SuperCurve Matrix System

The key to harmonious, efficient, and predictable posterior resin restorations.

Television, magazines, the Internet, and social media are influencing patients more than most practitioners would have ever expected. Patients today are expecting to have restorations that resemble natural dentition. Over the last few years, materials have greatly improved in terms of.composite resin chemistry; however, proper placement of these restorations remains very challenging. The concerns of many practitioners revolve around preventing dentinal sensitivity and achieving ideal proximal contacts.

For the recurrent problems of sensitivity, various solutions include the use of self-etch adhesives, desensitizers, liners, and specific protocols related to the individual chemistry of the materials selected. The effort to achieve ideal proximal contacts has been a point of frustration for many practitioners, who struggle with density of contact, position of contact, anatomical contour of the occlusal embrasure, and cleanup of residual resin beyond the cavosurface.

There have also been concerns about the various matrix and ring systems that have come to market. Substantial incremental improvements have been made with each generation, and now Triodent’s (www.triodent.com) SuperCurve (distributed exclusively in the United States by Ultradent Products, Inc., www.ultradent.com) matrix system offers a matrix system that allows ease of placement, ideal anatomical contour creation, proper seal to minimize flash, and is easy to remove.

The SuperCurve matrix system was designed to have proper contour in all directions for Class II restorations. Prior systems created appropriate contour in terms of the contact area; however, one area that needed improvement was the occlusal embrasure form. This issue is addressed by having a significant occlusal curve built into the matrix system so that the practitioner can properly create the occlusal embrasure during resin placement and not have to open it up after the fact. Another area of frustration in Class II restorations is creating proper marginal ridge height. The SuperCurve has a small handling tab that can be folded onto the adjacent marginal ridge, which guides the practitioner to create the proper marginal ridge height.

Placement

The SuperCurve system has two key benefits to aid the practitioner in matrix placement. The first benefit is the hugging nature and wrapping action around the tooth that the matrix provides (Figure 1). This allows a definite seat to the matrix and less buccal-to-lingual displacement.compared to historical sectional matrix systems, thus allowing the contact to be positioned appropriately. This wrapping nature also allows for easier ring placement, as the tines of the ring tend not to get caught on the periphery of the sectional matrix. The second benefit in terms of placement is that there are strategically placed holes that can be used with Triodent’s pin forceps for ideal placement.

The contour of the SuperCurve matrix allows for ideal proximal as well as gingival marginal seal. The extended wrapping nature allows for an intimate adaptation to the tooth when used with a ring system, so excess adhesive does not get beyond the cavosurface. The intimate seal is also evident in the gingival aspect, as the apical contour of the matrix decreases the chance of voids at the gingival axial corners.

As adhesive technology has improved and practitioners have be more.comfortable with matrix systems, it can be very difficult to remove sectional matrices after the restoration has been placed. To combat this issue, the SuperCurve matrix system provides a coating on the axial surface to allow ease of removal while maintaining a proper contact.

Case Example

A patient presented with recurrent caries on tooth No. 2 on the mesial, occlusal, and lingual surfaces. After removing the caries, a 6.5-mm SuperCurve matrix was placed to its full apical extent, and the occlusal placement tab was bent so that it approximated the distal marginal ridge of tooth No. 3. A Wave Wedge (Triodent) was placed to create proper gingival seal and a V3 ring (Triodent) was placed over the wedge to allow for slight separation of the teeth and adaptation to the tooth surface (Figure 2). A properly contoured occlusal embrasure and lack of resin/adhesive flash could be visualized immediately after removal of the matrix and ring system (Figure 3).

Conclusion

The placement of tooth-colored restorations can be very rewarding, as it allows the practitioner to remove disease while restoring the dentition to a natural appearance. The SuperCurve system allows this process to be predictable, so properly contoured restorations can be placed in an efficient manner.

This article was written by Parag R. Kachalia, DDS, associate professor and vice chair, Department of Integrated Reconstructive Dental Sciences, University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, San Francisco, California.

For more information, contact:

Ultradent Products, Inc.
Phone: 888-230-1420
Web: www.ultradent.com

Disclaimer

The preceding material was provided by the manufacturer. The statements and opinions contained therein are solely those of the manufacturer and not of the editors, publisher, or the Editorial Board of Inside Dentistry.