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To brush, or not to brush (in the shower)?Where one Texas dentist and the ADA stand on the great debate, according to WSJ.

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Evidently, the concept of brushing teeth daily in the shower is polarizing. “Gross.” “Sickening.” “Saves time.”  “Not weird whatsoever.” Moms, a millennial, and even an Olympian speak out on the topic in a recent Wall Street Journal feature by Patrick Thomas. According to one Texas dental interviewed: 13 million Americans who brush in the shower are […]

Who’s up? Who’s down? Who’s out entirely? #IncisalEdge takes its annual look at dentistry’s 32 Most Influential

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Incisal Edge dental lifestyle mag takes a second annual look at our industry’s primary forces to be reckoned with — the doctors, executives, lobbyists, educators, and Miss Universes doing the most to shape dentistry today. And tomorrow. In dentistry, a multibillion-dollar health-care industry that’s home to some of the nation’s most innovative and interesting people, […]

Everything Old is New Again, Part 2 in a Series

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Our first installment of “Everything Old Is New Again” featured such dental powerhouses as Johnson & Johnson and Hu-Friedy, but the list was far from comprehensive. I was surprised to find that more than a few dental companies have been in existence for several generations. Below are a few more who have been helping dentists longer than some of their patients have been alive.

Pelton & Crane

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1917 Ad for an early Pelton & Crane sterilizer.

Pelton & Crane was founded in 1900 by Dr. R.M. Pelton, a dentist, and Mr. Crane, an electrical engineer, with the purpose of designing and manufacturing a furnace used to bake porcelain inlays.  Today, Pelton & Crane is a leader in innovative cabinetry and operatory equipment. Check out some of their current offerings in Benco Dental’s 2018 Equipment Catalog.

 

Eastman Kodak

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Dental X-rays were fairly new at the time of this ad, above.

George Eastman was crucial in the development of flexible film for personal cameras and for dental x-rays. His company, Eastman Kodak, created the first commercially available prepackaged dental film in 1913. While it’s true that today, dentists are transitioning from film to digital for radiographs, Benco Dental still offers for sale Kodak dental film to those who have yet to make the switch.

 

 

 

 

 

L.D. Caulk

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One of L.D. Caulk’s popular products in 1917.

Better known today as Dentsply Caulk, this company is the world’s largest manufacturer of artificial teeth and consumable dental products. It was created more than 100 years ago in New York City by Dr. Jacob F. Frantz, George H. Whiteley, Dean C. Osborne, and John R. Sheppard. In 1899 these four men (all with experience in the dental business) opened a retail dental supply service under the name The Dentists’ Supply Co. of New York. The four focused at first on manufacturing superior artificial teeth, but gradually moved into creating other dental consumables, such as the Twentieth Century Alloy advertised in “The Dental Cosmos” in 1917. Today, the company remains an innovator in such items as impression material. See their listings in the Impression section of the current Benco Dentist Desk Reference.

The vintage ads above were featured in a journal “The Dental Cosmos, a Monthly Record of Dental Science,” the first enduring national journal for the American dental profession. It published from 1859 to 1936, when it merged with the “Journal of the American Dental Association”. The ads shown here appeared in the December, 1917 edition.

About the blogger

Guest blogger Jenn Ochman, Database Publishing Production Specialist in the Branding and Communication Department at Benco Dental, dedicates her time outside work to historical reenactment. She shares knowledge of dental history with TheDailyFloss.com readers on a monthly basis.

How West Virginia’s flagship university is delivering quality dental care in an area in need of access.

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Few states need access to quality dental care as much as West Virginia. Its flagship university is working hard to help deliver it. So explains Joshua Coe in his interview with educators and students at West Virginia University’s School of Dentistry for Incisal Edge magazine’s spring edition. Explains Coe: “For more than two decades, West […]

What was the biggest mistake you made when setting up your #dentalpractice?

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During dentistry’s inaugural #NextGenSummit hosted in New York City earlier this month, three guest speakers shared their expert advice with attendees from among the dental profession during a panel discussion about “Setting Up A New Practice.” The first topic: “What was the biggest mistake you made when setting up your dental practice?” “I consult with […]