Filtek Bulk Fill flowable composite produces strong, wear-resistant restorations and offers both capsule and syringe dispensing.
When asked what they liked best about 3M ESPE’s Filtek Bulk Fill flowable composite, 9 of 13 evaluators named ease of use. An evaluator with 17 years of experience said that “having an easy-touse product increases its chances of being used over similar products.”
3M ESPE’s Filtek Bulk Fill flowable composite is recommended for bulk fill liner/base applications as the low-viscosity, visible-light-activated material features excellent flow and adaptation, along with a 4-mm cure depth that reduces the need to incrementally layer restorative material.
Thirteen dentists participated in this Dental Product Shopper review of Filtek Bulk Fill, rating such features as ease of use, esthetics, and handling.
Ease of Use
Manufacturer Description: Filtek Bulk Fill flowable composite enables clinicians to quickly and easily produce strong, wear-resistant, highly esthetic restorations. With no need to incrementally layer restorative material, Filtek Bulk Fill saves time and steps. Delivery can be accomplished via capsule or syringe.
Evaluator Feedback: An evaluator from Potterville, MI, with 40 years of experience who noted that Filtek Bulk Fill is much better than similar flowable composites, called the product “very easy to use.” This same evaluator said he would definitely purchase it in the future and recommend it to his colleagues.
One evaluator, who rated ease of use as excellent, would have liked the syringe to be “larger to hold more product” and another said, “[it] was slighty sticky when withdrawing from the prep.” A third evaluator said that “the fine tip allowed easy access and the product was easy to dispense,” and “my assistants really liked the delivery system with the gun and carpules.”
Esthetics
Evaluator Feedback: A dentist who rated all features of Filtek Bulk Fill as excellent described esthetics as “good.” A Utah dentist said it “finished nicely and was easy to polish.”
Eight out 11 dentists rated final esthetics achieved with Filtek Bulk Fill as excellent or very good while polishability was also rated by 11 evaluators with 82% rating it as excellent or very good.
One of the dentists who tested shades A1 and A2 noted that “the shade match with the capping layer was much more esthetic than [with] comparable products,” and another said, “overall, an excellent product!”
Handling
Manufacturer Description: Filtek Bulk Fill is a low-stress, low-viscosity material formulated for excellent flow and adaptation.
Evaluator Feedback: “The viscosity is just right; not too runny, not too firm,” said a Maryland dentist who cited ease of use and contact retention as his favorite features. He went on to say, “It saves time by quickly filling up the cavity prep without using additional instruments to aid in placement,” Overall handling was rated as excellent or very good by 8 evaluators.
Overall Satisfaction
Nine dentists called Filtek Bulk Fill much or somewhat better than similar products, with comments such as “good product, really saves time” and “good, strong flowable. I like that it can be used as a bulk fill.”
“I’m not married to any one company or product, but it seems 3M ESPE comes up with good, strong products, and this one is no different,” said a dentist in practice for 17 years.
