Dental News - Sticking with Giomer hybrids for fillings and restorations

Robert Selleck, DTA

Thu. 9 January 2014

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NEW YORK, N.Y., USA: Jack D. Griffin, DMD, has been using Shofu Dental Co. products in his St. Louis-area dental practice for more than 20 years, initially using the abrasive polishers that made the company famous — and more recently using Shofu products in restorative work. He’s always been impressed with the results, but when Beautifil Flow Plus was released, the longtime fan became a super fan.

“That changed everything,” Griffin said.

Before that, he said, composite hybrids were fine as a liner and as a base but were not strong enough to be used for restoration buildups. Griffin immediately embraced Shofu’s proprietary Giomer technology, which went beyond the other hybrids — as a flowable resin with the strength needed to perform as a restorative.

The material also has the ability to effectively fill voids and help protect teeth from decay through the release of high levels of fluoride.

Griffin was so pleased with the results he was achieving with his patients that he started demonstrating the Shofu materials for fellow practitioners around the country.

He presented a ticketed lecture and workshop during the Greater New York Dental Meeting.

He demonstrated the products on two patients in a live-dentistry presentation in the Live Dentistry Arena. The session, titled “Let’s Stick Together ... The Most Durable Aesthetic Materials Ever,” was sponsored by Bisco Dental Products and Shofu Dental Corp.

On the first patient, Griffin used Beautifil Flow Plus and Beautifil II to create regenerative fillings.

“The flowable acts as a liner and seals margins,” Griffin said. “It covers all of the exposed dentin and margins while also reducing the voids.”

He used the products back-to-back to create a strong, esthetic filling that also inhibits bacteria and plaque development.

With the second patient, Griffin demonstrated the soon-to-be-released Shofu product Ceramage, which the company describes as a zirconium silicate integrated indirect restorative for both anterior and posterior regions. Griffin said his experience confirms the company description of the material as having “superior flexural strength, elasticity and unsurpassed polishability.”

Griffin cemented a CAD/CAM-designed monolithic crown and polished it to demonstrate how the material replicates the natural appearance and light-diffusing properties of dentin and enamel. According to Shofu literature, Ceramage bonds to a variety of substructures, including non-precious and high noble alloys. It has an extensive shade selection for natural tooth and gum color reproduction.

The material can be used to create anterior and posterior crowns, veneers, implant-supported restorations and inlays and onlays. A full set of gum colors also enables the material to replicate gingival anatomy.

Shofu plans to release Ceramage in February at the Chicago Midwinter meeting.

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