High-Quality Milled Night Guards

PREMIOtemp Clear Flex offers benefits of CAD/CAM with similar characteristics to analog

Keith Parks

Our motto at Precision Dental Designs is that precision isn't just a name; it's a commitment. We are a 14-person, full-service laboratory, and we specialize in complex and cosmetic cases. Many of our dentists do not even send their day-to-day cases to us, so when they do work with us, they expect the best.

We always keep that in mind when selecting our materials, and recently we were in the market for a new material for night guards. We had been fabricating night guards via analog methods, but we wanted to start milling them; in addition to the precision of CAD/CAM, we wanted the ability to fabricate a duplicate quickly and easily if a patient lost theirs.

We had used products such as REF-LINE Denture Teeth and PREMIOtemp PMMA from Primotec in the past, and one day when I was ordering more PMMA, I noticed that Primotec offered a millable material called PREMIOtemp Clear Flex that was a new, thermoplastic milling blank for night guards.

PREMIOtemp Clear Flex offers the same characteristics that our dentists were accustomed to with our analog night guards, including the ability to place the product in warm water and have it reconform to the patient's mouth without causing headaches while still maintaining proper function. Additionally, whereas some other materials tend to yellow out a bit, PREMIOtemp Clear Flex maintains its clarity and transparency.

It is extremely easy to wet mill. The material mills out cleanly. We only need to cut the sprues off and apply very minimal pumice polish, and it is ready to send off. The entire process takes only about 5 minutes after milling.

An additional benefit of PREMIOtemp Clear Flex is the ability to customize the designs digitally. Each of our accounts requests different levels of intraoral retention; some prefer their night guards very tight, while others want them only slightly tight. Designing digitally, we can accommodate them easily.

We have been using PREMIOtemp Clear Flex for approximately 7 months now, and the feedback from dentists has been very positive. They like the quality, and they really appreciate being able to call and have a new night guard remilled at a reduced rate if the patient needs a replacement. The next step will be getting them to send intraoral scans, because our designers have gotten really good at recognizing where occlusal interference might occur and addressing it digitally so that there are minimal adjustments necessary when seating.

I'm glad we chose to try PREMIOtemp Clear Flex, but I am not surprised at how great it has been. The team at Primotec has always been very skilled. They know what they are talking about with their materials, and they always provide good support. I look forward to continuing to work with them.

Key Takeaways

› Transparent PMMA acrylic with thermo-effect when placed in warm water

› Due to surface hardness of the material, occlusal contacts and canine/anterior guidance remain where they had been set

› Easy to mill and post-process

About the Author

Keith Parks
Owner/Manager
Precision Dental Designs
Anchorage, AK

Manufacturer Information:
Primotec
primotecusa.com
203-682-6429

Disclaimer: The statements and opinions contained in the preceding material are not of the editors, publisher, or the Editorial Board of Inside Dental Technology.