Versatile Peak® Universal Adhesive Effective in All Bonding Procedures
Neil Jessop, Director of Research & Development for Ultradent Products, Inc., says the ultimate goal of adhesion in terms of bond strength is the ability to bond to tooth structure at a similar strength to the tooth’s own cohesive strength. “Since the strength of the tooth itself is 70–100 MPa, an adhesive should be able to bond at about 70 MPa to be able to reliably reconstruct missing dentition to a level where normal oral function would be managed similarly on both restored and non-restored dentition alike,” he explains.
Despite high hopes for self-etch adhesives in restorative dentistry, they have proven problematic, Jessop says. “The all-in-one adhesives, in particular, bond at such low values compared to the 4th, 5th, and 6th generations of adhesives that they couldn’t possibly have the ability to reconstruct teeth with integrity.” Yet, he notes “remarkable” improvement over the past 15 years to the point that “some self-etch adhesives do prove to be quite promising on dentin, but are substantially questionable on enamel.”
“Marketing information suggesting that the use of a ‘magic ingredient’ (MDP, 4 META, HEMA, etc.) would allow one to achieve quality results is very misleading to the public,” Jessop insists. “It’s not one specific monomer that promotes such high-level bond strengths, but the balance of chemistry and a synergy of components working together that affords stability, repeatability, and reliable, long-term bonds.”
Jessop explains that, in order to create a top-performing adhesive, this balanced formulation was painstakingly fine-tuned during development by testing literally tens of thousands of bonds over a period of years. What emerged was Ultradent’s Peak® Universal adhesive formulated with “a unique in-house synthesized monomer as well as the right balance of fillers, solvents, and complementary monomers, which has resulted in a product that can consistently and reliably produce bond values that approach the inherent strength of dentin when used properly.”
Noting that chemistry alone is not enough to create consistently high-level bonds, he says that clinicians must pay close attention to bonding techniques. The key to using products correctly and maximizing their potential is understanding proper bonding techniques, he suggests. Ultradent makes a point of providing the knowledge needed and has consistently offered hands-on courses where clinicians can test the materials and techniques to allow them to gain the most thorough and useful understanding possible, he adds.
“We have offered these programs for the past 20 years and have been fortunate to be a part of improving this area of knowledge for many thousands of individuals at universities, local dental societies, and in-house courses,” Jessop says.
He also states that Ultradent’s products are designed to be user-friendly and predictable. “Our adhesives are available in syringes and bottles. We prefer them to be syringe-delivered through a micro-brush tip, which allows the adhesive to be applied without dispensing into mixing wells, which risks evaporation and, in turn, loss of bond strength.”
It is Jessop’s hope that greater numbers of dental professionals will use products such as these to help preserve tooth structure, and says Ultradent will continue to develop much-needed, highly effective products in this arena in keeping with the goals of conservative dentistry. “Over the next several years we will raise the bar and create more awareness of the importance of choosing products and techniques that allow for greater levels of success,” Jessop says. To this end, he notes, Ultradent’s product offering will be the subject of continual improvement.
“Our objective is to reach levels of effectiveness that can allow the highest degree of clinical success whether using self-etch or total-etch techniques. There are still areas to improve the quality of materials so that predictably high bond strength is readily achievable in a broader array of clinical working conditions and not just in the controlled laboratory setting. The key to this will certainly be in the development of new monomers and materials,” he says. “I’m confident that with our core abilities in innovation, we’ll be able to make this progress.”
Ultradent Products, Inc.
505 West 10200 South
South Jordan, UT 84095
888-230-1420
ultradent.com
