by Dr. Anthony Mennito
Products Used • IPS Empress Direct composite (Ivoclar Vivadent) • Aquasil EasyMix putty (Dentsply) • IPCT instruments (Cosmedent) • OptiBond XTR adhesive (Kerr Dental) • OptraSculpt pad (Ivoclar Vivadent) • Superfine diamond and sandpaper discs (Brasseler)
Working in a building with 50 other dentists means there is no shortage of providers when one of the faculty members has a dental emergency. Over the past eight years, I’ve become the person my peers seek out to restore anterior teeth, especially when a direct Class IV composite is required. (I’ve missed many a lunch break because of this.)
This case, which stemmed from one of those experiences, was the first time I used the latest composition of IPS Empress Direct from Ivoclar Vivadent. Normally I place a rubber dam for this procedure, but the patient, a prosthodontist in my department, refused. I usually would insist, but as a fellow dentist he knows what the consequences of moisture contamination are, so I knew I could trust him to remain open. This procedure was performed during the lunch break with an assistant and cotton roll isolation.
You can see in some versions of the final where I may have overdone my use of the Trans Opal. This accentuated incisal translucency is quite powerful and it should be used carefully. I take final photos with different flash settings and angles to allow me to scrutinize my work at a macro level. I believe this has helped me improve the quality of the aesthetic restorations that I’ve placed over the years.
Support these advertisers included in the November 2018 print edition of Dentaltown magazine.
Click here for an entire list of supporters.