What patients need to know about the lifespan and maintenance of their restorations.

Editor's note: This article originally appeared in the February 2022 print edition of Dental Economics. In many ways, I’m a typical dentist. I practice four days a week. I see patients full-time. I manage staff and insurance issues. I strive for perfect dentistry. I enjoy my work, and I love my profession. However, I’m unusual in that I have had the opportunity to test more than 20 adhesives on the dental market today.

Etching is a crucial element in creating high quality restorations and the basis for proper adhesive technique. More than 30 years ago, Ultradent created a phosphoric acid etchant that provided total control in handling. Ultra-Etch™ etchant stays exactly where it’s put while penetrating even the smallest fissures—it’s the only etchant you need for total etch procedures.

Over the last 20 years, dentistry has changed quite a bit. It used to be that “because it’s a temporary, quality and esthetics didn’t matter.” Now, it’s more like “just because it’s a temporary, doesn’t mean quality and esthetics don’t matter.” Additionally, more clinicians are realizing the negative effect bad temporaries have on their business. If any of the following problems sound a little too familiar to you, it’s time to consider upgrading your temporary material.

by Dr. Joshua Austin, originally published in Dental Economics. The operative dentistry faculty at my alma mater, the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, were huge advocates of rebonding when placing resin composites. That term-"rebonding"-may not even be familiar to many readers. Rebonding is a simple process that involves flowing a very thin layer of unfilled resin onto composite. The literature supports rebonding; however, almost no one does it clinically on a regular basis. I am not 100% sure why, either. It's a quick and simple process, and it can really improve the quality of the composite resins we place.

You don’t take your vehicle to the baker for maintenance, much like you wouldn’t ask the mechanic for a fresh loaf of Rye. When I buy steak seasoning, seeing Guy Fieri’s smile on the label reassures that I’m grilling up a trip to flavor town. Ultradent was founded on clinical knowledge—Dr. Dan Fischer created our first products to solve problems he was encountering in his practice. We’ve kept that mentality and utilize our own team of in-house clinicians at every stage of our product development. As a result, we don’t just create products. We create comprehensive solutions.

Ultra-Blend plus liner is a unique dentin-adhering liner and base material containing calcium hydroxide and calcium hydroxyapatite in a urethane dimethacrylate (UDMA) base. It’s perfect for pulp capping and will not dissolve over time. Made of a light-activated, radiopaque material, Ultra-Blend plus liner is highly filled for minimal shrinkage.

Strong substrates need strong bonds, and a strong bond starts with the primer. Peak-ZM zirconia and metal primer is specifically designed to provide high adhesion between the zirconia or metal surface and the luting material.

Recent articles suggest that there is a certain monomer responsible for quality bonds, but the truth is that the strength of a bond lies squarely in the balance of the chemistry of the product, rather than just one “magical ingredient.” Neil Jessop, Director of Research and Development for Ultradent Products, Inc. says, “It isn’t one specific monomer that promotes such high-level bond strengths, but the balance of chemistry and a synergy of components working together that affords stability, repeatability, and reliable, long-term bonds.”