Innovative BeautiBond® With Dual Monomers Simplifies Adhesion Process
Having been in general practice for 42 years, Howard S. Glazer, DDS, says he is enjoying dentistry more now than perhaps ever before. The Fort Lee, New Jersey, practitioner, whose father was a long-time dentist with whom Glazer worked for many years, gives two primary reasons for his enthusiasm. One is the relationships he has established with his patients, many of whom are second- and third-generation clients who have come to know and trust their dentist. And, two, is the many advancements of today's dental products and materials, which have made practicing "more fun and exciting," he says.
Among the advances over the decades that have impressed Glazer are those associated with adhesive dentistry. Glazer, a key opinion leader who frequently lectures, uses Shofu's BeautiBond®, a 7th generation, one-step, self-etch adhesive that can be utilized in a wide range of clinical indications. It's a product that he is comfortable using on his patients, he says, because of its high performance and lack of postoperative sensitivity.
"I started using BeautiBond when it was first registered in the United States, and I loved it immediately," Glazer exclaims. Being an advocate of self-etch, self-adhesive resins, Glazer says BeautiBond is effective and easy to use. "There's no initial step of etching or primer needed. And with its convenient unit-dose packaging, I don't have to worry about recapping any bottle," he says. "This eliminates the risk of the solvent evaporating."
Glazer also likes that only one coat needs to be applied. "BeautiBond has the lowest microfilm thickness of any adhesive material that I've used." He adds, "The product adapts very well to the tooth."
Additionally, BeautiBond works effectively with Shofu's Giomer materials, Glazer says. Similar to glass ionomers, Giomer's surface pre-reacted glass crystals release fluoride, he explains, helping to protect patients' teeth against further decay and prevent sensitivity. Giomer technology also provides an anti-plaque component. Glazer notes that BeautiBond, which features dual adhesive monomers-a phosphonic acid monomer for enhanced enamel bonding and a carboxylic acid monomer that facilitates dentin bonding-works with any composite. He prefers to use Shofu's Beautifil II and Beautifil Flow Plus.
"When you place BeautiBond adhesive in and around the gingival margins, you're really protecting the patient. You have a nice adhesive layer that holds your composite to the tooth," Glazer says.
For clinicians interested in learning more about BeautiBond, Shofu provides numerous resources useful for both beginners and experienced users like Glazer. The company provides instructions for use, research, and testimonials, all of which are available on its website. "A lot of younger clinicians are using the Internet as their primary source of resources as opposed to peer-to-peer," he acknowledges, noting that Shofu has adapted its resources to accommodate this tendency.
To sum it up, Glazer says that after more than 40 years of practice, "Having good products like BeautiBond allows me to do so much more than in the past to help my patients obtain a successful result in preventing and treating decay." He says he is constantly in awe of how these products continue to improve and how manufacturers like Shofu relentlessly develop innovative materials.
"I often discuss in my lectures that many of the materials being used now did not exist 5 years ago," Glazer says. "I believe we may begin to see composite resin becoming an all-encompassing product with the development of a self-etch/self-adhesive composite resin that won't require a primer coat of adhesive resin base," he offers. "Without giving too much away, that's not that far off in the horizon." Indeed, it is an exciting time to be a dentist.
Shofu Dental Corporation
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