Advertorial: It’s All in the Chemistry by Dr Wynn Jenkins

Having taught restorative dentistry for 25?years and been practising a range of restorative disciplines as a dental practitioner for even longer, I have come to recognise that there is a significant challenge facing all of us in restorative dentistry.

It would seem that there is a widespread lack of understanding of how different materials work in the mouth and that this is leading many clinicians to use materials inappropriately or in the wrong combinations, which then causes premature failure or possibly low-quality results.

I come across this time and again and the answer, in my opinion, is for clinicians— including newly qualified graduates—to seek training in the chemistry of and latest thinking in adhesive and restorative dentistry. One of the reasons I undertake postgraduate training is to give clinicians an understanding of the basic principles of:

• How things work.
• How different restorative systems
• are put together
• How they work in conjunction with each other to get the best possible results.

If there are gaps in a dentist’s knowledge in these areas, it’s crucial that he or she fills them and then learns how to apply that knowledge in a clinical setting.

Minimally invasive materials
There are many composite and adhesive systems available to modern clinicians, but the key to finding the right range of materials are those that enable me to give my patients strong, biocompatible and durable restorations whilst retaining as much tooth structure as possible.

I am a big advocate of minimally invasive restorations, so the materials I choose to work with must help me minimise the amount of tooth reduction required.

I regularly use restorative fibres such as GrandTEC—which are resin-impregnated, light curing, glass fibre strands—and combine them with Admira Fusion, a purely ceramic-based restorative. They work really well together to deliver reliable and predictable long-term restorations.

When it comes to chemistry, I was initially impressed with Admira Fusion’s innovative ORMOCER (Organically Modified Ceramic) technology, which contains no monomers, making it highly biocompatible whilst still retaining a high compressive strength. The low polymerisation shrinkage (1.25 percent) means no microleakage problems and I find I can create durable aesthetics.

Getting the right technique
As with all things, success also depends on technique and how you combine your materials together. There is a lot to be said for using products that have been developed to work together. I often use VOCO’s Futurabond U as my adhesive with Admira Fusion, because using materials that have been developed together, and by the same manufacturer, can reduce the risk factors for error and compatibility issues.

Working with a manufacturer that listens
It’s good to work with a company that listens to what clinicians want and then innovates in order to put those ideas into production.

My relationship with VOCO is not purely about using its products. Over the years, I have built up a productive connection with the company, and have become a Fellow, attending its biennial VOCO International Fellowship Symposium at which dentists and technicians from across 20 different countries come together to discuss the latest trends, innovations and matters concerning dentistry. It truly becomes a team event.

It’s encouraging that companies such as VOCO are working to develop new solutions to meet the challenges that we clinicians face.

The onus is now on us to keep up to date with the latest science that is fuelling the development of a new generation of materials, to seek out the right training opportunities to learn about them, and then put that knowledge into clinical practice.

To find out more about VOCO’s wide range of restorative and minimally invasive products or to contact your local VOCO dental consultant, visit www.voco.social.