Ask The Editors
Q: What is the clinical advantage of using Icon (DMG America), a new caries infiltrant product? What does it do, exactly?
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2010 Product Awards
THE DENTAL ADVISOR has selected 28 products for special recognition. Our Product Awards are given to the dental products that have exceeded our standards of performance and quality. The products were selected for awards based on the clinical experience of our Editorial Board and Consulting Team.
Assistants’ Choice
Kromafaze Singles
Dux Dental
KromaFaze Singles are single impression packages of dust-free, colorimetric alginate powder. The alginate is packaged in 18-g, sealed foil envelopes (6.4 x 15 cm), with an incorporated water measure.
- "I like the standardization of powder/water ratios.”
- "Water and powder combine well."
- "I had quality impressions with every use."
- "Very consistent results."
- "My staff was very pleased with this product.”
Top 6th-generation Bonding Agent
ACE ALL-BOND SE
Bisco Dental Products
ACE ALL-BOND SE is a self-etching (6th-generation, Type II) bonding agent that combines etching, priming and bonding in a dual-chamber cartridge dispensing system. ALL-BOND SE is a light-cured, ethanol/water-based, self-etching, adhesive containing acidic monomers that can be used with both self- and dual-cured materials as well as indirect restorations without the need for additional activators.
- "It is my go-to product!"
- "Easy to dispense and mix - consistent results."
- "Color is easy to see."
- "I didn't observe any sensitivity."
- "Include large and small microbrushes in the kit."
Top 7th-generation Bonding Agent
BOND FORCE
Tokuyama Dental Corp./Tokuyama America Inc.
BOND FORCE is a single-component (7th-generation), self-etching, fluoride-releasing bonding agent. It requires one application and a light curing time of 10 seconds.
- “Excellent viscosity - wets the tooth surface well.”
- “The illustrated instruction card is a good quick reference for chairside use.”
- “The instructions clearly explain the use and storage requirements.”
- “The design of the unit dose is great.”
- “The material does not stick to matrix bands.”
Air-Driven, High Speed Handpiece
TwinPower Turbine
J. Morita USA
TwinPower Turbine is a high-speed, fiberoptic handpiece. It utilizes a double-impeller design that is reported to deliver optimal performance while maintaining constantly balanced torque.
- "The handpiece is lightweight and feels good to hold.”
- "It has lots of power and doesn’t bog down."
- "The best handpiece I have ever used."
- "This is an awesome handpiece."
Top Alginate
imprESSIX Color Change
DENTSPLY Raintree Essix
imprESSIX Color Change is a fast-set, dust-free, berry-scented alginate impression material that changes color to indicate the stage of set.
- “Exceptional detail - best of all alginates.”
- “Patients found the taste pleasant.”
- “Best model I’ve seen from an alginate.”
- “Loved it!”
Top Bite Registration Material
JET BLUE BITE
Coltène/Whaledent, Inc.
JET BLUE BITE is an addition silicone bite registration material available in fast and super-fast setting times.
- “Stays where you put it!”
- “Easy to trim – remains in one piece.”
- “Does not lock in undercuts.”
Top Ceramic Finishing & Polishing System
Jazz P3S Polishers
S.S. White Burs, Inc.
Jazz P3S Polishers are latch-type polishers indicated for use on porcelain restorations, but they can also be used on metal.
- “Excellent assortment of shapes and sizes.”
- “Durable after repeated use and sterilization.”
- “Be patient as several different grits are required for best results.”
Top Composite
Estelite Sigma Quick
Tokuyama Dental Corp./Tokuyama America Inc.
Estelite Sigma Quick is a low-shrinkage, submicronfilled composite for use in both anterior and posterior restorations.
- "Works well with all of the bonding systems I use in my office."
- "Great handling!"
- "Not as sensitive to the operating light as other composites."
- "Huge variety of shades that blend very well with tooth."
- "It’s rare that I would get this excited about a composite, but this one blew me away!"
Top Composite Finishing & Polishing System
Super-Snap Singles
Shofu Dental Corp.
Super-Snap Singles are thin, flexible disks with a silicone rubber center. The plastic, latch-type mandrel is disposable.
- “Excellent polish!”
- “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!”
Top Core Material
LuxaCore Z-Dual
Zenith Dental/DMG
LuxaCore Z-Dual is a radiopaque, dual-cured composite core material used for build-ups and post cementations.
LuxaCore Z-Dual
- “Dual-cured feature gives me more confidence in deep-layer polymerization.”
- “Viscosity is ideal.”
- “Shade differentiation made prepping easier.”
- “Cured material is hard and cuts like dentin!”
- “Good radiopacity.”
- “My assistants loved that LuxaCore Z-Dual did not require refrigeration.”
Top Dispensing System
VivaPen
Ivoclar Vivadent, Inc.
VivaPen is a unique, pen-like dispenser with disposable micro-tipped cannulas. VivaPen enables the bonding agent to be applied directly t o the preparation, saving time and material.
- “Excellent concept - very convenient.”
- “Impressive delivery system.”
- “Nice, small brush tip for access into narrow preparations.”
- “Very versatile - quick and easy to use.”
- “Available with AdheSE One and Excite.”
Top Electric Handpiece System
NuTorque
DentalEZ
The NuTorque™ programmable electric handpiece system is lightweight and compact and is indicated for general dentistry procedures including crown preparation, cavity preparation, caries removal, finishing and polishing, and endodontic treatment.
- "Best electric handpiece I have used."
- "It was easy for our dental assistant to connect to the existing handpiece line."
- "Versatile; very easy to change from endo to restorative."
- "Very quiet."
Top Esthetic Post System
D.T. Light-Post Illusion X-RO
Bisco Dental Products
D.T. Light-Post Illusion X-RO posts are fabricated from unidirectional, pretensed fibers in a resin matrix.
- "Very esthetic and blends well with tooth-colored core materials."
- "The drills are accurate in diameter to their corresponding posts."
- "Trim the post after cementation and core build-up during tooth preparation."
Top Esthetic Resin Cement
Clearfil Esthetic Resin Cement
Kuraray America
Clearfil Esthetic Resin Cement is a dual-cured, radiopaque resin cement that is used in combination with a self-etching adhesive system (Clearfil DC BOND included in the evaluated kit).
- “I really like the kit - I will keep using it.”
- “This cement is very easy to clean up after just a 3- to 5-second light cure.”
- “The shade matching and shade descriptions in the kit are very useful.”
- “The kit is all-inclusive.”
Top Flowable Composite
Estelite Flow Quick
Tokuyama Dental Corp./Tokuyama America Inc.
ESTELITE FLOW QUICK is a low-viscosity, light-cured, radiopaque, submicron-filled resin composite.
- "Good esthetics and finishing characteristics."
- "Controlled flow and a lack of bubbles."
Top Fluoride Varnish
Kolorz ClearShield 5% Sodum Fluoride Varnish
Zenith Dental/DMG
Kolorz ClearShield 5% Fluoride Varnish is a 5% sodium fluoride varnish indicated for use as both a treatment for dentinal hypersensitivity and as a cavity liner under amalgam restorations.
- “Less opaque than other fluoride varnishes.”
- “Very smooth, easy application.”
- “Because of the clear color and great taste, patients think it’s terrific.”
- “Our office has switched to ClearShield!”
- “Patients found the taste pleasant.”
Top Impression Material
Aquasil Ultra
DENTSPLY Caulk
Aquasil Ultra is an addition silicone impression material. This formula is designed with a reduced contact angle, an increase in tear strength, and maintenance of a low viscosity during the working time.
- “Remarkable accuracy in a moist environment.”
- “Excellent resistance to tearing, especially in thin areas.”
- “The light-body material stacks well, and the heavy-body material provides excellent rigidity for the tray.”
- “Many patients commented positively on the mint flavor and scent.”
Top Infection Control Product
Ultra Sensitive Face Mask
Crosstex
Ultra-Sensitive Mask is an ear-loop design specifically for users with sensitive skin. The product is free of chemicals, inks, dyes and fragrance and has a fluid-resistant outer layer with a white hypoallergenic inner cellulose layer.
- "Great for sensitive skin."
- "Stays formed to my nose."
- "I can't use other masks."
Top Innovative Product
3M ESPE Lava Chairside Oral Scanner C.O.S.
3M ESPE
The Lava™ Chairside Oral Scanner C.O.S. (3M ESPE) is used to capture high accuracy scans of patient teeth. Data from the scan are used to create an articulated stereolithography (SLA) model that a dentallaboratory uses to design restorations such as crowns, inlays, onlays, and bridges.
- "When patients were asked which system they prefer, the scan or the impression, ninety percent preferred the scanning over the impression."
- "It took fifteen to twenty scans to get very comfortable with the C.O.S. After the learning curve, the scan time was, in general, around four to five minutes."
- "I feel that this technique is very viable and can be easily included in the day-to-day clinical operation of the office."
- "Patients don’t feel trapped with the scanning. If there is any problem it can be stopped at any time, and you can return to scanning. With a traditional impression, the patient cannot open until the material hardens."
Top Light-curing Unit
bluephase G2
Ivoclar Vivadent, Inc.
The bluephase G2 is a cordless LED curing-light used for the polymerization of light-curing dental materials, including restoratives, bonding agents/adhesives, bases, liners, fissure sealants, temporaries, as well saluting materials for orthodontic brackets.
- “This is a great light!”
- “It’s great to have one light that cures everything!”
- “The sleek design and power are great!”
Long-term Performer
3M ESPE RelyX Unicem Self-Adhesive Universal Resin Cement
3M ESPE
3M ESPE RelyX™ Unicem Self-Adhesive Universal Resin Cement is a dual-cured resin cement. It is self-adhesive, requiring no tooth surface preparation such as etching, priming or bonding. The cement is filled 72% by weight and contains fluoride.
- "RelyX Unicem has really proven to be an excellent choice for the cementation of a variety of restorations."
- "It is definitely the most widely used cement in our practice."
- "It is definitely the most widely used cement in our practice well it will perform over time. After six years, its performance has been exceptional."
- "As an assistant RelyX Unicem has been my first choice - it is just so easy to use and clean up."
Top Pit and Fissure Sealant
ClearCheck SLP
Shofu Dental Corp.
ClearCheck SLP is a multi-use, light-cured dental resin indicated for sealing pit and fissures, application to margins of resin restorations and sealing resin cement around orthodontic brackets.
- "Flows well, bubble free, useful for many procedures."
- "Easy to apply."
- "Doesn’t affect final shade of restorations."
Top Provisional Material
Luxatemp Fluorescence
Zenith Dental/DMG
Luxatemp Fluorescence is a self-cured, hybrid Bis-GMA resin composite for fabrication of provisional crowns, bridges, inlays, onlays, temporary veneers, and long-term temporaries.
- “Nice esthetics and translucency.”
- “Easy to work with and didn’t fracture.”
- “Easy to remove and didn’t seem to lock onto teeth.”
- “One of my favorite materials.”
Top Sectional Matrix System
V3 Sectional Matrix System
TrioDent Ltd.
The V3 Sectional Matrix System is comprised of three components: the V3 Ring, a separator ring with V-shaped plastic tines, the V3 Matrix and the Wave-Wedge.
- “The new V3 Sectional Matrix System worked better for wider proximal boxes when compared to the previous version.”
- “This system creates the most anatomic, tight contacts of any system I have ever used.”
- “Consistent separation of teeth and less for me to trim in the interproximal.”
- “Stacking the rings for multiple restorations is still difficult.”
- “Rings are tight, wedges are smooth and both are gentle to tissue.”
Top Self-adhesive Resin Cement
CLEARFIL SA CEMENT
Kuraray America
CLEARFIL SA CEMENT is a self-etching, self-adhesive, dual-cured resin cement with fluoride release.
- "One of the easiest resin cements I have ever used."
- "Endo tip is great - easiest post cementation clean-up I’ve ever had."
- "Excess clean-up after the initial cure was great."
- "The regular push plunger is fine, but the dispenser is phenomenal!"
Top Soft Reline Material
SOFRELINER TOUGH
Tokuyama Dental Corp./Tokuyama America, Inc.
SOFRELINER TOUGH is a chair-side addition silicone soft lining material for dentures and other removable acrylic prostheses.
- “A very useful material to provide retention of attachments in overdentures or implant-based prostheses.”
- “Easy product to use.”
- “A butt-joint finish line enhances the resistance to peeling at the edges.”
- “Lasts longer than other soft reline materials.”
Top Temporary Cement
3M ESPE RelyX Temp NE
3M ESPE
3M ESPE RelyX Temp NE is a non-eugenol, zinc oxide temporary cement formerly known as Procem.
- “My assistants love the tubes – easy to use, not messy.”
- “This material did a great job retaining temporaries.”
- “I am switching to RelyX Temp NE.” “It is easiest to remove the excess once the cement is set.”
Top WOW Product
Odyssey Navigator Diode Laser
Ivoclar Vivadent, Inc.
The Odyssey Navigator Diode Laser is a portable, solid-state diode laser recommended for soft tissue modification and preventive care.
- "Pre-sets are wonderful!"
- "The wireless foot pedal is convenient in the operatory and makes storage less cumbersome."
- "The pre-cleaved, single-use tips are perfect."
- "Easy set up and convenient."
- "Fantastic product."
