In the dental sector, we find a wide variety of composites. Fortunately, 3M has a broad range of products that adapt to the different needs of your patients. In the following blog article, we not only tell you about the options available at 3M, but we also chat with Dr. Ana Andrés from 3M to help us choose the composite we need for each clinical case. Are you ready? Keep reading!
Source: Dr. Rafael Calixto
3M Filtek Composites
3M has 3 major restorative systems that belong to the Filtek composites range, thus featuring nanofiller technology. But, what sets 3M composites apart?
The difference between the Filtek composites range and other composites available on the market is that their filler is entirely composed of nanoparticles, achieving an excellent polish and better wear resistance. It also allows for greater translucency and workability. These restorative systems are specifically aesthetic, not only for anterior teeth but also for posterior teeth, so you can achieve aesthetic results.
Composite Filtek Easy Match
The Filtek Easy Match composite is a universal composite designed to simplify dental restorations, offering an intuitive color selection process that is aesthetically adaptable for both anterior and posterior restorations. With only three shades (Bright, Natural, and Warm), it allows for effective matching with the VITA Classical shade guide. The composite blends seamlessly with the surrounding teeth, minimizing color variations and creating restorations that integrate imperceptibly with the patient's natural dentition.
Additionally, this composite streamlines the application process, reducing chair time while providing a final result that is both aesthetically pleasing and durable. Thanks to its nanotechnology, it exhibits excellent wear resistance, ensuring the longevity of restorations even in teeth subjected to high masticatory loads. This technology also contributes to optimal polishing capability and gloss retention, resulting in a smoother surface with enhanced aesthetic durability.
This composite naturally adapts to the tooth, exhibiting an opacity similar to that of the dentin in areas of greater thickness (more than 2 mm) and translucency comparable to that of the enamel in thinner areas, such as the incisal edge (0.5-1 mm). This provides a natural effect without the need for additional blockers, enhancing aesthetics in visible restorations.
The Filtek Easy Match is ideal for direct anterior and posterior restorations as it allows for aesthetics without the need for blockers. Additionally, it is well-suited for core build-ups due to its versatility, making it appropriate for structural restorations that also require high aesthetic standards.
The characteristics and equivalent colors for the three shades of Filtek Easy Match are as follows:
- Bright: low chroma and high value, corresponding to shades A1, B1, B2, C1, and D2.
- Natural: balanced with medium chroma and value, corresponding to shades A2, A3, C2, D3, and D4.
- Warm: high chroma and low value, corresponding to shades A3.5, A4, B3, B4, C3, and C4.
Composite Filtek One Bulk Fill
The composite Filtek One Bulk Fill is much more aesthetic. Being Bulk fill, you can place it in increments of up to 5 mm. It is specially designed for posterior teeth, large cavities, and endodontically treated teeth. The extrusion of the restorative material from the Filtek One Bulk Fill Restorative, out of its single-dose capsule, creates the necessary conditions for thinning by cutting.
This means that the viscosity of the material temporarily decreases and flows into the cavity preparation, resulting in excellent adaptation, as well as fewer voids.
A traditional reconstruction could take a lot of consultation time. By using this material, you will save steps knowing that you will achieve a perfectly sealed restoration, optimal wear resistance, and excellent polishing retention.
It is the composite of choice for working on very large cavities as it has unique optical properties and improved opacity without compromising aesthetic results. This has been made possible thanks to its nanotechnology, which allows for increased opacity without reducing the depth of polymerization. Additionally, by manipulating the base chemistry that controls these behaviors, we can control the stages in which the material appears opaque and translucent. The final result is a composite with the required curing depth for bulk placement and a final opacity closer to that of natural teeth.
Finally, it exerts less stress, equivalent to that exerted on a tooth after the incremental placement of a universal composite, because it uses two new resin components:
- Addition-fragmentation monomer (AFM): During polymerization, the central group can fragment to relieve stress, allowing the fragments to re-polymerize in a state of lower stress.
- Aromatic urethane dimethacrylate (AUDMA): Being a larger monomer than traditional dimethacrylates, it limits the number of contraction zones. This helps reduce the amount of contraction and, consequently, the stress produced during polymerization.
Composite Filtek Supreme XTE
It is the most complex composite in the Filtek range, as it has more steps and more materials. Filtek Supreme XTE is used in a layered technique, meaning you will have different layers of material to aesthetically simulate the characteristics that each tooth possesses. This composite has several masses, with various translucencies:
- Dentin: this composite is much more opaque than the other composites, allowing you to use it as a base or in very deep cavities.
- Body: its translucency lies between that of dentin and enamel. You will use it in Class III, V, and also beneath enamel in Class IV restorations.
- Enamel: it is very translucent, resembling natural enamel.
By combining these three masses, we can achieve 100% of our aesthetic restorations for our patients, both in anterior and posterior teeth. In case you need something more, you have the effects. The Filtek Supreme XTE has 4 effects, which are naturally opalescent translucent masses in colors Gray, Blue, Amber, and Clear. When will you use this? In a young patient who, for example, has a slightly bluish halo on the incisal edge.
Composite Filtek Restorative Universal
The Filtek Universal Composite has the nanotechnology of both of the previously mentioned composites. It has the monomers of Bulk Fill One, but this does not make it a composite that can be used with a layered technique. Being aesthetic, it has Natural Match Technology, i.e., pigments to improve the integration of natural monochromatic aesthetics in the tooth. Why are these resins placed in this composite? To eliminate bis-GMA and achieve much easier handling and polishing that lasts over time.
Unlike the Supreme XTE, this one only has one mass, a body, an intermediate mass of translucency. You will be able to use it in Class I, II, III, and V restorations. Even in Class IV where you don't have that particular characterization of very young teeth. Consequently, it will allow you to use it for 80% of your patients' cases.
To cover all the needs that arise in your dental clinic, it consists of 8 colors, with which 3M has managed to mimic the 19 colors of the Vita Guide, in addition to adding an Extra White for whitened teeth.
Like the Filtek Supreme XTE Composite, it is available in both syringes and replacement capsules, and you also have the option of Kits with all the content you need for your restorations on our website.
Another novelty of this product is the Pink Opaquer, which is often used to cover something very dark. Using something very white can take many layers and can make the tooth have too much volume. This Pink Opaquer, being pink, manages to mask the dark tooth (saturated dentin) by applying a very thin layer, and then you would proceed to cover it with a Filtek Supreme XTE. The Filtek Universal Composite can be used in both anterior and posterior teeth.
Characteristics:
- Simplified color selection: with just 8 shades, you can cover most of your cases.
- Universal opacity for a more natural integration.
- Extra White (XW) for your patients with dental whitening.
- Fluorescent pigments to achieve a more natural appearance.
- Pink Opaquer (Pink Opacity) to easily mask dark areas such as metal or teeth with stains.
- 3M nanotechnology for easy and long-lasting polishing.
- Exclusive low-stress monomers that provide high resistance to fracture.
- Higher radiopacity to make identification easier during follow-up.
- The Filtek Universal Restorative capsules can be safely heated.
Filtek Flowable Composites
Both flowable composites, like the rest of the Filtek composites, possess nanofiller technology.
The main uses of both models are very similar, among them are: minimally invasive dentistry (MID). Including small cavities without occlusal stress. The possibility of sealing pits and fissures. Treatment of indirect repairs (small enamel defects, for example), temporary acrylic or composite resin, and filling of undercuts.
You can also block retentive areas, build a cavitary base under restorative materials, and liner. The clinical cases that best adapt to this composite are Class III and IV (Filtek Flow) and Class III and V (Filtek Bulk Fill Flow).
Although the two flowable composites of the new generation Filtek share the same applications and maintain their composition, there are characteristics that differentiate one from the other:
3M™ Filtek™ Supreme Flowable
Composite dispensed in an innovative syringe that eliminates bubbles, easy to inject, and covers various indications and different techniques (including injected composite).
Characteristics:
- Has a 2 mm polymerization depth.
- This Filtek produces 12 shades, which have been manufactured to match the Filtek Universal and Filtek Supreme XTE.
- Made up of the resins: bisGMA, TEGDMA, Procrylat.
- The filler in this flowable is composed of 65% by weight and 46% by volume.
- Additionally, it consists of nanospherical particles:
- Silica (particles of 20 and 75 nm).
- Zirconia (4-11 nm).
- Clusters.
- Ytterbium Trifluoride (0.1 to 5.0 microns).
3M™ Filtek™ Bulk Fill Fluid
Block placement flowable restorative with a dispensing system that eliminates bubbles and exhibits excellent behavior.
Characteristics:
- This flowable can be injected in thicknesses of up to 4 mm polymerization depth.
- It is characterized by having low polymerization shrinkage stress.
- Available in 4 shades: A1, A2, A3, and Universal.
- Made up of the resins: bisGMA, TEGDMA, Procrylat.
- The filler is composed of 64.5% by weight, 42.5% by volume.
- Zirconia or Silica (particle size of 0.01 to 3.5 microns)
- Ytterbium Trifluoride (0.1 to 5.0 microns) for radiopacity.
But, what's new about 3M's flowable composites? Their dispensing syringe, more ergonomic and aesthetic, will provide you with very good clinical advantages and improvements to the fluid dispensing system.
These new design improvements highlight some characteristics:
- Increased comfort, as it has a larger area and facilitates adaptation.
- Reduction of the pressure exerted by the hand.
- Elimination of air particles, since the new syringe has air release channels, so when the material is introduced, all the air is expelled through these channels.
- It has a visual indicator, since once all the material has been dispensed, the plunger hits the stop, which means the syringe is empty and the material needs to be replaced.
- “Anti-rotation” design. This improvement incorporates a triangular base in the dispenser, which serves as a support once the work is done to place the dispenser on a flat surface.
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