3M Wins for Preventive & Restorative Solutions
Known as an innovator for more than a century, 3M is a favorite among DPS readers for products that protect patients' oral health and lead to successful treatment outcomes
As the provider of top-quality solutions and education resources for oral care professionals and patients, 3M Oral Care has earned many accolades over the years. For example, the company has been named the most innovative company in the dental industry worldwide, and has amassed numerous Best Product awards from teams of Dental Product Shopper evaluators for its preventive and restorative products.
Now, DPS readers are also weighing in, choosing 3M as a winner in no fewer than 10 categories of the 2022 Readers’ Choice awards. Dentists, hygienists, and team members voting in the survey look to 3M for their go-to solutions covering a wide range of preventive, direct, and indirect restorative procedures.
A Commitment to Patients and Practitioners
3M is dedicated to developing products that help improve patients’ oral health and increase their satisfaction with the experience and results of dental care. At the same time, the company understands dental professionals’ needs and concerns for all aspects of dentistry, from safety to inventory to simplicity. As such, 3M provides education and training for oral care professionals through the 3M Health Care Academy. This resource offers continuous education and is dedicated to helping healthcare professionals focus on deepening their expertise and improving patient care.
In producing solutions for the dental practice, 3M takes a customer-first approach—partnering with dentists to create beautiful, healthy smiles. With a focus on innovation, 3M invests significantly in research and development and capital expenditures across its product portfolios, enabling it to both invent and manufacture unique solutions for customers.
Today, 3M offers a complete range of supplies and materials necessary to perform efficient, esthetic restorative procedures as well as preventive care products and accessories for implants and CAD/CAM dentistry. In the pages ahead, we highlight the products DPS readers have chosen as their favorites for preventive and restorative treatment
3M: A Continuum of Preventive Care
Keeping patients healthy and free of problems such as caries, gingivitis, and periodontal disease is of paramount importance for a dental practice. 3M offers a range of preventive products that provide a continuum of care—from cleaning to treatment to protection to maintenance— as well as education and training for dental professionals, and patient materials and videos for promoting preventive dental care in your office.
DPS readers rely on preventive solutions such as 3M Vanish fluoride varnish and 3M Clinpro Sealant to help their patients ward off dental disease.
3M VANISH FLUORIDE VARNISH
3M Vanish fluoride varnishes—including 3M Vanish 5% and 3M Vanish XT Varnish— have a long history of helping clinicians provide preventive treatment that protects patients’ teeth, treats hypersensitivity, and works synergistically with fluoride.
By continually releasing fluoride, calcium, and phosphate for up to 24 hours, 3M Vanish 5% provides acid-resistant relief of hypersensitivity. In addition, its long-lasting formulation contains tricalcium phosphate, which provides bioavailable calcium and phosphate ions. The varnish can be applied in the presence of plaque.
“The texture and consistency of 3M Vanish is such that it adheres to the tooth longer than most other fluoride varnishes,” said Malee Wong, a hygienist based in Castle Rock, CO. “For fluoride varnishes, there is likely more efficacy with a longer duration of adherence.”
Indicated for protecting exposed root surfaces, 3M Vanish XT Varnish releases fluoride, calcium, and phosphate for up to 6 months of extended protection. It is moisture tolerant and creates a protective barrier against demineralization and acid erosion.
3M CLINPRO SEALANT
DPS readers also stand by 3M Clinpro Sealant, indicated for sealing enamel pits and fissures to facilitate caries prevention. To aid placement, the product is formulated with a smart color-change technology—it goes on pink and cures to a natural white. The sealant’s low viscosity ensures that it flows easily into pits and fissures. In addition, it contains and releases fluoride for extended protection.
“I love that the color-changing formula helps the clinician to know when the material has set,” Wong noted. “Also, the consistency of the sealant material is perfect and moves into the grooves nicely.
3M: Versatile, Esthetic, and Efficient Restorations
3M’s global leadership in restorative dentistry is defined by more than a half-century of innovation. In 2002, the company’s researchers unveiled a new category of dental materials with the creation of the nanocomposite, which would change the landscape of dentistry. The nanocomposite offered a smoother appearance and high strength to achieve never-before-seen results that were both highly cosmetic and durable.
Today, 3M TRUE nanotechnology enables clinicians to deliver beautiful, natural-looking restorations that last. The nanocomposites found in 3M Filtek restoratives are uniquely formed from evenly sized, sub-100 nm particles that mimic natural enamel. The uniform particles wear at a rate similar to the rest of the tooth, creating a more natural, polished appearance that can even improve with regular brushing.
The 3M Filtek family, which has options for esthetics and versatility, simplicity, and efficiency and esthetics, has you covered for every class of direct restoration. Here are a few highlights chosen by DPS readers:
3M FILTEK UNIVERSAL RESTORATIVE
Optimized for both esthetics and efficiency, Readers' Choice winner 3M Filtek Universal Restorative is indicated for Class I to V restorations in the anterior and posterior, and is suitable for direct restorations and core buildups. 3M Filtek Universal Restorative was engineered to make highly esthetic, singleshade restorations easier through NaturalMatch Technology—a unique blend of 3M’s nanotechnology, lowstress monomers, and pigments designed for a natural match to dentition. Using only 8 designer shades plus Extra White (XW), 3M Filtek Universal Restorative covers all 19 VITA classical and bleach shades. It is also radiopaque, taking the guesswork out of future radiographs.
Joshua Haremza, DDS, Palmyra, NY, found that he achieved better anterior composite restorations with 3M Filtek Universal Restorative. Lauding the material’s handling as a creamy consistency that doesn’t slump when being placed, he said the composite is “very esthetically pleasing with a simplified shade selection.”
3M FILTEK SUPREMEFLOWABLE RESTORATIVE
Indicated for Class III and V (up to 2 mm) restorations in both the anterior and posterior, 3M Filtek Supreme Flowable Restorative, another DPS readers' choice, features a newly designed ergonomic syringe with a user-friendly triangle finger plate that makes it easy to hold and inject. An easy-to-bend cannula improves access to the oral cavity, and the overall syringe design virtually eliminates bubbles and material run-on during dispensing.
Available in 12 shades, and with the strength and polish retention imparted by 3M TRUE nanotechnology, 3M Filtek Supreme Flowable Restorative lends itself to restorations in the esthetic zone as well as base/liner applications up to 2-mm thick.
For Dr. Irene Renieris, 3M Filtek Supreme Flowable Restorative solved several problems she would have with other flowable composites, such as finding bubbles or the material being too runny. She noted that the new delivery system enables the clinician to expel just the right amount of product. “I love the lack of bubbles, and the esthetics are top-notch,” she said.
3M FILTEK ONE BULK FILL RESTORATIVE
When you want a bulk fill composite that’s esthetic as well as efficient, 3M Filtek One Bulk Fill Restorative is the answer . With a 1-step placement technique, a cure depth of up to 5 mm, and 5 available shades, this restorative is indicated for restoration classes I through V. Like all the products in the Filtek line, it uses 3M TRUE nanotechnology, granting it extended wear resistance and polish retention.
Clinicians can achieve a deep cure of their bulk placement with confidence thanks to the 3M Elipar DeepCure-S LED Curing Light. Most incrementally placed composites have a level of “cloudiness” prior to light curing that affects depth of cure. However, 3M Filtek One Bulk Fill Restorative is formulated to allow the refractive index of the matrix to more closely match the filler components, resulting in an increased depth of cure.
3M: Proven Strength for Long-Term Success
Whether you’ve bonded a dental composite or cemented a crown, you should have confidence that when your patient leaves the chair, the adhesive will do its job. 3M is a recognized leader of bonding agents and cements that are formulated to provide strong, reliable bonds with excellent esthetics and reduced postop sensitivity for virtually any procedure.
DPS readers can attest to this claim. Dr. Jonathan Koren uses a variety of 3M restorative solutions at his practice in Raritan, NJ, and has found that they stand the test of time. “In my 27 years in practice, I haven’t had a restoration fall out using 3M materials,” he said.
In recent years, 3M has further advanced its materials to the point where, in many cases, only one or two easy-touse components are involved.
“3M Scotchbond Universal Plus exceeded my expectation as a universal bond that I can use with both direct and indirect procedures.”
—John Horn, DMD
3M SCOTCHBOND UNIVERSAL PLUS ADHESIVE
3M Scotchbond Universal Plus Adhesive, which can be used to provide gold-standard adhesion for all restorative materials in direct and indirect bonding indications. The product's ability to seal caries-affected dentin makes it ideal for use in minimally invasive dentistry. Additionally, 3M Scotchbond Universal Plus Adhesive is the first radiopaque universal adhesive, helping prevent misdiagnosis on dental radiographs. A true one-bottle system, there is no need to use a separate primer or silane with 3M Scotchbond Universal Plus Adhesive. Plus, it offers full dual- and self-cure compatibility without a separate dual-cure activator.
Dr. John Horn, who practices in Hegins, PA, has found 3M Scotchbond Universal Plus to provide a better patient experience, resulting in less postop sensitivity than prior adhesives and a reduction in debonding. “It exceeded my expectation as a universal bond that I can use with both direct and indirect procedures," he said.
3M RELYX UNIVERSAL RESIN CEMENT
On its own, 3M RelyX Universal Resin Cement is a self-adhesive cement with outstanding bond strength to dentin in both self-cure and light-cure settings. Its universal name reflects its range of uses, from veneers to endodontic posts and virtually all restorative materials, making it a simple choice for reducing the number of products to keep in stock.
In addition, its ergonomic dispenser design minimizes both plastic and cement waste, featuring a micro mixing tip and self-sealing syringe for hygienic storage between applications. Cleanup nafter tack curing is minimal and easy, and patients are left with highly esthetic results and virtually no postoperative sensitivity.
A Bonded Pair
Sometimes, two things that are each great on their own are even better together. RelyX Universal Resin Cement´s excellent self-adhesive bond can be further enhanced by Scotchbond Universal Plus Adhesive, which then requires no light cure because it is cured by the cement itself. Together, they represent a fully aligned system that simplifies direct and indirect restorative workflows, streamlines inventory, and saves practices money.
3M RELYX LUTING PLUS CEMENT
Consistency is the cornerstone of 3M RelyX Luting Plus Resin Modified Glass Ionomer Cement, from its convenient automix dispenser to its precise delivery to the satisfaction of dentists and patients. Its track record of excellent bond strength and sustained fluoride release make this luting cement an ideal choice for zirconia and metal crowns, and PFM crowns and bridges. And with its tack light-cure option, removal of excess cement takes just seconds.
Craig P. Aebli, DDS, MS, FAGD, Sanford, FL, uses RelyX Ultimate Adhesive Resin Cement when seating e.max and allceramic crowns, as well as porcelain veneers. He also turns to RelyX Luting Plus when cementing zirconia-based crowns. “I have been using these two cements for several years because I have consistent results with them,” he said. “I’ve had very few, if any, failures or recements. I appreciate that these products work well and are easy to clean up."
