Saving Time While Delivering Superior Restorative Care
Inside Dentistry provides the latest in endodontics, implantology, periodontics, and more, with in-depth articles, expert videos, and top industry insights.
August 1, 2024
Volume 20, Issue 8, August 2024
Page(s): p. 48
Patient care is of the utmost importance to Jorge F. Zapata, DDS, whose family practice in Ogden, Utah, specializes in microscope enhanced dentistry. "We believe in precision and excellence of care, and we are able to successfully achieve these goals with the aid of high magnification," says Zapata, an internationally recognized lecturer and recipient of the 2014 Academy of Microscope Enhanced Dentistry Outstanding Service Award.
This philosophy has enabled Zapata's office to thrive. "We built the practice by remaining committed to our goal of delivering the highest quality care, understanding that excellence is not an action but rather a habit," Zapata says. "Through years of excellent service to our patients, we have gained their trust, and as a result, we have become a large, well-established family practice."
This commitment to excellence is consistent with Zapata's personal values. "The most important thing for me as a practitioner is to treat my patients as human beings and to never regard them as opportunities to push treatment for monetary gain," Zapata says. "People come seeking help, and I look to provide the help that they need with the best care possible."
According to Zapata, using a dental microscope enables him to arrive at more precise diagnoses, improve the quality of his treatments, and deliver esthetically pleasing results. He also uses projected images from the microscope to assist in case presentations with his patients. "The dental microscope can be an amazing tool to empower patients," he says. Oftentimes, Zapata even uses the microscope to facilitate oral hygiene instruction by letting his patients watch as he brushes their teeth under the microscope. He notes that it's something that the children at his practice particularly enjoy.
A major staple of the practice, of course, is restorative care. When Zapata sources materials, he wants the very best for his patients. He explains that a universal bonding agent, CLEARFIL™ Universal Bond Quick 2, and a flowable universal composite, CLEARFIL MAJESTY™ ES Flow Universal, which are both available from Kuraray Noritake Dental, have proven to be especially noteworthy materials regarding the results that he achieves with direct composite restorations.
CLEARFIL Universal Bond Quick 2 features a proprietary blend of MDP, amide, and urethane tetramethacrylate (UTM) monomers that enables quick and easy application without the need for a dedicated primer. This new chemistry permits immediate bonding to enamel and dentin with no waiting period. Furthermore, the formulation prevents pooling, which facilitates the creation of a thin, uniform adhesive layer that results in stronger and more predictable bonds to both enamel and dentin. CLEARFIL Universal Bond Quick 2 is designed to offer versatility, and it can be used with any self-adhesive resin cement without a separate activator. To suit the various needs of practices, it is available in both bottle and unit-dose delivery options. "The ability to achieve a strong bond with CLEARFIL Universal Bond Quick 2 in only 3 seconds is incredible and saves significant time," Zapata says.
Another timesaver, CLEARFIL MAJESTY ES Flow Universal features a unique light diffusing filler matrix that allows a single "Universal" shade to seamlessly blend with surrounding natural tooth structure to produce posterior direct composite restorations in all of the 16 shades on the VITA classical A1-D4® shade guide. This technology is designed to mimic the light-diffusing properties of natural tooth structure, enabling restorations to integrate beautifully into the surrounding dentition. CLEARFIL MAJESTY ES Flow Universal is also available in a "Universal Dark" shade that, when combined with the Universal shade, can produce anterior restorations in all 16 shades on the VITA classical A1-D4 shade guide. "One of the most important characteristics of CLEARFIL MAJESTY ES Flow Universal is how its super low flow formulation enables it to stay in the place where it is applied without running or changing shape," Zapata says. "At the same time, this flowable universal composite is incredibly easy to manipulate with an explorer or other instrument into locations that I desire to fill."
Zapata has used CLEARFIL Universal Bond Quick 2 and CLEARFIL MAJESTY ES Flow Universal for Class I, Class II, and Class V composite restorations as well as injection molding techniques. "For large Class V restorations, these materials are the best," he says. "And the chameleon effect of CLEARFIL MAJESTY ES Flow Universal is impressive. Both of these products have enabled me to complete restorations more quickly, allowing for greater production without sacrificing excellence, predictability, or esthetics."
The most important thing of all, Zapata notes, is the positive reaction that he's received chairside. "Patient satisfaction regarding outcomes has been overwhelmingly high," he says. "Patients have not reported postoperative sensitivity, and I have not had to redo any broken restorations that were completed with these products."
Zapata emphasizes that such achievements are only possible by working with a top-notch supplier like Kuraray Noritake Dental. "In order to achieve excellent results, clinicians need good technical support from the company providing their dental materials," he says. "Since I started using Kuraray Noritake Dental products in 2005, the company has always provided me with detailed instructions on appropriate use and application as well as the latest information and research. They have also shown me that they want me to succeed as a clinician."
As long as his patients continue come to him for the quality care that they expect and deserve, Zapata will continue to reach for CLEARFIL restorative materials. "Once you have tried these products, you do not want to use anything else," he says.
• CLEARFIL Universal Bond Quick 2 features a proprietary blend of MDP, amide, and UTM monomers that enables quick and easy application without the need for a dedicated primer.
• New formulation permits immediate bonding to enamel and dentin with no waiting period and prevents pooling, which facilitates the creation of a thin, uniform adhesive layer that results in stronger and more predictable bonds.
• CLEARFIL MAJESTY ES Flow Universal features a unique light diffusing filler matrix that allows two universal shades (Universal and Universal Dark) to seamlessly blend with surrounding natural tooth structure to produce posterior and anterior direct composite restorations in all of the 16 shades on the VITA classical A1-D4® shade guide.
Kuraray Noritake Dental Inc. | kuraraydental.com | 800-879-1676
