Backing Up Education With Premium Materials

BISCO’s All-Bond Universal® meets high standards for strength and durability

Alex Vasserman, DMD

For Alex Vasserman, DMD, education has been at the forefront since the beginning of his career in dentistry. Immediately after graduating from Boston University's Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, Vasserman undertook a rigorous residency at the Wyckoff Heights Medical Center in New York City. He continued down the path of continuing education with Spear Education and the Kois Center and also completed a comprehensive implantology continuum at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine. Today, Vasserman remains active with Spear, continues to take courses at the Kois Center, and is a member of the American Academy of Clear Aligners and the International Congress of Oral Implantologists, among other affiliations. "I am always talking to people who have more experience or are experts in their fields who can give me constant insight into the newest techniques, materials, etc," he says.

Vasserman's New York City private practice is multidisciplinary, handling everything from restorative and cosmetic procedures to full-mouth rehabilitations, endodontic therapy, sleep apnea treatments, temporomandibular joint therapy, aligner therapy, sedation dentistry, and more. He takes pride in offering all dental services, remaining as conservative as possible with his treatment plans, and ensuring that no detail is overlooked. With those goals of being both full-service and minimally invasive, Vasserman has implemented intraoral scanning, digital design, and 3D printing into his workflows. Restorative dentistry remains at the heart of his practice, and Vasserman says that because he believes dentistry is equal parts art, vision, and medicine, he uses the latest cosmetic techniques and works with only the best ceramists and materials to make his patients' teeth look their absolute best.

Adhesion, of course, as one of the more ubiquitous elements of dentistry, is critical in much of what he does. "Adhesive dentistry is still the keystone of the practice," he says. "Whether for cosmetic procedures or full-mouth rehabilitations, the majority of my practice involves adhesive dentistry."

Vasserman was happy with the adhesive products that he had been using for several years, but he decided to make a change based on advice that he received during the course of his continuing education. "Dentists who I consider to be the gurus of adhesion were recommending All-Bond Universal^® from BISCO," he says. "Learning about new ways to provide better patient care is the whole point of continuing education. In addition, BISCO's materials have an excellent track record, and the company's motto is ‘Adhesion is our passion,' so I tried it, and I was impressed."

As a universal adhesive, All-Bond Universal can be used to place both direct and indirect restorations, and it is formulated to be compatible with light-, dual-, and self-cure materials. The product is the culmination of more than 30 years of adhesive research at BISCO, and its versatility is intended to make it an indispensable part of any dental practice. It offers the flexibility to perform total-,self-, and selective-etch procedures. Although other universal adhesives may require more than one bottle to place indirect restorations, with All-Bond Universal, no activator is required. It is not moisture sensitive, so it can be used on wet, moist, or dry tooth structure, and it is compatible with all resin cements.

Upon using it, Vasserman immediately noticed a decrease in his patients' postoperative sensitivity, which he attributes in part to All-Bond Universal having a slightly higher pH than other brands of adhesives. He praises the material's bond strength to dentin and hydrophobic nature after polymerization, which contribute to the increased durability of restorations. The versatility of All-Bond Universal has been a great asset to Vasserman's practice as well. "Because it is a one-bottle, open system," he says, "I use it to bond to enamel, dentin, metal, composite, zirconia and other materials. It makes everything easy. I don't need to think about other products—just All-Bond Universal."

Vasserman explains that All-Bond Universal's low film thickness results in minimal interference when seating restorations. He adds that the product's MDP monomer is key to its ability to effectively bond to so many different types of materials. MDP is an adhesion-promoting monomer that has been shown to provide exceptional stability to a chemical bond over time. In addition, it enables an adhesive to bond to zirconia and other metal substrates, as well as every composite and resin cement on the market, and eliminates the need for etching with phosphoric acid to bond in many clinical situations.

Because of All-Bond Universal's versatility, Vasserman says his assistants do not need to worry about managing a large inventory of different bottles. "They only need to take out one bottle for every procedure," he says. "We keep All-Bond Universal in every room, so time is no longer wasted running around retrieving adhesives from different drawers every time that I need them. It just makes our workflow that much easier." This versatility is further enhanced by the fact that All-Bond Universal does not require refrigeration and can be stored at room temperature.

According to Vasserman, BISCO backs up its products with strong support, including by sending articles and literature that involve studies, and members of the company's research and development team are also extremely accessible. He notes that the price point of All-Bond Universal when compared with other leading brands is another important factor. "When you are evaluating your practice's bottom line, every bit helps," he says.

Ultimately, the performance of the product is the most important factor to Vasserman. Whether it is used in a direct approach with a light-cure composite or in an indirect approach with a self-cure cement, BISCO's data demonstrates that All-Bond Universal can achieve shear bond strengths to enamel, dentin, composite, zirconia, base metals, titanium, aluminum, and other materials that are significantly higher than those achieved by similar products from competing manufacturers.

With all of the time and resources that Vasserman has devoted to continuing education, he needs products that complement his skills in providing the highest-quality patient care. "The knowledge that my bond will be strong and durable—and that my patients will experience less postoperative sensitivity—
really gives me peace of mind," he says.

Key Points

• Flexibility to perform total-, self-, and selective-etch procedures with one bottle.

• Compatible with all resin cements with no additional activator required.

• Hydrophobic chemistry and MDP monomer enhance the durability of restorations.

• Low film thickness permits ease of placement.

MANUFACTURER INFORMATION
BISCO
bisco.com
800-247-3368