8 GENERAL DENTISTRY Dental Tribune Middle East & Africa Edition | 1/2021 A new, fresh design in soft-tissue retraction By Tanna Bowen, USA While all patients do their best to maintain good dental hygiene, a long dental procedure is nearly in- evitable. The cheek retractors needed for lengthy chair time—and the re- sulting anxiety, muscle fatigue, and pinching—are just not up to the task. There are a lot of patients who can fi - nally opt for a better experience. If presented with the Umbrella soft tissue retractor, a patient need not cringe to prepare for insertion. Whether it’s orthodontic adjust- ments, tooth extractions, or a full set of veneers: the relief will be. Patients will feel it was fi tted just for them. “Some retractors ask too much from the muscles, the ligaments, and at the end of the procedure you get this fatigue,” says Dr. Rafael Beolchi, DDS, MSc, of São Paulo, Brazil. “There is no muscle fatigue with Umbrella.” A clinical viewpoint Dr. Beolchi has encountered count- less cheek retractors during his more than 20 years of experience in aesthetic and cosmetic dentistry. “When we’re relaxed our teeth are not in contact. Our relaxed position in the mouth is when the mandible is open maybe 2–3 mm. Periodontal ligaments are not being stimulated which is good, and all the muscles are relaxed.” The innovative design of Umbrella immediately convinced him—because it mimics that re- laxed posture for the patient. “[. . .] I usually take baby steps when I test a new product. But I had a big case (etching, bonding, composite, etc.) where I used Umbrella and this case was huge—six upper anteriors, six lower anteriors—full veneers in one single day. The patient went from eight in the morning until noon, took a lunch break, then from maybe 2:00–7:00 p.m. So, the pa- tient was with Umbrella for a total of nine hours… It was very, very comfortable for the patient and very, very stable.” Dr. Beolchi goes on to explain, “In the fi rst years of dental school, in clinical teaching, the fi rst thing I learned was that the mouth is the most tactile region we have. It is natural for the patient to keep on pushing with the tongue—to feel and react. Umbrella is one of the few retractors that a pa- tient doesn’t fi ght. [. . .] It is not an un- conscious threat and I haven’t seen gagging in my patients.” Years of development Alleviation of gagging is a signifi cant win for any doctor. Patients have that instinctual reaction; and it calls for an instinctive solution. The balance of easy placement with carefree stability—so the patient has a serene, relaxing experience—is no meager task. It took years of work by Ultradent’s R&D team to replicate an architecture that adapts to different anatomies. That’s what gives the in- stant custom feel when placed. Plus, an Umbrella retractor opens the space between the teeth, lips, and cheeks in a way that encourages saliva to accumulate away from den- tition—thus improving access for HVE and decreasing concern of con- tamination. “There is room for everything you need; it is open, it is wide, so it’s easy to do suction,” Beolchi says, noting the additional benefi ts of Umbrella retractor’s built-in tongue guard: “And another thing the awesome, awesome tongue retractor it comes with—we didn’t even notice it at fi rst. It was that comfortable for the patient.” The tongue guard on the Umbrella retractor was of particular importance when the R&D team was approaching design. Patients often comment that they don’t know where to place their tongue; and clinicians end up fi ght- ing the tongue during the procedure. The Umbrella retractor’s tongue guard guides the patient’s tongue into place, eliminating any confu- sion. Ease of Placement, Easy on the Patient The Umbrella soft tissue retractor offers stable access, easy placement, and extreme comfort. A perfect bal- ance. “Most practicing dentists will take care. It is only good for me if it is good for the patient. The procedure fl ows—it becomes a joyful proce- dure. It becomes a pleasure in doing if it is calm,” Beolchi says. “All of the retractors on the market are disre- spectful for the mouth. This one isn’t. Umbrella asks nicely and, better than that, it’s like a spa session. Be- cause at the end there’s no problem. It was nothing.” Patients no longer have to feel the anxiety of opening wide—there’s a cheek retractor that respects the mouth and the access needs of the clinician. The Umbrella soft tissue retractor has been developed for the caring clinician. It’s a more comfortable retraction for your patient and maintains optimal, stable access to the working environment. For more info about new Umbrella retrac- tor, please contact your exclusive distribu- tor in your country sophia.yadi@ultradent.com HuFriedyGroup hosts virtual brand introduction to over 400 distribution partners Kickoff event celebrates the coming together of Hu-Friedy with existing Cantel Dental Brands to form HuFriedyGroup By HuFriedyGroup On January 13, 2021, HuFriedyGroup held a digital kickoff event to offi - cially launch their new brand to over 400 distributor partners through- out Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. At the event, Andy Xilas was also formally introduced as the new President of HuFriedyGroup effec- tive January 1, 2021. As the Dental Division of Cantel Medical, HuFriedyGroup is the re- sult of a careful brand integration process bringing together Crosstex, Omnia, Accutron, SPSmedical, Palm- ero Healthcare, J&J Instruments, and Hu-Friedy following the acquisition of Hu-Friedy by Cantel Medical in late 2019. Cantel Medical acquired Hu-Friedy in order to provide the dentalindustry with a “Complete Circle of Protection,” and the HuFrie- dyGroup brand represents the cul- mination of those efforts by combin- ing all product and service offerings under one roof. At the recent digital event, distri- bution partners were provided the opportunity to “virtually meet” members of the HuFriedyGroup and Cantel Medical executive teams through a talk show format in ad- dition to attending two keynote speaker sessions focused on the fu- ture state of the dental industry post- COVID-19. Keynote speaker Dr. Tali Chackartchi, Member of Department of Periodon- tology, Hebrew University, Hadassah Institute of Dental Medicine, pro- vided an overview of the challenges of practicing in a pandemic from the dentist’s point of view, while PhD Professor Bernd Schmitt, Faculty Di- rector, Center on Global Brand Lead- ership at Columbia Business School, discussed customer behavior chang- es in 2021 and beyond. Fabio Molinaro, VP & Commercial Managing Director of HuFriedy- Group EMEA remarked, “As the new HuFriedyGroup, we are uniquely positioned through our expertise on products and solutions to emerge as an essential global partner in the area of infection prevention within the dental community. Holding this event digitally provided us with an opportunity to present the new brand, vision, and strategy behind HuFriedyGroup to our EMEA distri- bution partners, while maintaining social responsibility during the cur- rent pandemic.” Andy Xilas, President, HuFriedy- Group, added, “Our mission is to pro- vide unique solutions that will en- able dental professionals to improve clinical outcomes, reduce risk, drive compliance, and enhance patient and staff safety. We are thrilled about our ability to combine our product portfolios, services, and communi- ties to provide a ‘Complete Circle of Protection’ approach for both our partners and customers.”