When in Doubt, Tempit

Not all dental inventions are flashy. In fact, some of the best and most time-saving industry innovations have been surprisingly simple. Case in point is the introduction of the Benda Brush in 1989, a humble product created by Centrix founder Dr. William Dragan.

While some in the industry laughed at Dr. Dragan and his “silly” little invention, they failed to realize that this tiny brush that bent in all the right places solved a big problem for practitioners—how to accurately apply materials like whitening gel, bonding agents, and sealants in hard-to-reach areas of the mouth. It should come as no surprise that soon after, Centrix captured 70% of the dental brush market.

Small Inventions, Big Conveniences

Rewind the tape back to 1984 and you’ll find yet another small product that solved a big problem in the world of temporization. At the time, temporary materials on the market worked well enough, but most suffered from a short shelf life, poor handling, or clunky delivery. The launch of Tempit, a moisture-activated temporary filling and sealing material, was a breath of fresh air thanks to its unit-dose syringe tip that allowed for injection directly into the prep. Additionally, it contained calcium sulfate and zinc oxide, set in 5 minutes or less, and expanded slightly to seal out microleakage and bacterial ingress.

Some clinicians, including Dr. Craig Aebli, have enjoyed these simple benefits so much that they’ve been using Tempit for the past 25 years and counting. “I’ve stuck with it because I like it. It seals the tooth well for short-term cases and it’s convenient,” said Dr. Aebli, who added that the material works very well in smaller areas and for endo access openings. “Tempit saves me time with every use, and I know I can depend on it.”