A Passion for Improving Dentistry

Schmedding practiced in Seattle, Washington, for 17 years before moving to California to teach. He eventually returned to private practice with a fee-for-service operation that allows him to devote as much time as he deems necessary to each patient's case. "We concentrate heavily on patients' needs and desires," he says. "We are not a ‘drill-fill-bill' practice. We try to form long-term relationships that provide tremendous amounts of comfort for our patients in terms of trust and reliability."

Schmedding's approach to educating fellow dental professionals hinges on collaborative learning. "Simply asking questions can help you achieve so much more," he says. "The ability to learn from one another is what is important to me. When I lecture, my mantra is, ‘I am not smarter than you. Let's put everything on the table and talk about things to try to develop some formidable answers.'"

When Schmedding first tried TurboTemp EZ^™ from Zest Dental Solutions late last year, he was not necessarily looking for answers. "Manufacturers always try to make new products sound mind-blowing in terms of what they will do for you," he says, "but Zest has a great restorative product line, so I decided to try TurboTemp EZ."

The material far exceeded his expectations. A self-cure provisional crown-and-bridge composite, it achieves a higher strength and hardness faster than many other brands, facilitating easier and more reliable temporary restorations. Developed as a multifunctional, highly filled material, TurboTemp EZ is suited for creating durable and esthetic long- and short-term provisional restorations.

"This is just a different material," Schmedding says. "It handles differently, sets differently, and polishes differently than other temporary materials. Everything it does it just on another level."

Schmedding compares the handling and finishing to those of composite restoratives. The material's strength is similar to that of composites as well. "That is what really excited me about this material," he says. "It is just a really strong, nice, hard material that allows you to get really fine margins because you can polish it really closely without any chipping. It develops a high shine, and it allows you to have the fortitude to do either a single unit or a long-span bridge without any type of reinforcement."

With TurboTemp EZ, Schmedding has placed several provisional bridges that have held up over the course of multiple months. One was for an extraction case in which he allowed the pontic site to heal for 3 months. "It maintained its shine really well through those 3 months," he says. "No repairs were needed, and the margins were all intact."

Zest says the material requires less than 5 minutes to set, and Schmedding describes the process as a "snap set," during which, after a few minutes, the material goes from being putty and doughy to very hard. "It is not so hard that you cannot get the temporary off," he says, "but it just snaps into place."

The way that TurboTemp EZ handles allows Schmedding to work as if he is utilizing a traditional composite; however, it also saves time by eliminating the need for fiber reinforcements. "Traditional temporary materials tend to be more brittle and to chip much more easily, especially when you are polishing along the margins," he says. "With TurboTemp EZ, I have had no broken temporaries. I have a high comfort level, even with long-span bridges."

Schmedding has used Zest products for a number of years, including the company's air abrasion units and Bulk EZ^® dual-cure resin-based composite. Regardless of the product, Zest's support has always been top-notch. "If anyone ever has an issue, they offer very responsive and helpful support," he says. "They are an excellent company."

Although Zest's overdenture products might garner more attention within the profession, Schmedding says he hopes more of his colleagues will take advantage of TurboTemp EZ. "Like the rest of Zest's restorative product line," he says, "this is a great material that really helps in my practice."

Key Points

• A provisional material that reaches a higher flexural strength and hardness in a shorter amount of time than many leading brands.

• Six essential shades with lifelike fluorescence and high polishability offer beautiful results.

• The 1:1 cartridge makes for more consistent mixing and curing.

• Reliable handling and a predictable set time of less than 5 minutes support the creation of outstanding temporary restorations.