Ivoclar Vivadent Composites Ensure Patient Benefits

Featuring small-particle, or nano-technology, today’s composite materials are faster, better, and easier to use than ever before, claims George Tysowsky, DDS, MPH, Vice President of Technology at Ivoclar Vivadent Inc. These material advances, he adds, have led to increased esthetics, improved optical enhancements, and a smoother surface polish for better wear resistance and increased longevity. Moreover, new initiators have been developed for superior, quicker depth of cure. “With proper training and technique, there should be no limitations to where these materials can be applied in the oral environment,” Tysowsky says excitedly.

“Ivoclar Vivadent’s materials have been optimized relative to handling and physical property characterization, primarily to ensure the clinician has the opportunity to apply and sculpt the materials with utmost efficiency,” says Michael Gaglio, Vice President of Marketing at Ivoclar Vivadent. Gaglio mentions many benefits to using Ivoclar Vivadent’s composite materials, including faster application and better adaptation to marginal areas to provide an improved seal for a higher quality restoration.

Ivoclar Vivadent believes that composites should offer both performance and esthetics. “If clinicians are working in an esthetic zone, they are going to want to make sure that the surface, the topography, and the color all have the natural look of a human tooth,” says Gaglio. He adds that the company’s IPS Empress Direct nanohybrid composite’s ability to match the natural tooth in the anterior is unsurpassed in the industry.

Ivoclar Vivadent’s flagship composite line is the Tetric EvoCeram^® family, and its newest addition, Tetric EvoCeram^® Bulk Fill, is one of the company’s most versatile composites. What sets Tetric EvoCeram Bulk Fill apart from other composites on the market, Gaglio notes, is that the clinician does not need additional equipment or technology to apply the material. “There are several new bulk-fill materials on the market, but many of them require additional instrumentation in order to use that technology,” he says. Tetric EvoCeram Bulk Fill has a number of impressive qualities, including polymerization on demand, which gives the clinician increased working time, and reduced shrinkage and shrinkage stress, which results in an increased marginal adaptation.

Gaglio also mentions that Tetric EvoCeram Bulk Fill utilizes refractive index technology, giving clinicians the ability to match virtually all shades in the posterior region with only three colors. “I believe there should not have to be any compromise. Tetric EvoCeram Bulk Fill offers great esthetics and is simple to handle and place,” he says.

Tysowsky notes that the launch of new materials and technology should always have an education component, as is the case with Tetric EvoCeram Bulk Fill. Ivoclar Vivadent offers hands-on education through its International Centers for Dental Education, as well as through partnerships with leading dental education associations and universities. In addition to hands-on courses, Ivoclar Vivadent uses a variety of other platforms to educate clinicians who use their products, such as simulated applications, an e-learning portal, webinars, and even education-based YouTube channels.

“It is absolutely critical to educate people on the appropriate application of new technology when it is introduced,” says Tysowsky, adding that he believes knowledge is the key to making a newly introduced material a success.

He says that today, clinicians are using composites for almost all applications in the oral environment, which makes their level of competence just as important as the materials’ performance and esthetics. “For clinicians who are able to properly apply the materials—obviously following the appropriate principles of clinical applications—there should be no limitations as to where they can be used,” he suggests.

In summary, composite technology is a core competence of Ivoclar Vivadent. “Developing new materials isn’t only about the material itself, but also about how to advance the processing of the material,” says Tysowsky.

“For us, the future involves continuing to advance the technology of composites for the dentist, and, really, to increase outcome success for the patient, because at the end of the day, it’s the patient that benefits from better technology,” says Gaglio.

Ivoclar Vivadent Inc.
175 Pineview Drive
Amherst, NY 14228
800-533-6825
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