Increase Efficiency With a Versatile Composite for Any Case
OMNICHROMA® provides universal shade matching to simplify the restorative workflow
Juan Uribe, DDS
For Juan Uribe, DDS, ongoing practice and learning are essential to the mastery of high-level, efficient restorative technique. After graduating from the Universidad El Bosque dental school in Bogotá, Colombia, in 1992, Uribe stayed on to teach at the university for 8 years in the denture department and the operative department. "As a teacher, you become a student for life," he says. "It requires you to lead by example." This foundation led him forward in his education years later when he began the Advanced Education in General Dentistry program in 2006 at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, after having spent a few years working in the United States in a dental laboratory. Now, his leadership and openness to learn fuel his practice.
"The core values at Uribe Family Dentistry are kindness, respect, and honesty," Uribe says, "but as the practice owner, leadership is my priority, and the work I do is better because I respect my team. From dental assistant to hygienist to front desk, we all learn from each other and make each other better."
As a solo practitioner in the small town of Sioux Center, Iowa, Uribe recognizes that he is lucky to have the opportunity to specialize in restorative work. "Usually, in small-town rural areas, we do not have the luxury of having access to specialists, so clinicians have to be generalized and do nearly everything," he says. "Sioux Center, on the other hand, has the privilege of having many specialists, including endodontists, orthodontists, pediatric dentists, and oral surgeons, which allows me to focus on what I like: restorative work."
Handling a higher volume of restorative cases helps Uribe provide more efficient, higher-quality care for his patients. "Practice is how you master something," Uribe says, "so the more you practice, the better you are and the more efficient you become, which ultimately benefits the patient."
The products in Uribe's armamentarium are also a factor contributing to his efficiency, and Tokuyama Dental's OMNICHROMA® is one product that has improved his workflow. "OMNICHROMA is a quality product that is easy and fast to use and provides excellent results for the patient," Uribe says. OMNICHROMA is a single-shade universal composite that can shade-match all 16 VITA classical tooth shades from A1 to D4. Its uniformly sized supra-nano spherical fillers (260 nm spherical SiO2-ZrO2) constitute the Smart Chromatic Technology that allows the wide color-matching ability and eliminates the need for shade-taking procedures. "I had used the same brand of composite since I was in dental school," Uribe says. "I had become very familiar with that composite and thought I would never change products, but when I heard about a universal composite that claimed to be able to match any tooth shade, I was very curious and had to confirm for myself."
OMNICHROMA proved to be even more effective than Uribe had imagined, and he never looked back. "I have used OMNICHROMA ever since it came on the market in 2019, and it still impresses me—especially when I challenge it with complex cases," he says. "From day one, I was so impressed by the Smart Chromatic Technology. I had been aware of other brands that offered multi-shade composites where one color could achieve three or four different shades, but I had not heard of any product that could achieve all 16 shades. OMNICHROMA was the first, and its 260 nm particle technology was unmatched. Now, I use OMNICHROMA and OMNICHROMA® Blocker on more than 90% of my composite cases."
OMNICHROMA stands out among universal composites in its range of indications for use. Uribe has used it for anterior, posterior, simple, and complex cases, along with Class V restorations and core buildups. He has also used it to cover screw access holes in implant restorations and endodontic accesses in crowns, for diastema closures, and to repair temporary restorations. "Wherever I need composite, I can use OMNICHROMA," he says.
Not only has Uribe found the shade matching of OMNICHROMA to be effective and esthetic, but he also uses OMNICHROMA Blocker to mask any darker irregularities on the teeth. "OMNICHROMA Blocker is excellent to mask stained dentin, cover screw access holes in implant restorations, mask metal posts, and more," he says. "It also works well as a supplementary material to aid with shade matching in cases in which insufficient tooth structure remains, such as large Class III and IV cases."
OMNICHROMA has also made Uribe's office workflow more efficient and saves him money on inventory. "Keeping inventory is not a headache anymore," he says. "The painful experience of having to discard unused, expired composite is over. I order what I need and use what I order—no more waste of money and material."
Uribe notes that complex shading systems can require time-consuming restoration procedures and multiple layers of opacities and translucencies in order to achieve esthetic results. As an accurate and esthetic single-shade composite, OMNICHROMA greatly reduces chairtime by eliminating the need for shade taking, remaking composites if the shade was off, and tracking and recording all shades used for one restoration.
In addition to its shade-matching capabilities, OMNICHROMA also provides exceptional handling, polishability, and strength, and continues to shade-match even after bleaching. "This composite's consistency handles very well," Uribe says. "Its moderate stiffness makes it easy to manipulate, contour, and polish to a high shine. Besides the putty, there is also a new OMNICHROMA Flow and OMNICHROMA Flow BULK to complement your desired consistency."
Uribe is an avid photographer of his work in order to continue evaluating and improving his technique. "I like to take many before and after pictures. I take so many, in fact, that my late partner Bill Estes, DDS, used to say that I take more pictures than a tourist," Uribe says. "I use these pictures first and foremost to evaluate and improve my work, but I also like to share them with my patients and colleagues. With OMNICHROMA, my composite restorations have been easier, faster, and more predictable, and my patients love the final results."
Key Points
• Unprecedented shade-matching ability and esthetics minimize chairtime and reduce inventory and expired composites.
• Shade-matches both before and after bleaching.
• Provides excellent physical-mechanical properties and exceptional handling, polishability, and strength.
• Indicated for a wide variety of uses, including universal use for every class, direct anterior and posterior restorations, direct bonded composite veneers, and more.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Tokuyama Dental America
omnichroma.com
877-378-3548
