As a dentist coming from public health, I have a love/hate relationship with glass ionomer (GI) restorative materials. The obvious benefits of fluoride release and recharge make them ideal for patients with high caries rates; however, the poor esthetics and difficult handling properties made them a challenge in my day to day practice. New advances in GI restorative materials have significantly improved on the esthetics, handling properties, moisture tolerance and strength of these materials.
Here at the Dental Advisor we recently received EQUIA Forte™ HT FIL (GC America). This GI restorative material is the latest in the EQUIA Forte™ family of materials and it boasts many improvements over its predecessors. The manufacturer claims this material is easy to contour and has non-sticky handling. New particles and fillers make for a more translucent, esthetic restoration. It is indicated for class I, class V, and class II non-stress bearing cavity preparations, as you would expect from a GI restorative material; however, with the proper technique, this material is also indicated for stress-bearing class II restorations!
EQUIA Forte being expressed into model tooth
EQUIA Forte Coat being placed on final restoration
EQUIA Forte and EQUIA Forte Coat packaging and dispensing
What were the Initial Insights of the Dental Advisor team and our editorial board? – We were surprised at how creamy the material was when expressed. It made filling the cavity preparation and handling easy. – There is an additional step required in the placement of EQUIA Forte™ Coat. This monomer material improves wear resistance to the restoration, as was explained to me by Matt Cowen (Matt heads up the research here at the DA Lab); however, as a clinician I am thinking about how it also adds more time to the procedure and requires me to get my curing light out. – We are finding that more and more offices are no longer investing in triturators, which would be a barrier to using this particular material. – The EQUIA Forte™ Coat added a very nice finish and seal to the restoration.
What do our Clinical Evaluators and their patients think about this product once it’s used in their offices? Look for our clinical evaluation in an upcoming issue!
Patients are always looking for recommendations for toothbrushes, toothpaste, and (if we are lucky) floss. I sometimes find myself at a loss when they ask me for specialty items, such as eco-friendly and vegan. Also, those with dexterity issues deserve a better answer from me than putting a piece of foam at the end of their toothbrush (which is what I was taught).
Here at Dental Advisor, we were recently approached by a company who has an answer for all of these patient concerns. Radius is an eco-friendly company that makes a variety of toothbrushes, organic toothpaste, and even vegan dental floss.
Radius toothbrushes
Organic toothpaste
Organic, vegan floss
What were the Initial Insights of the Dental Advisor team and our editorial board? – Having a manual toothbrush that you can change out the heads is a great idea! – The large size of the heads on the toothbrushes they sent us as samples would make any dental professional wince; however, they fortunately come in smaller sizes. – The large handle size, and especially the brush with the weighted handle, are excellent for patients with dexterity issues. – There is no fluoride in the toothpastes, as is usually the case in these homeopathic/naturopathic products. On the plus side, they are coconut oil based. Coconut oil has been shown to possess some antimicrobial properties. Also, let’s be honest… the flavors are just plain fun.
What do our Clinical Evaluators and their patients think about this product once it’s used in their offices? Look for an article in an upcoming issue!
Bulk fill composite materials make a lot of sense for a busy practice. Being able to place material in 4 -5mm increments saves a practice’s most precious commodity… time. There have been many developments in bulk fill composites to make them more reliable and more esthetic.
We recently received SonicFill™ 3 (Kavo/Kerr) here at the Dental Advisor. The SonicFill line has brought a novel innovation to bulk fill composites, using sonic energy to make the material more flowable on placement. Once the sonic energy is removed from the material it becomes sculptable. The company claims that their latest edition, SonicFill 3, takes performance to the next level with improved adaptation and handling, and easier extrusion during placement. Their material is non-sticky and slump-free. In addition, cavities up to 5mm in depth can be filled in a single increment, without a need for a liner or capping layer. SonicFill 3 contains a nano-scale zirconsil (zirconium oxide + silica oxide) filler system, which provides effective blending, wear resistance, and strength.
Intro kit
Filling model tooth with SonicFill 3 handpiece
Sculpting material after sonic energy removed
SonicFill 3 handpiece
What were the Initial Insights of the Dental Advisor team? – Make sure you have a Kavo coupler for the handpiece. It is not included in the intro kit. – The material extrudes at a very nice speed. The intro kit includes practice teeth to help you get used to the speed before using on a patient. – The handpiece was a little more resonant than I was expecting. – The material was very sculptable, as promised. – Fairly opaque for a bulk fill material.
What do our Clinical Evaluators and their patients think about this product once it’s used in their offices? Look for our clinical evaluation in an upcoming issue!
