Reader's Choice 2023

Each year, Dental Product Shopper readers cast their ballots in our Readers’ Choice survey to elect the most esteemed dental products on the market. Here, we tally up their 2023 selections and announce the winners in a variety of product categories.

When it comes to choosing new products and equipment for your dental practice, how do you determine what to consider? How can you confidently conclude whether it will be the right investment? In a vastly digital age where endless amounts of information and opinions are at your fingertips, it can be difficult to discern which sources should be relied upon for objective reviews.

One surefire way to get the best available product insights and information is by leaning on your peers. There is no substitute for seeing and hearing other dentists’ firsthand product experiences, and thanks to Dental Product Shopper, their testimonials can be found in one place.

“As dentists, we are very meticulous and detailed professionals who appreciate information being delivered in the same fashion and with the same accuracy that we strive to treat our patients with,” said Tanya Orr, DDS, a DPS reader who practices at Gentle Breeze Family Dentistry in Santa Rosa Beach, FL. “Having a source like Dental Product Shopper saves us time and makes this possible by automatically gathering reliable information from our peers that’s already been verified.”

Raising the Curtain

From honest, unbiased product reviews on the newest dental innovations to peer-to-peer articles on industry-leading materials, equipment, and technology, DPS offers its readers a plethora of engaging and informative content. “It has always been difficult to find information about dental products that isn’t scattered all over the internet,” Dr. Orr said. “That is what I find most helpful about DPS. I like reading about new products on the dental market and how those products work for the dentists who evaluate them.”

Providing these product reviews and articles would not be possible without the help of engaged readers, hundreds of whom generously completed this year’s Reader’s Choice survey to let us know about their go-to products and services. This year’s winners run the gamut from tried-and-true favorites like BISCO’s All-Bond Universal to new and cutting-edge tools like Pearl’s real-time dental AI platform. Meanwhile, revolutionary products such as Tokuyama’s OMNICHROMA continues to be a favorite in the universal composite category, with the newer OMNICHROMA Flow now also placing at the top of the flowables category.

While DPS publishes product news and reviews in every issue, the annual Readers’ Choice edition is a chance for readers to have a collective say in the products that get the spotlight—and to see what products and services their peers favor in every major category. Such insights can be helpful in determining what products may be worth an investment.

“I am very happy that DPS helped me rediscover Premier Dental Products as a company with very reliable products,” Dr. Orr noted. “Its ZR-Cem universal resin cement is my go-to product when working with zirconia, and I can’t say enough good things about it. Also, Premier’s Two Striper diamond burs do not get dull, even after a few uses, maintaining even cutting and finishing.” She concluded, “The peer perspective is a must in the dental world, and when it comes to finding high-quality dental products, I know I can count on DPS!”

While the Readers’ Choice survey asked DPS readers to weigh in on their favorites in over 50 product categories, the following pages highlight the top 3 winners in a variety of preventive and restorative categories, as well as equipment and technology.

Preventive Care

Prophy Angles

The Vera Classic Elite Original from Young Innovations has a prophy cup with external ridges for advanced stain removal and has a slim neck and smooth, rounded head designed to access hard-to-reach areas such as tight buccal mucosa and third molars. Designed to flex and flare around the tooth, Henry Schein’s ACCLEAN Disposable Prophy Angles combine high-strength plastic components with a nonslip grip and gear design that delivers maximum torque. With a compact prophy angle head that’s 25% shorter than standard disposable prophy angles, Dentsply Sirona’s Nupro Freedom is ergonomically designed to allow the hand and wrist to operate with less effort.

Prophy Paste

Available in a variety of flavors as well as extra-coarse, coarse, medium, and fine grits, ACCLEAN Prophy Paste from Henry Schein uses a nonsplatter formula and rinses off completely and easily. Dentsply Sirona’s dye-free Nupro Extra Care prophy paste with fluoride and NovaMin is clinically proven to offer immediate sensitivity relief that lasts up to 28 days, providing increased patient comfort with just 1 application. Uniquely formulated with amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP), Premier’s Enamel Pro Prophy Paste removes stains while delivering 31% more fluoride uptake to help repair the tooth surface for brighter, whiter teeth.

Varnishes

With an easy, mess-free SingleDose delivery system, VOCO’s Profluorid Varnish is available in 7 flavors and offers high immediate fluoride release to relieve hypersensitivity without discoloring teeth. An optimized, clear varnish with an extended fluoride release, 3M Vanish is formulated to stay in contact with the teeth longer for effective and advanced protection, depositing strong acid-resistant mineral on tooth surfaces. An advanced fluoride varnish optimized to provide valuable tooth-building ions of calcium and phosphate, Premier’s Enamel Pro Varnish treats dentinal hypersensitivity and reduces postop sensitivity while offering an esthetic appearance on the teeth.

Sealants

3M Clinpro Sealant offers smart color-change technology—it goes on pink for easy-to-see application and cures to a natural white—and has a low viscosity to flow easily into pits and fissures. With hydrophilic properties, Ultradent’s UltraSeal XT hydro eliminates the need to pretreat the tooth with a drying agent and uses advanced adhesive technology to ensure a secure bond to enamel. Pulpdent’s Embrace WetBond bonds to moist tooth structure, releases and recharges phosphate and fluoride, and has long-lasting antibacterial activity.

Go-To Equipment

Handpieces

KaVo’s MASTERtorque series of air-driven handpieces includes the MASTERtorque LUX M8900 L, which offers 31 watts of power, whisper-quiet operation, and Direct Stop Technology that halts the bur in 1 second. The Aeras 500 Elite handpiece from DENTALEZ offers a powerful 39 watts, in-office turbine replacement, and is available with embedded RFID technology to automate tracking. NSK’s versatile handpiece portfolio includes the Ti-Max Z95L, which has a 1:5 increasing gear ratio and provides exceptional durability and power. Its solid titanium body is 30% lighter than stainless-steel.

Burs

From SS White, Great White Z diamond burs are designed to cut through the hardest dental materials to save time and reduce the risk of microfractures with minimal vibration. Brasseler’s DuraBraze diamond burs deliver patented SpotBrazing technology to create advanced self-cleaning channels and smoother cutting performance. With a single-piece carbide construction, Microcopy’s NeoBurr carbide burs offer excellent strength thanks to a blended-neck design that removes weak points in the bur’s neck and reduces breakage.

Headlight Magnification

Orascoptic’s TruColor line of dental headlights features vibrant CRI illumination that enables all its loupe-mounted LEDs to render colors close to natural light—providing higher levels of color accuracy. The HDi LED Headlights by Designs for Vision deliver uniform light distribution with 45% more light and increased modularity, and are available in corded and wireless styles. With adjustable brightness up to 60,000 LUX via a switch on its cable or a button on its battery pack, the LumaDent ProLUX headlight shines an edge-to-edge beam in a size dependent on the user’s preferred working distance.

Isolation

Featuring ultraquick placement and removal, the Zyris Isolite dental isolation system is centered around the soft and comfortable Isolite mouthpiece, which provides dual-channel suction, bite blocking, tongue retraction, and throat shielding. With autoclavable and single-use mouthpieces available, the DryShield Isolation System attaches directly to the HVE to offer continuous suction, retraction, and airway protection. Another all-in-one retraction, isolation, and high-volume suction device, Zirc's Mr. Thirsty is available in a trial pack with 10 small, medium, and large disposable mouthpieces.

Sensors

The DEXIS Titanium digital x-ray sensor is designed with a durable housing and CleanCapture technology to maximize performance quality with a broader spectrum of radiation levels, especially at lower doses. The Dentsply Sirona Schick AE incorporates a USB 3 interface for accelerated data transfer and 3 sensor sizes and cable lengths to choose from, ensuring patient and practice needs are fulfilled. A user-friendly and robust digital sensor, the Carestream RVG 6200 integrates smoothly into any practice with its user-defined and -selected image processing tools, compatibility with practice management software, and straightforward installation process.

Restorative Materials

Bonding Agents

Reducing the risk of x-ray misdiagnosis and overtreatment, 3M Scotchbond Universal Plus is the first radiopaque universal adhesive compatible with all substrates and bonding techniques. Kerr's OptiBond Universal is a single-component, light-cure adhesive with a 5-μm fi lm thickness for better-fitting final restorations. The tried-and-true formulation in BISCO’s All-Bond Universal is not moisture sensitive and allows for seamless compatibility with all light-, dual-, and self-cured materials, offering a strong bond and virtually no postop sensitivity.

Universal Composites

3M Filtek Universal features 2 of 3M’s top technologies to protect against shrinkage stress in all 8 designer shades, plus its additional extra-white shade. Representing the first use of structural color in restorative dentistry, OMNICHROMA resin-based universal composite by Tokuyama can match all 16 VITA classic shades with just one shade. Dentsply Sirona's TPH Spectra ST utilizes SphereTEC filler technology for an enhanced chameleon blending ability and optimized handling characteristics in both high and low viscosities.

Flowable Composites

With a wear rate similar to human enamel, the 3M Filtek Supreme Flowable light-cured nanocomposite ensures quick and easy delivery via its ergonomic syringe designed for easy injection molding. Shofu's Beautifi l Flow Plus has a self-leveling, bubble-free consistency that affords users precise handling without slumping, thus reducing instrumentation and polishing time. From A1 to D4, Tokuyama's OMNICHROMA Flow offers unprecedented shade matching for increased clinical efficiency and cost savings, simplified inventory management, and reduced composite waste.

Core Buildup

A dual-curing core buildup material, Kettenbach’s Visalys Core incorporates Active Connect technology to optimize adhesion and provide greater stability. DMG’s strong, viscous, and reliable LuxaCore Z Dual cuts and feels like dentin, allowing for precise, groove-free preparations without any undercuts. Available in a convenient SyringeMix Stack delivery, Premier Dental Products' CompCore AF stays put yet flows under pressure; it will self-cure in 4.5 minutes intraorally.

Cements

Featuring a Micro Mixing Tip with hygienic storage, 3M RelyX Universal Resin Cement can be used as an adhesive cement when combined with 3M Scotchbond Universal Plus Adhesive. From Kuraray’s growing PANAVIA family, PANAVIA SA Cement Universal contains MDP and LCSi monomers, which allow it to adhere to virtually every material without a separate primer. GC America's G-CEM ONE is a truly universal, nontechnique-sensitive cement with high bond strength and self-curing ability. It can be used for a wide range of indications thanks to GC Touch Cure.

Technology

3D Printers

An advanced 3D printer for healthcare providers, Formlabs' Form 3B+ works around the clock with minimal supervision, resolving fine details down to the micron level. With a user-friendly design, Pro S by SprintRay is Bolt Optimized to deliver clear aligners, dentures, models, and surgical guides at a high speed. Dentsply Sirona's Primeprint is a highly automated, medical-grade 3D printing system that can run the entire printing process, including post-processing. When paired with DS Core Create, users gain access to ready-to-print designs created by expert lab technicians.

Chairside Milling

Delivering outstanding restoration margins and surface details, Dentsply Sirona’s CEREC Primemillutilizes state-of-the-art technology and CAM strategies to deliver premium chairside restorations with ease and precision. Planmeca PlanMill 60 S is a powerful and flexible milling unit that can mill wet and dry discs and blocks with lab-quality fit and esthetics. Glidewell's fastmill.io In-Office Mill features a high-torque electric spindle that requires no external air compressor and can create same-visit BruxZir NOW zirconia crowns using auto-generated margins and one-click designs.

Digital Impressions

Dentsply Sirona's Primescan enables precision digital impressions and high-resolution 3D models, with full-arch scanning in less than 1 minute, real-time artifact removal, and easy scanning of all dental materials. The newest, smallest, and lightest of 3Shape’s intraoral scanners, the TRIOS 5 is an ergonomic, wireless, calibration-free scanner that captures remarkably high-quality scans regardless of user experience—thanks to an all-new ScanAssist engine. Align Technology’s iTero Element 5D Plus is the first hybrid dental imaging system that simultaneously records 3D, intraoral color, and NIRI images, while iTero TimeLapse technology compares a current scan to historical scan data to reveal changes in tooth wear and movement over time.

CBCT

A 2D/3D specialist system developed with dentists and clinicians, the Axeos by Dentsply Sirona offers excellent image quality and tailor-made 3D volume sizes, plus an integrated bite block accessory cabinet and ambient light. The Green X by Vatech offers a range of selectable FOVs and produces extraordinary diagnostic images using a low radiation dosage. The DEXIS OP 3D is a complete x-ray platform that provides easy-to-use features throughout the entire dental imaging workflow. With versatile imaging programs and an intuitive user interface, it offers imaging excellence for a variety of users, ranging from general dental practitioners to orthodontists and all the way to maxillofacial surgeons. Carestream’s CS 9600 is a 5-in-1 scanner with up to 14 FOVs and state-of-the-art Tomosharp technology to provide crystal-clear panoramic images.

Artificial Intelligence

A chairside FDA-cleared AI radiologic detection aid, Second Opinion by Pearl automatically detects conditions in dental x-rays, including hard-to-spot issues like incipient caries. This provides a second set of eyes to help clinicians consider many common conditions that appear in patients' radiographs—including tooth decay, calculus, and root abscesses. Effectively saving time and keeping dental records up to date, Denti.AI algorithms efficiently analyze radiographic images, and then a patented Auto-Chart feature puts confirmed conditions and treatment codes directly into practice management software. Guided by a patient-centric AI, Overjet outlines decay and quantifies bone loss on radiographs in real-time to guide clinicians to arrive at a precise and accurate diagnostic decision. With dentalXrai software, pathologies and restorations are detected on X-rays with reliably high quality. For better visualization, dentalXrai highlights the findings in color and automatically generates written documentation.

Dental Analytics

In addition to offering a robust patient communication software, Weave offers WeaveAnalytics, which makes it easy for practices to act on KPIs like active and unscheduled patients, new patient reappointments, cancellations, and more. These real-time analytics update every 15 minutes. Practice Analytics offers a new level of cloud-based dental management intelligence, allowing practices to mine information found deep inside Dentrix online and other dental practice management software. Clinical, front office, and business modules help unlock revenue opportunities in every area of the practice. An end-to-end practice performance solution, Dental Intelligence offers tools to increase practice efficiency before, during, and after the appointment—including 2-way communication, virtual check-ins, payment plans, follow-ups, online reviews, and voicemail drops. A powerful Patient Finder tool offers 27 filter options to fit existing patients to open appointments.

More Winners!

This year’s Readers’ Choice awards span more than 50 categories—covering all aspects of preventive, restorative, and cosmetic dentistry, as well as the groundbreaking technologies that are driving dentistry forward. On the pages ahead, we take a deep dive into some of this year’s most exciting winners, including testimonials from readers and key opinion leaders about why these products have risen to the top.

Check out this full list of winners in our 2023 DPS Readers’ Choice survey:

Impression Materials - Alginate/Alternatives

Dentspy Sirona - Jeltrate

Kerr - AlgiNot

Kettenbach - Silginat

Impression Materials - VPS

Dentspy Sirona - Aquasil

3M - Imprint 4 VPS

Kettenbach - Panasil

Bonding Agents

3M - Scotchbond Universal Plus

Kerr - OptiBond

BISCO - All-Bond Universal

Glass Ionomers/RMGI

3M - Vitrebond

Ultradent - UltraCem

GC America - GC Fuji

Cements (Temporary)

Kerr - TempBond

Premier - NexTemp

3M - RelyX Temp

Cements

3M - RelyX

Kuraray - PANAVIA

GC America - G-CEM

Bioactive Materials

Bisco - TheraCal LC/Thera Family

Dentsply Sirona - Dycal

Pulpdent – ACTIVA Family

Universal Composite

3M - Filtek Universal

Tokuyama - OMNICHROMA

Dentsply Sirona - TPH Spectra ST

Flowable Composite

3M - Filtek Supreme Flowable

Shofu - Beautifil Flow/Beautifil Flow Plus

Tokuyama - OMNICHROMA Flow

Bulk Fill

3M - Filtek One

Dentsply Sirona - SDR flow+

Kerr - SonicFill 3

Core Build-Up

Kettenbach - Visalys Core

DMG - LuxaCore

Premier - CompCore

Burs

SS White

Brasseler

Microcopy

Curing Lights

Ultradent - VALO

Ivoclar - Bluephase

3M - Elipar

Lasers

AMD Lasers - Picasso Plus/Picasso Lite Plus

Biolase - Waterlase/Waterlase Plus

Biolase - Epic X

Isolation

Zyrus - Isolite

Solmetex - DryShield

Zirc - Mr. Thirsty

Handpieces

KaVo

DENTALEZ (Star Dental)

NSK

Sterilization

Midmark

Tuttnauer

SciCan

Digital Impressions

Dentsply Sirona - Primescan

Align Technology - iTero Element

3Shape - TRIOS

Chairside Milling

Dentsply Sirona - CEREC MC X/Primemill

Planmeca - PlanMill

Glidewell - fastmill.io

3D Printers

Formlabs

SprintRay

Dentsply Sirona

CBCT

Dentsply Sirona - Axeos/Orthophos/Galileos

Vatech - Green

DEXIS - iCAT/OP 3D

Carestream - CS 8100/8200/9600

Sensors

DEXIS - DEXIS Platinum/Titanium

Dentsply Sirona - Schick

Carestream - RVG 6200/5200

2D Imaging

Dentsply Sirona - Orthophos

Planmeca - ProMax 2D

Carestream - CS 8100

Air Techniques - ScanX

Headlights

Orascoptic

Designs for Vision

LumaDent

Loupes

Orascoptic

Designs for Vision

SurgiTel

Chairs/Delivery Units

A-dec

Belmont

Midmark

Sleep Appliances

Glidewell

SomnoMed

ProSomnus

Practice Management Software

Henry Schein One - Dentrix

Patterson - Eaglesoft

Open Dental

Website Design

ProSites

Officite

PBHS

Patient Communication

Lighthouse

Solutionreach

Weave

Artificial Intelligence (X-Ray Software)

Pearl

Denti.AI

Overjet

dentalXrai

Dental Analytics

Weave

Practice Analytics

Dental Intelligence

Implants

Nobel Biocare

Straumann

Zimmer Biomet

Whitening - In-Office

Phillips Oral Healthcare - Zoom!

Ultradent - Opalescence Boost

Evolve - KoR Whitening

Whitening – Take-Home

Ultradent - Opalescence

SDI - Pola Day/Night

Phillips Oral Healthcare - Zoom! NightWhite/DayWhite

Clear Aligners

Align Technology - Invisalign

Straumann - ClearCorrect

Dentsply Sirona - SureSmile

Prophy Angles

Dentsply Sirona - Nupro Prophy Angles

Young Dental - Young Classic

Henry Schein - ACCLEAN Disposable

Prophy Paste

Dentsply Sirona - Nupro Prophy Paste

Premier - Enamel Pro

Henry Schein - Acclean Prophy Paste

Prophy Handpieces

Dentsply Sirona - Nupro RDH

Dentsply Sirona - Nupro Freedom

Young Dental - Young Hygiene Handpiece

Power Scalers

Dentsply Sirona – Cavitron

Hu-Friedy - Piezon

Parkell - TurboSensor

Varnish (In-Office)

VOCO - ProFluorid

3M - Vanish 5% NF

Premier - Enamel Pro

Sealants

3M - Clinpro

Ultradent - UltraSeal XT Plus/XT Hydro

Pulpdent - Embrace WetBond