The Message in a Bottle Mailbag is a monthly feature of the e-newsletter, Pearls for Your Practice: The Product Navigator. Each month, Editorial Director Joshua Austin, DDS, FAGD, answers reader-submitted questions to help you navigate your dental product decisions (and more!). This month, he responds to a question about intaglio crown prep for cementing zirconia and e.max, shares what dental repair company he uses, and comments on the performance of the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys during the NFC.
Question:
Alan from Illinois wrote: I see that SpeedCem Plus is recommended for zirconia. What is your intaglio crown preparation for cementation with zirconia as opposed to e.max?
Answer:
Good question, Alan. I think there is a ton of confusion regarding this subject throughout the industry. Zirconia and lithium disilicate (e.max) can be handled similarly provided the right products are used, but the same products don't always work for both materials. The primary rule of thumb is that phosphoric acid should not be used on zirconia. Using phosphoric acid etch on zirconia will basically make it so that nothing will stick to it. Phosphoric acid etch can be used to clean lithium disilicate though. Due to this, I don’t use phosphoric acid etch at all for this application. If I need to clean the intaglio of a crown, the salivary phosphate groups are what get cleaned.
Ivoclean (Ivoclar Vivadent Inc.) works great for both zirconia and lithium disilicate. Hydrofluoric acid etch will work for lithium disilicate (30-second application), but it won’t do anything for zirconia. Instead of having another either-or decision, I prefer to keep it simple. I use Ivoclean for both because it works very well on both. I have the same thought process about silane and primer too. I want to use one product for both, and Monobond Plus allows me to do that. It serves as a silane for lithium disilicate and feldspathic porcelains, and it also serves as a zirconia primer. For me, these are simple wins.
So to get to your question, after try-in on any ceramic restorations I bond, I use Ivoclean for 30 seconds and rinse, followed by a one-minute application of Monobond Plus. That prepares both zirconia and lithium disilicate crowns for any resin cement.
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Question:
Martin from Tampa wrote: You have mentioned a few times that your equipment repair guy has commented on some of the products you have written about. Who do you use for your repairs?
Answer:
Good question, Martin. I have used them all over the years—Schein, Patterson, Benco. I always felt like the big supply houses charged a lot just for a visit. A few years ago, I started using a company called Dental Fix Rx for most of my repairs and installations that are above my head. It's a franchise, so you’d have to check and see if it's in your area. I have had good luck with Dental Fix Rx, and they don't seem to overcharge.
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Jim from Milwaukee wrote: You cursed the Pack. You picked them to win the NFC, and now they are floundering. Not cool!
Answer:
You’re telling me, Jim. I can’t believe how bad the Packers have been. Something seems wrong with Aaron Rodgers. On the other hand, I am completely floored by how good the Cowboys have been. Zeke Elliott is great. His rookie year has been at an Emmitt Smith level. Throw in how well Dak Prescott has played, and it's been a recipe for massive excitement here in Texas. Texas always has been and always will be a Cowboys state. When the Cowboys are good, they run the show. At the time I am writing this, Dallas is 8-1 and coming off of a big comeback win against the Steelers. It's hard to know what the next few weeks hold, but it seems like a great chemistry is happening. Exciting times in Texas, depressing times in Wisconsin.
Editor's note: Do you have a question for Dr. Austin? Is there a product you'd like to see him review? Or would you like to submit your own Pearl? Send an email to [email protected]. You might just see it in the e-newsletter, Pearls for Your Practice: The Product Navigator! If you're not a Product Navigator subscriber, click here to sign up.
More reading
November 2016 | Composite systems with Vita 3D-Master shades, anesthetic buffering, baseball wounds
October 2016 | Gutta percha removal and the single-cone technique, loupes, Super Bowl predictions
September 2016 | Universal bonding agents, shade guides
Joshua Austin, DDS, FAGD, is an editorial director for Pearls for Your Practice: The Product Navigator, an e-newsletter from DentistryIQ and Dental Economics. He also writes the Pearls for Your Practice column in Dental Economics. After graduating from the University of Texas Health Science Center Dental School, Dr. Austin associated for several years. In October 2009, he opened a solo general practice in a suburban area of San Antonio, Texas. Dr. Austin is involved in all levels of organized dentistry and can be reached at [email protected].
