, it is crucial to educate them about the development of caries and the lifestyle changes that will need to take place for them to change their oral pH and reduce the level of the unfavorable bacteria in the mouth.