What are benefits of alginate substitutes over traditional alginates?

Alginate substitutes (Alginot/Kerr Corp., 3M ESPE Position Penta Quick/3M ESPE, Silgimix/Sultan HealthCare, Status Blue/Zenith Dental Products/DMG) are addition silicone elastomers that are much more dimensionally stable than alginates (irreversible hydrocolloids) because they do not absorb or evaporate water. Alginate substitutes are packaged for quick and easy dispensing. They are also packaged for automatic mixing, which is much cleaner and easier than the powder/water mixing of alginates. Mixing devices include auto-mix guns and motorized systems (Mix Star/Zenith Dental Products/DMG, Pentamix 2/3M ESPE). The mixing systems used with alginate substitutes are also more conducive to infection control procedures than the mixing equipment used with alginates.