“Plastic mandrels in each packet are great! No more hunting for the few metal mandrels in the office.”
“No metal in the center of the disk is great!”
Description
Super-Snap Singles are thin, flexible disks with a silicone rubber center. The plastic, latch-type mandrel is disposable. Super-Snap was previously evaluated in THE DENTAL ADVISOR PLUS, Vol. 6, No. 2, March/April 1996. This new packaging of Super-Snap is designed to enhance office asepsis. Each Super-Snap Singles individual sterile pack contains a plastic mandrel plus 8 disks: coarse, medium, fine, and extra-fine grits in both regular (12.5 mm) and mini (7.94 mm) sizes. The disks are color-coded for easy identification: black (contouring), violet (finishing), green (polishing), and red (super polishing). They are doublesided with an abrasive on both sides except for the coarse grit disk, which is single-sided. The disks are designed for use in a slow-speed handpiece at 10,000-12,000 rpm. Twenty-four consultants evaluated Super-Snap Singles in over 550 uses.
Super-Snap Single are individually packaged abrasive disks excellent for contouring, finishing and polishing composite restorations. They received a 96% rating.
Product Features
Super-Snap Singles were rated excellent for their ease of use and quality of final polish. Ninety percent of consultants rated Super-Snap Singles the same as or better than the product they were currently using. Seventy seven percent of consultants stated that they would both purchase and recommend Super-Snap Singles.
Clinical Tips
Use light pressure.
Can be used to contour natural teeth.
The mini size adapts well to the lingual surfaces of maxillary incisors.
Editors’ Note:
Super-Snap Singles are now available in mini packs with the mini-size disks in all grits and a plastic mandrel, as well as standard packs with the regular-size disks in all grits and a plastic mandrel.
Cerpress SL is a low-fusing, leucite-reinforced ceramic system indicated for anterior and posterior crowns, inlays/onlays and veneers. Restorations may be completely made of Cerpress SL or a Cerpress SL core may be overlaid with Sensation SL low-fusing porcelain and stains. Both contain leucite particles of 2-4 microns, dispersed in a glass matrix. Cerpress SL pressable ingots are available to the laboratory in a variety of shades and translucencies, allowing the treatment of a wide range of clinical conditions. > Highly Translucent – used with a light preparation color or with inlays/onlays to reflect the inner tooth color. > Medium Translucent – designed for lighter shades, including the “Hollywood” shades; indicated for veneers and masking dark preparations. > High Opacity – developed to mask very dark preparations, posts and tetracycline stain. Shades available include all Vita shades plus translucent shades and “Hollywood” shades (A0, A00, B0 and B00) that are lighter than Vita B1. Cerpress SL received a 98% clinical rating.
Clinical Evaluation Protocol
A total of 545 Cerpress SL restorations were placed in 151 patients and evaluated at insertion.
Restorations included crowns, inlays/onlays, and veneers on 91 molars, 80 premolars and 374 anterior teeth.
All restorations were seated with adhesive resin cements. 415 restorations were recalled for evaluation, ranging from 1 to 5 years in service (Figure 1).
Restorations were evaluated on a 1-5 rating scale: 1=poor, 2=fair, 3=good, 4=very good, 5=excellent.
Categories evaluated at insertion: • Overall laboratory product • Shade match • Vitality • Fit of restoration • Margin integrity • Ease of adjustment/polish
Categories evaluated at recall: • Resistance to fracture/chipping • Shade match/esthetics • Vitality • Lack of marginal discoloration • Wear resistance • Patient satisfaction
Clinical Observations
Insertion
Ratings at insertion were very high, with 94% or more of the restorations receiving excellent ratings in each category (Figure 2). No ratings below 4 were noted. Cerpress SL produced excellent, life-like appearance with shades true to those requested. Over 99% of the restorations exhibited excellent fit and margins upon seating. Only minimal adjustments were required, and the ability to regain a high polish rated excellent in all cases.
Recall
Resistance to Fracture/Chipping > After 5 years, over 98% of Cerpress SL restorations were fully intact (Figure 3). During the evaluation period, 8 restorations required replacement due to complete fracture: 4 anterior crowns at 1 year, 1 molar crown at 2 years, and 2 veneers plus 1 molar crown at 3 years.
Shade Match/Esthetics and Vitality > Restorations maintained their esthetic appearance with no loss of gloss, shade change or staining (Figure 3).
Lack of Marginal Discoloration > Restorations rated excellent for absence of marginal staining in 89% of cases (Figure 3). Eleven percent of the restorations showed slight microleakage, noted as black/gray stain visible at the ceramic margins. The majority of these were in anterior restorations, one of which was replaced due to marginal staining.
Wear Resistance > One hundred percent of restorations rated excellent for wear resistance upon visual inspection (Figure 3).
Patient Satisfaction > High patient satisfaction reflects the excellent ratings received in the other categories evaluated (Figure 3). Ninety-six percent of Cerpress SL restorations rated excellent for comfort and appearance, based on patient response.
Summary
Cerpress SL is an excellent pressable ceramic system for single-unit, metal-free restorations.
Clinical Tips
Communication with the laboratory technician regarding desired appearance is critical to a successful case.
A description of the preparation or “stump” shade will help the technician choose the proper translucency of material.
“I found that I could do virtually all the cleanup with a brush before any light curing, as the viscosity doesn’t allow for any slippage.”
“A dual-cured formulation would be nice.”
Description
3M ESPE RelyX Veneer Cement is a light-cured, resin-based luting material for the final cementation of ceramic and composite veneer restorations. The thinness of most veneers will allow adequate light penetration through the restoration. The filler load of the cement is about 66% by weight with an average particle size of 0.6 Œºm. The cement is intended to be dispensed directly onto the veneer. The Introductory Kit contains one, 3-g syringe of cement in Al, A3, white opaque, translucent, and white; one, 2-g syringe of try-in paste in A1, A3, white opaque, translucent, and white; one, 6-g bottle of 3M ESPE Adper Single Bond Plus; one, 5-ml bottle of 3M ESPE RelyX Ceramic Primer; one, 3-ml bottle of 3M ESPE Scotchbond Phosphoric Etchant Syringe; and accessories. RelyX Veneer Cement was evaluated by 18 consultants in over 300 applications. This product received a 98% clinical rating.Editors’ Note: The original evaluation was published in THE DENTAL ADVISOR, Vol. 19, No. 2, March 2002.
“A display of time elapsed would be a nice addition.”
Description
M550 Soniclean is an ultrasonic cleaner for removing debris from instruments prior to sterilization. It features a 5.5-gallon capacity with tank measurements of 49.5 x 29 x 15 cm. The drain valve, hose adapter, and drain tube are located on the side of the unit. The insert basket is perforated. An accessory kit is available with beakers and a safety basket. The 0 to 60 minute timer also features a “Hold” position for continuous operation. Ten consultants used M550 Soniclean during a six-month evaluation period. This product received a 97% clinical rating.
Editors’ Note: The original evaluation was published in THE DENTAL ADVISOR, Vol. 19, No. 7, September 2002.
