Giomer Technology Makes Beautifil Flow Plus® Multifunctional
Lynne Calliott, Vice President of Marketing, Shofu Dental Corporation, believes the general overall trend toward healthier living has impacted oral as well as medical healthcare. This, she says, is apparent in the demand in the dental community for composites that are multi-functional and have multiple benefits. “People are looking for products that do more than traditional composites. It’s no longer enough to fill a cavity, look good, and function well. They want a long-lasting material with additional benefits for the tooth.”
Like healthy eating, brushing with fluoridated toothpaste, and using antimicrobial products to promote oral health and well being, Calliott says, doctors and patients are looking for bioactive materials that have a residual benefit to the tooth.
Meeting this need, she says, are advanced restorative products such as Shofu’s Beautifil Flow Plus®, an injectable nanohybrid final restorative using Shofu’s Giomer technology, which is found in the company’s proprietary Surface Pre-Reacted Glass, or S-PRG, filler particles. These particles, she adds, appear to help prevent decay while being highly esthetic and durable.
“The Giomer technology is unique in that it has been clinically shown to release and recharge fluoride when replenished via fluoridated products and neutralize acid on contact,” Calliott explains. This, she notes, is due to its release of six ions: fluoride, sodium, strontium, aluminum, silicate, and borate.
Restorations offering such fluoride release and recharge are especially appropriate for patients with a high caries index, Calliott says. However, the S-PRG filler particles also offer excellent fluorescence and light diversifying esthetics, she adds. “Giomer technology eliminates shade variations associated with polymerization, provides a high level of radiopacity, and offers an enamel-like surface hardness.”
Beautifil Flow Plus, Calliott explains, is a base, a liner, and a final restorative all in one that is approved for all restoration classes. “It offers the convenience of a flowable delivery system—and is now available in tips—yet its strength and functionality surpass leading hybrid composites,” she says. “It is self-leveling, has a bubble-free consistency, and reduces instrumentation/polishing time. Its superior adaptation ensures a tight marginal seal, decreasing voids, and it has high radiopacity.”
Calliott says the Giomer technology has demonstrated 13 years of clinical success, according to a study presented as a poster at a 2013 International Association of Dental Research meeting and published in the Journal of the American Dental Association in 2014. Findings of overall positive results and low secondary caries attributable to Giomer technology were based on a University of Florida study of restorations assessed at baseline and during recall visits at 1, 2, 4, 8, and 13 years. Calliott noted, too, that the 8-year results from that study, which were reported in JADA in 2007, found no secondary caries, no failures, no postoperative sensitivity, and high retention of esthetics. The 2013 results reported a 3% secondary caries rate (2 of 61 restorations) and a 61% retention rate, with 52% of retained restorations rated excellent, and 41% noted to have minor changes.
Shofu is committed to supporting clinicians’ ability to place composite restorations using innovative materials by helping them learn new techniques for placing and finishing these restorations, Calliott says. “We have numerous hands-on programs throughout the year and have clinicians present their techniques and experiences in various peer-reviewed publications and educational activities, including webinars.”
Looking to the future, Calliott points out that Shofu is developing new products to meet anticipated needs. “We know that people are retaining their teeth longer, and as we age, there is need for different types of materials—for example, those designed for gingival recession or exposed metal, such as with the aftermath of implant dentistry.”
Additionally, Shofu will be adding to the Beautifil® II line gingiva-color shades and modifiers to further enhance the esthetics of restorations. “These introductions will allow clinicians to achieve a higher-value esthetic result in the anterior without having to use numerous syringes or tips,” she says.
Shofu Dental Corporation
1225 Stone Dr
San Marcos, CA 92078
800-827-4638
shofu.com
