By Jon Garner, Kerr Corporation

Many of Kerr’s current breakthroughs have their roots in its industry-changing innovations of the past. When Kerr introduced Herculite® in 1985, it was the first hybrid composite material with a submicron average particle size, and it’s still considered an industry standard today. The year 1992 saw the introduction of OptiBond®, the first filled fluoride-releasing adhesive on the market.

In 1996, Kerr released Prodigy® Condensable, a packable composite with a filler load of 80%, which brought shrinkage below 2%. And in 1999, Kerr unveiled Point 4™, which became the most significant breakthrough in the history of composites by bridging the gap between hybrids and microfills.

With the innovations of the past serving as its foundation, Kerr has implemented a multi-faceted technological road map that can be expected to yield even more far-reaching results in the future.

The new millennium has seen Kerr in a pronounced expansion mode. In the 10 decades prior to 2000, Kerr has been at the forefront of advancing the science of esthetic restorative dentistry through internal product development.

For the past several years, the company has not only continued to develop its core competencies, it has acquired synergistic products and companies in other dental segments. These segments include bone augmentation, precision-engineered finishing instruments, infection prevention, visual magnification, fiberoptic lights and ergonomic dental seating systems. The technologies involved are tactical additions chosen for their unique ability to round out Kerr’s offerings with a singular intent—to provide dental professionals with high-quality, innovative materials and products that heighten efficiency and patient comfort in delivering long-lasting, lifelike restorations.

Recently launched products developed by Kerr’s own industry veteran scientists—Premise™, Maxcem™, StandOut™ and Fill-In™— are designed to meet clinicians’ needs that had previously never been addressed.

• Premise, Kerr’s latest composite, uses three different filler technologies that meet all the demands of today’s modern practitioner—low shrinkage, strength, sustained polish and trouble-free handling.
• Maxcem defines the standard for a new class of self-etch, self-adhering resin cements with superior bond and mechanical strengths, superb esthetics and unmatched delivery simplicity.
• StandOut and Fill-In are light-bodied impression and provisional materials, respectively, of advanced formulations delivered in handy, economical, single-use Unidose® syringes.

Much of Kerr’s capability for providing a broad base of state-of-the-art products stems from its selective, strategic acquisitions, which clearly demonstrate Kerr’s willingness to enter new dental segments. Each fills specific needs for clinicians and is a compatible, integral component of the Kerr product portfolio. Important acquisitions include Orascoptic, Bioplant®, Hawe and the infection prevention products Kerr offers through its TotalCare division.

TotalCare offers dental professionals and clinical staff a complete line of Metrex and Pinnacle products—proven, efficient infection prevention solutions—including instrument precleaners and enzymatic detergents, high-level and surface disinfectants, hand hygiene products and protective barriers, along with accessories such as trap and vacuum pump filters, air/water syringe tips and x-ray holders.

“TotalCare is a division we organized to attend to the specialized needs of clinical assistants in the area of infection prevention,” states TotalCare/Metrex vice president Todd Norbe. “Metrex and Pinnacle are well-respected names in infection prevention and are welcome additions to our single-source approach to serving our customers.”

Orascoptic, which Kerr acquired in 2002, has been a market leader in innovative flip-up and through-the-lens telescopic loupes, fiberoptic lights and ergonomic seating systems for dental and medical professionals for over 20 years. As a member of the Kerr family of companies, Orascoptic is better positioned to deliver its distinctive products to an even larger population of dental practitioners.

Bioplant, which joined Kerr in 2004, heralds the company’s entry into the exciting world of extraction therapy. With its unique microporous, open-bead architecture, Bioplant provides the framework necessary for the patient’s own bone to regenerate, filling the bony voids left by tooth extractions. Bioplant is indicated for socket grafting, ridge augmentation, treatment of bone defects, periodontal defects and bone voids associated with implant placement.

As doctors have become more and more focused on esthetics, extraction therapy has become increasingly important. “In crown and bridge applications, esthetics is key to success,” said Leo Pranitis, vice president of Kerr marketing. “Much of that success is contingent upon the support of the underlying tissue. Bioplant serves to maintain the original integrity of the bony structure. It facilitates bone growth, simplifies the healing process and minimizes jawbone loss, providing the esthetic continuum for crown and bridge work and dental implants, if indicated.”

Hawe (pronounced ´Hå va-) is, perhaps, Kerr’s most ambitious and strategic acquisition of recent date. Headquartered in Bioggio, Switzerland, KerrHawe boasts exceptional engineering capabilities for the development of its instruments, accessories and finishing products and has garnered a commanding presence in Europe. This acquisition, along with SpofaDental in the Czech Republic, has solidified Kerr’s place in the global dental market, confirming its status as a modern, forward-thinking company.

KerrHawe’s products perfectly augment Kerr’s core technologies of direct and indirect restoration materials. Many of KerrHawe’s products are designed to shape, place, contour, facilitate, finish and polish Kerr’s restorative materials, which are renowned throughout the dental profession.

“Hawe products represent the mechanical piece of the direct restoration puzzle and utilize Swiss precision engineering to help dentists put our core products into practice,” said Ed Shellard, Kerr executive vice president. “Our merger with Hawe also gives practitioners the opportunity to purchase both materials and instruments from the same respected, reliable source they’ve been comfortable with for years.”

A few of the innovative new products KerrHawe has released in 2004/2005 include:

• CompoRoller™—The first composite contouring instrument with disposable rolling tips.
• OptiDam™—3-D dam and frame that offer increased access and improved patient comfort versus conventional dams.
• OptiView™—Lip and cheek retractor for maximized visibility and access to the working field.
• OptiDisc™—A translucent, flexible disc system that allows clinicians to view the working area as they contour, finish and polish intraoral restorations to a high luster.

Through selective acquisition and dedicated internal product development, Kerr is continuing to broaden its already considerable scope. Kerr has been in business for over 100 years with a distinguished record of leadership and success on which to continue to build. “We have flourished because of our firm commitment to continual product evolution and our passion for challenging ourselves to staying ahead of the industry curve, but we’re certainly not resting on our laurels,” Kerr president Steve Semmelmayer emphasized.

The scientists at Kerr use their knowledge of restorative dentistry chemistry as their springboard to innovation. They and their partners in product management continue to drive the innovations of today and tomorrow. This collective expertise is further enhanced by the ongoing exchange of ideas with thought leaders in the dental profession. With exciting new products covering such a wide range of complementary disciplines, Kerr expects to be an even bigger driving force in the dental industry in the coming years—better equipped to serve the needs of its customers and poised to be the solutions provider of choice for a whole new era in dental technology.