Having Fun Practicing With an Advanced Adhesive System
The reliability of Kulzer’s iBOND® Universal makes dentistry more enjoyable
Lee Ann Brady, DMD, does not have much free time in her schedule. She sees patients at her practice in Glendale, Arizona, approximately 12 days per month, and she travels to Key Biscayne, Florida, 16 to 20 times each year to perform her duties as executive director and director of education for The Pankey Institute. In between, Brady also lectures around the country at various dental conferences. "My life is busy and crazy," she says with a smile. "The question to ask me is, ‘What do I do for fun?' And the answer is, ‘Dentistry.'"
During the course of Brady's career, she has had an extensive impact on the profession of dentistry. She assisted in the formation of Spear Education, serving as executive vice president of clinical education there for 3 years, and she has been published in numerous journals. She is also the founder and lead curator of Restorative Nation, a supportive learning community for dentists. "The reality for me is that it is about having fun," Brady says. "It is about enjoying what you do and feeling fulfilled and empowered. I love practicing dentistry and being with my patients, and I also love spending time with other dentists to potentially help them have that same experience in dentistry."
Of course, part of the fun is achieving optimal patient outcomes, which is why Brady uses iBOND® Universal from Kulzer. "I have been an iBOND Universal user through approximately five iterations of the product over the course of at least 20 years," she says. "I have been using it ever since it first came on the market. I do not have any postoperative problems with sensitivity or with any restorations debonding or falling off. It is just a really trustworthy and predictable product." A universal, light-cure adhesive that can be used with any bonding technique and for all indications, iBOND Universal is compatible with all dental materials. Due to its unique moisture control system and optimal formula, it provides excellent dentin penetration and instant, reliable bond strength. "I use it in basically every clinical situation," Brady says. "One of the gifts of this product is that you can use it in different ways depending on the clinical situation, but from an inventory control perspective, that means that you only need to have one dentin adhesive in your office. It can be used in a total-etch or self-etch capacity or in what we call hybrid or selective-etch techniques. The key is that I can buy one product and choose in the moment, based on the clinical situation, how I want to utilize it." She adds that it is easy to use with any of those techniques. "The instructions for each use are the same as they were for the stand-alone total-etch and self-etch products that we used in the past," she says. "Using iBOND Universal is a very efficient way to achieve optimal clinical results in many different modalities."
The unique moisture controlling ability of iBOND Universal results from acetone acting like a water chaser and supporting fast evaporation. Dentists benefit from this advanced adhesive system because it provides a homogenous bonding layer, is easier to air-dry, and is not technique sensitive. "Anything that is less technique sensitive will lead to better clinical outcomes simply because there are fewer opportunities for error," Brady says.
As important as iBOND Universal's reliable bond strength is, its lack of postoperative sensitivity is perhaps Brady's favorite benefit. "That is so critical," she says. "Problems with patients having postoperative sensitivity can make a day in the life of dentistry really unpleasant. The almost instantaneous nature of sensitivity problems makes them different from long-term clinical problems, which can be harder to measure. If a patient has a stain at the margin of a composite restoration after 10 years, there is a whole thought process involved in determining what may have caused it, and many dentists will not even take the time to consider whether they should have used a different dentin adhesive 10 years prior. However, if I place a posterior composite restoration, and the patient calls back in a week to report intense pain, and then 2 weeks later the pain is at a level of intensity that I need to cut the restoration out and replace it, I can tie that right back to the specific clinical experience and the materials that I used."
Kulzer's exclusive drop control bottle design offers another important benefit: delivering just the necessary amount of bonding agent. The number of single drops per bottle can be as many as 220. "Again, cost-effectiveness is so important," Brady says. "Wasting material is something that no dentist ever wants to do, so knowing that you can predictably get one drop—which is all you need—out of the bottle and that you will not accidentally get enough dentin adhesive for 5,000 patients is critical. No special dispensing technique is required either. The bottles of some other adhesives are designed so that you can get only one drop, but you have to hold them at a specific angle and dispense the material in a certain way. This bottle is super simple and dispenses correctly every time."
Kulzer's proven reputation in the industry is yet another advantage. The company offers a number of instructional videos as well as live support, and Brady touts their proven track record of quality. "They are a phenomenal company," she says. "I have used their products from many different categories for 20-plus years, and I trust them. I have never heard of a recall or a manufacturing glitch with Kulzer, and they are always great at getting on the phone and explaining when necessary. They are one of my preferred manufacturers in the dental industry."
Because practicing great dentistry is what Brady loves, when she is able to provide the level of quality and predictability to her patients that iBOND Universal provides, she does not mind having such a busy schedule. "That makes it all worthwhile," she says.
Key Points
• Due to iBOND Universal's unique moisture control system and optimal formula, it provides excellent dentin penetration and instant, reliable bond strength.
• iBOND Universal enables the bonding of composites/compomers, precious metals, non-precious metals, zirconia, or silicate ceramics.
• Compatible with light-cure, dual-cure, and self-cure materials without the need for a dual-cure activator.
• Kulzer's exclusive drop control bottle design delivers just the necessary amount of bonding agent without needing to be held a certain way.
For more information, contact:
Kulzer
kulzerus.com • 800-431-1785
