Consultants’ Comments
- “True putty consistency from the Pentamix. It is easier than mixing putty by hand.”
- “Lab was able to pour impressions multiple times without tearing.”
- “Light-body material has good wettability but is runny.”
- “The pink Quick Step regular-body material offers better color contrast than the yellow regular-setting material when used with the green putty.”
Description
3M ESPE Imprint 3 VPS Impression Material is a system of addition silicone (VPS) impression materials. It is indicated for use in all impressions, including crowns, bridges, inlays, onlays, and implant abutments. The material is available in a variety of viscosities in both regular and fast setting times and is supplied in 50-ml Garant (automix cartridge) and Penta (Pentamix) delivery systems. The manufacturer’s instructions are presented in a colorillustrated, trifold guide containing tables outlining the different viscosities, colors, working and setting times, mixing devices, and combinations of the impression materials. Imprint 3 Quick Step and Imprint 3 Penta Putty were evaluated and are described separately in this report.
Imprint 3 Penta Putty is a very high viscosity tray material that is noticeably warm when dispensed from the Pentamix 2. The warmth hastens the setting of the regular- or light-body material while allowing its full working time. Imprint 3 Penta Putty/Light Body Intro Kit contains a 360-ml Penta cartridge of putty plus 50-ml Garant cartridges of both the regular- and light-body materials, mixing tips, intraoral tips, and tray adhesive. Ten consultants used Imprint 3 Penta Putty in 33 impressions. This product received a 91% clinical rating.
Product Features
The packaging of Penta Putty/Light Body Intro Kit is neat and compact with all necessary items for crown and bridge impressions. For clinicians who prefer a putty material, the auto-mix feature of Imprint 3 Penta Putty is a great advantage as it eliminates hand mixing and possible contamination of the material. The ease of dispensing from the Pentamix cartridge was rated excellent. The putty is mildly warm and has a very high viscosity that holds its form in the tray without running. Imprint 3 Penta Putty offers the working time of a regular-set material with a quick, intraoral setting time, making it ideal for multiple-unit impressions. Imprint 3 regular-body material flows well, and consultants found it performed better than Imprint 3 light-body material when used with Imprint 3 Penta Putty. The light-body material has an extra-low viscosity and is too easily displaced by the putty. While capturing good detail, the glossy yellow color of the light- and regular-body materials is difficult to read and offers little contrast to the green putty. Imprint 3 Penta Putty is easy to remove from the mouth and is resistant to tearing. Impressions were accurate with good adaptation of the putty and minimal voids or porosity. Fifty percent of consultants rated Imprint 3 Penta Putty equivalent to or better than their current impression material. Twenty percent would switch to this material and recommend it to a colleague.
Table
Clinical Tips
- When dispensing the Imprint 3 Penta Putty, tilt the impression tray at an angle to the mixing tip. This will fill the tray evenly, avoiding a “rope” of material lying in the center of the tray. If needed, use fingertips or a spatula to further manipulate the putty in the impression tray to distribute it and smooth the surface.
- Use Imprint 3 Penta Putty with patients who gag easily or for cases when excessive flow of material is to be avoided.
- When using a one-step technique, select the regular-body rather than light-body material for use with the putty. The putty almost completely displaces the extra low-viscosity light-body material from the preparation.
Editors’ Note: 3M ESPE is currently evaluating improvements in the instructions for use of the putty and how to optimize the viscosity match and color contrast with the syringed materials.
