Sherrie Busby ft. Arye Shahar:
“Are You Still Doing IPR With Tools From 1995?”

In this 30-minute episode of Better Results on Purpose, ZenOne host Sherrie Busby sits down with Arye Shahar, President of Strauss Diamond Instruments, for a hands-on walkthrough of four instruments quietly reshaping modern dental workflows – from the engineering choices behind them to the clinical problems they solve.

Watch the webinar replay

What you’ll learn

  • Why decay fluoresces green under UV – and what that changes about cavity prep precision
  • Why an oscillating disc system can contact soft tissue without cutting (and why no guard is required)
  • What “multiwave LED” curing actually means – and which photoinitiators single-blue lights physically cannot cure
  • How UV black-light technology surfaces composite remnants invisible under standard operatory lighting
  • How color-coded strip progression (0.1mm → 0.5mm) translates an aligner script directly into chairside execution
What you’ll learn

Q&A from the webinar

Can a 30-year-old IPR technique be quietly compromising your modern clear aligner outcomes?

Yes, hand-pulled strips create three compounding problems: ergonomic fatigue, inconsistent reduction depth, and torn gloves from over-gripping. The Magic Strip system addresses all three with a handle that supports a shaving motion instead of a drag, color-coded sizing from 0.1 to 0.5mm, and adjustable tension for either contouring or active reduction. The clinical takeaway: if your aligner script says 0.3mm and you’re eyeballing it by hand, you’re not actually executing the script.

What does “multiwave” actually mean – and which photoinitiators is your current curing light missing?

Most curing lights emit a single blue wavelength (around 470nm), which activates camphorquinone but misses the proprietary photoinitiators used in many modern composites, cements, and bonding agents. Magicure combines blue, UV, and white wavelengths, so it polymerizes the full range of modern materials, not just the ones formulated for legacy lights. It took Arye’s engineering team in Israel 2.5 years to build, and it ships with three modes (soft, standard, boost) plus an auto-pulse mode for attachments.

Those brown spots that appear on patients months after debonding – what if they’re not the patient’s fault?

They almost never are. The brown spots are leftover composite from attachment removal that wasn’t fully cleaned – and Arye points out why it happens even to careful clinicians: vision fatigue. After cleaning the first two or three attachments thoroughly, the clinician’s eye starts filling in the rest. The RemUV black-light handpiece eliminates the guesswork entirely – composite fluoresces under UV, so you can see exactly what’s left before you polish.

How is it physically possible for a spinning diamond disc to touch a lip and not cut it?

It isn’t spinning – it’s oscillating. The MagicGlide handpiece moves the disc 2-3mm side-to-side at 20,000-30,000 RPM, the same general motion pattern as an electric toothbrush. Diamond particles grind hard tissue (enamel) but slide harmlessly across soft tissue (tongue, lip, cheek) because there’s no continuous cutting edge in motion. That’s why the system ships without a guard – there’s nothing to guard against.

Are you paying $700–$900 for an electric handpiece when a $290 alternative does more?

Quite possibly. The RemUV air handpiece is $290 and the electric is $460 – roughly 40% under typical market pricing for comparable specs. And RemUV adds something the mainstream handpieces don’t: integrated UV black-light that makes composite remnants and carious tissue visible during prep and cleanup. So you’re paying less for more functionality, not less for less.

Could your disinfecting wipe be the reason your curing light keeps failing?

Most likely yes – or specifically, the way it’s being used. Magicure is sealed, but aggressive disinfecting protocols (over-saturating wipes, rubbing hard against the rubber seals, letting chemicals pool) break that seal over time and cause internal liquid damage. Arye’s protocol: use a barrier sleeve as the first line of defense, then a brief wipe with chemical sitting 3-4 minutes – never soak, never scrub. Sherrie adds: use a cleaning wipe before a disinfecting wipe, and soap + water when in doubt.

How many patients should one IPR strip last – and how do you know when it’s dead?

About 6-7 patients on average before the diamonds dull noticeably, but that number is the floor, not the ceiling. With proper care (brushing the strip after use, sonic cleaning before autoclaving), lifespan extends significantly. The diagnostic is tactile: you’ll feel when the diamonds stop biting and start dragging. Strips are 75% glass fiber and autoclavable wet or dry, so they hold up to standard sterilization without degrading.

What can a black light show you during cavity prep that loupes and operatory light can’t?

Decay. Specifically, carious tissue fluoresces green under UV, while healthy enamel and dentin don’t. That gives you a visual separation between what to remove and what to preserve – something that white operatory light and magnification physically can’t show, because they work in the wrong part of the spectrum. The clinical benefit: more conservative preps, fewer “I think that’s all of it” moments, and less unnecessary tooth structure removed.

Key takeaways from the session

Color-Coded IPR
Each strip color = an exact reduction depth, no guesswork
Multiwave Curing
Three wavelengths cure materials a single-blue light physically can’t
Oscillating Discs
Grinds enamel, but slides over tongue, lip, and cheek without cutting
Decay That Glows
Carious tissue fluoresces green under UV — see what to remove
Visible Composite
Adhesive remnants glow under black light, ending brown-spot returns
40% Less Cost
Mainstream specs at $290–$460 instead of $700–$900

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