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Identium

Consultants’ Comments

  • “Rapid setting time.”
  • “No complaints about bad taste.”
  • “Excellent tear resistance.”
  • “Wets the tooth well.”
  • “A very good material.”
  • “A few small voids in the final impressions.”
  • “My lab found it less resilient for multiple pours.”

Description

Identium® impression material offers a new chemistry that combines the advantages of both vinylpolysiloxane and polyether into a formulation termed Vinylsiloxanether® or VSXE®. Identium offers three viscosities (heavy, medium, and light) available in regular and fast set and packaged in 1:1 automix cartridges. Identium is odorless, tasteless, and offers high elastic properties that promote easy removal and dimensionally accurate recovery. Using the one-step, double mix technique, Identium light- and heavy-body materials are indicated for crown, bridge, inlay, onlay, veneer, denture, and implant impressions. Identium medium body is intended for use with the one-step monophase or double-mix technique for impressions in implant and denture/partial denture cases. Identium Fast impression materials have a working time of 1:15 and an intraoral setting time of 2:15 for a total setting time of 3:30. Each package contains two cartridges of material with 6 or 12 mixing tips. Identium Fast set was evaluated by 13 consultants who took 206 impressions. This impression material received a 90% clinical rating.

Product Features

Identium features the desirable properties of both PVS and polyether impression materials. It is tolerant of moisture and, unlike polyethers, has no bitter taste. The light-body material is easy to extrude and flows smoothly in the sulcus. The heavy-body material is harder to extrude from the cartridge. Working time is adequate, and the short intraoral setting time is an advantage in most cases. The purple and blue colors of the heavy/light materials exhibit good contrast but the deep colors can be hard to read. Final impressions with Identium exhibit very good detail and accuracy. Impressions are easy to remove from the mouth. Patients did not object to the taste. Thirty-nine percent of consultants found Identium to be better than other impression materials they had used, and 31% found it to be equivalent. Fifty-four percent would switch to Identium and 62% would recommend it to a colleague.

Clinical Tips

  • Begin loading the impression tray with heavy body before placing the light body in the mouth. Extra time is required to extrude the tray material.