Giomer Restoratives: Innovative Solutions
Regenerative, esthetic materials for anterior and posterior restorations
Figure 1 | Clinicians today are looking for direct restorative materials that are easy to use and have both excellent clinical benefits and beautiful esthetics. Giomer restoratives meet practitioners’ needs by offering excellent handling and physical properties with the added benefit of sustained fluoride release and recharge, anti-plaque capabilities, and an acid neutralization function.
Unique to the Giomer line of restoratives is a surface pre-reacted glass (PRG) core, which is coated with an ionomer lining in a resin matrix. This proprietary PRG technology protects the glass core from moisture, giving it long-term esthetics and the durability of conventional composites with ion release and recharge, much like a glass ionomer.
The Giomer restoratives come in a variety of formulations, each with a particular handling characteristic. Beautifil II is a universal nano-hybrid composite designed for all classes of restorations. Beautifil Flow Plus has two viscosities—a “zero-flow” and a “low-flow” formulation—and can be used as a base, liner, and final restorative. Beautifil-Bulk Flowable and Beautifil-Bulk Restorative materials offer superb handling and esthetics with a 4-mm depth of cure. This means there is a Giomer restorative for a wide variety of clinical situations.
In my practice, I recently saw a patient with poor hygiene who needed both anterior and posterior restorations. The Shofu Giomer restorative system provided an excellent solution for this patient because its materials offered much-needed restorative properties, along with outstanding fluoride release and recharge, anti-plaque capabilities, and an acid neutralization function to prevent secondary caries.
In the anterior, the combination of Beautifil Flow Plus as a liner and Beautifil II as the final restorative delivered brilliant results with the added Giomer benefits.
For the posterior restorations, I again applied Beautifil Flow Plus as a liner but chose Beautifil-Bulk Restorative, supplied in a single 3- to 4-mm increment, as the final restorative for its outstanding sculptability and strength.
In conclusion, the combination of Giomer’s bioactive properties combined with excellent handling and strength make these innovative materials an effective solution for busy dental practices like mine. Not only are Giomers highly biocompatible, but they also offer chameleon-like shade matching that allows restorations to blend seamlessly into surrounding tooth structure for beautiful results.
Key Takeaways
- Excellent fluoride release and recharge capabilities
- Decreased reduction in tooth mineral solubility
- Superior physical properties and esthetics
- Rapid acid neutralization and anti-plaque effect
For more information, contact:
Shofu Dental Corporation
800-827-4638
www.shofu.com
About the Author
Jack D. Griffin, Jr, DMD, MAGD, AAACD, ABAD, educates dentists across the country about practice management, digital photography, direct bonding techniques, cosmetic veneers, and CAD/CAM dentistry, and has been published in leading dental journals. He maintains a private practice in Eureka, Missouri, that emphasizes advanced restorative care, emergency care, implants, oral surgery, and special patient care.
