Discovering Exceptional Products Through Education
Inside Dentistry provides the latest in endodontics, implantology, periodontics, and more, with in-depth articles, expert videos, and top industry insights.
March 1, 2023
Volume 19, Issue 3, March 2023
Page(s): p. 46
Christopher Pescatore, DMD
A hunger for learning and creativity has driven Christopher Pescatore, DMD, as a dentist for nearly 33 years. Pescatore started placing veneers and practicing cosmetic dentistry almost immediately after dental school, and he kept himself on the cutting edge by working as an educator. He was the first clinical director and a featured speaker at the Las Vegas Institute for Advanced Dental Studies, and he has taught at Baylor University, the University of Kentucky, and New York University. Approximately 15 years ago, he stepped back from teaching to spend more time with his family, but he has since fed his hunger for learning and creativity in different ways, including by doing some of his own laboratory work. "I just love the technology and the whole creative part of it," he says. "It keeps me going."
Pescatore has fine-tuned his practice to align with those passions. He began utilizing in-office CAD/CAM in 2005, and he says that learning laboratory skills has helped him to more effectively collaborate with outside laboratories. "I have always been fascinated by what they are doing," he says. "And if I understand their work, then I can provide them with better preparations, impressions or scans, and other information." Pescatore has also reduced the staff members at his practice from ten to one over the years as he evolved to focus exclusively on all-ceramic restorative work, ranging from single teeth to full arches. "I have a small, niche practice," he says. "I realized that I could not deliver the level of quality that I wanted to when I was jumping from chair to chair, but I am very happy now."
Even after his semi-retirement from teaching, Pescatore continued to consult with manufacturers and test products, and he has recently resumed lecturing. Some of the most impactful products that he has encountered during the course of his evaluations, such as SoloCem® cement, have been from Coltene. SoloCem is a dual-cure self-adhesive resin cement that can be used for almost all indirect luting indications, including cementing crowns and bridges, metal and fiber posts, inlays and onlays to tooth structure, and implant abutments. Depending on the situation, SoloCem can be used either self-adhesively or adhesively in combination with ONE COAT 7 UNIVERSAL. ONE COAT 7 UNIVERSAL is a light-cure, single-component universal adhesive that can be used with self-etch, selective-etch, or total-etch techniques. It facilitates effortless bonding to materials such as gold, titanium, ceramics, zirconium oxide, and composites. In addition, ONE COAT 7 UNIVERSAL's new ergonomic bottle with optimized dropper, which many clinicians report that they really like, provides precise, clean dispensing without continued flow, and it is also available in practical single-dose units for efficient hygienic performance in daily practice. "SoloCem is a really useful dual-cure material for crowns, and ONE COAT 7 UNIVERSAL stands up with the top universal adhesives on the market," Pescatore says. "ONE COAT 7 UNIVERSAL is a great all-around adhesive for direct and indirect restorations. After curing it, you can still place an indirect restoration because the film thickness is so low. I use it for a selective etching protocol, which includes cleaning the surface of the enamel before applying the adhesive. It comes in a nice bottle with a sleek design, and it is just an easy, straightforward, and reliable system to use. We have had no clinical problems with it whatsoever."
Although Pescatore has multiple intraoral scanners in his office, he was first introduced to Coltene via the company's AFFINIS impression material. "There are still cases in which the use of impression material is better, easier, and more cost-efficient," he says. "I use it frequently for implants, when rigidity is particularly important." AFFINIS is an autoclavable vinyl polysiloxane material that is available with heat-resistant impression trays and autoclavable adhesive to complete the system. "It has a very good flow, regardless of which viscosity you are utilizing," Pescatore says. "The heavy-body material still flows beautifully and has the ideal viscosity. I usually use a mixture of heavy-body and light-body materials, with the light-body material around the preparations and the heavy-body material filling out the tray. However, I can also just use the regular-body material, and it flows like a light-body one too. It gets around the preparations and, of course, it is heavier, so I do not need to worry about distortion or tears. I have even seen the heavy-body material flow around a preparation and provide unbelievable accuracy. All of the viscosities just flow so well. In addition, the working time is excellent, and the sets are very hard. Coltene really has good chemistry because many other materials do not flow as well and are not as hydrophilic."
After being so impressed with Coltene's impression material, cement, and adhesive, Pescatore started using the company's BRILLIANT EverGlow, a highly esthetic universal submicron hybrid composite that excels by providing excellent sculptability and form stability, high polishability, and a long-lasting luster. Its sophisticated shade system offers three levels of translucency and enhanced Duo Shades that permit greater flexibility for single-shade and multi-shade layered restorations. "BRILLIANT EverGlow competes very well with the other top composites on the market," Pescatore says. "I have been using it more often because it provides superior results and handles a lot better than other materials."
Pescatore notes that he hopes that more dentists learn about the advantages of Coltene products—not just those dentists who, like him, dedicate themselves to staying on the cutting edge. "Coltene has everything from burs and curing lights to impression materials, composites, and adhesives," he says. "They just have a great inventory of products, and they are all very competitively priced. When dentists find out about these products, they will like them. There is a lot of predictability and comfort when I am using them. Coltene provides peace of mind for clinicians. That is pretty much the bottom line."
• SoloCem can be utilized for almost all indirect luting indications.
• SoloCem can be used either self-adhesively or in combination with ONE COAT 7 UNIVERSAL.
• Whether a self-etch, total etch, or selective etch technique is used, ONE COAT 7 UNIVERSAL facilitates effortless bonding.
• ONE COAT 7 UNIVERSAL bonds to materials such as gold, titanium, ceramics, zirconium oxide, and composites.
For more information, contact:
Coltene
nam.coltene.com • 330-916-8800
