GC America Materials Display Quality, Reliability
David Bogusz, Product Manager for GC America Inc., says his company aims to produce “high-quality products that the clinician can trust and rely upon.” In its efforts to meet or exceed customer needs and expectations, he explains, the company talks directly to its existing and potential customers to gather information it needs to constantly improve current products and develop new ones.
“Through a variety of communication vehicles, we strive to capture what our customers have to say about our products. Good or bad, we want to hear it all,” says Bogusz. To develop new products, he says, “We also seek to determine the needs and wants that are not being met by GC and other companies in that product category. Our goal is to continually improve.”
What makes GC America’s impression material products unique, says Bogusz, is that “we have something for everyone.” The EXAMIX™ and EXAFAST™ brands, he says, provide consistent quality. “They capture great detail by providing exceptional flow.” An advanced addition reaction (platinum catalyzed) vinyl polysiloxane (VPS) impression material, EXAMIX, he says, produces “crisp, smooth, and highly precise impressions for models, crowns and bridges, dentures, and inlays and onlays.” EXAFAST is described as a fast-setting, easy-to-extrude VPS impression material offering similarly crisp, smooth, precise impressions in minimal time, allowing for increased productivity and patient comfort.
The latest addition to GC America’s impression material product line is EXA’lence™, which Bogusz describes as “a new class of impression material” in that it combines the best features of VPS, which are tear strength and flow, and the best features of polyether (PE), which include flow and hydrophilicity. This combination, he maintains, enables EXA’lence, a vinyl polyether silicone (VPES) material, to possess all the key ingredients to capture exceptional detail. “EXA’lence represents a premium solution to the challenges of producing a perfect impression, offering one of the most accurate impressions obtainable in the market today,” he states.
In addition, COE Hydrophilic Gel™ (CHG) is a smooth, fast-mixing, dustless alginate that offers the antimicrobial attributes of chlorhexidine. CHG, according to the company, has been proven to virtually eliminate the presence of microorganisms typically found in alginate materials.
To educate customers about its products, the company recommends that its very thorough Instructions for Use (IFU) documents included with each product be read thoroughly. In addition, with new products the company now provides a laminated technical guide, which is larger and more visual than the IFU. “We also train our customers face-to-face, over the telephone, and through electronic media such as Facebook and You Tube,” says Bogusz.
GC America products are tested via quality control to ensure they are in compliance at various stages of the production process, says Bogusz. “For example, the raw material is tested upfront prior to cartridges or tubes being filled. Filled cartridges are additionally tested. As all dental materials have a shelf life, aging studies are also conducted to ensure the product will perform on day 1 or day 600,” he explains.
The company, says Bogusz, is looking forward to introducing another new dental impression product in early 2012. “We are currently testing a new product used to detect high spots and pressure points. This new product will be based on our VPES technology, which combines the best of VPS and PE.”
GC America Inc.
3737 W. 127th St
Alsip, IL 60803
800-323-7063
www.gcamerica.com
gca_sales@gcamerica.com
