For the second straight year, 3M ESPE has claimed REALITY Publishing Company's 'Most Innovative New Product of the Year' award.
This time the company has done it for its Lava Crowns and Bridges, CAD/CAM produced, high strength zirconia restorations with excellent esthetics and outstanding marginal fit. The 2004 winner of the same REALITY award was 3M ESPE's RelyX Unicem Self-Adhesive Universal Resin Cement.
"When people think of 3M, they think of innovation," says Jim Buchanan, marketing and sales manager, laboratory products, 3M ESPE. "Our product foundation is, indeed, grounded in innovation as is evident in Lava crowns and bridges, a technology that provides dentists and laboratories with an exceptional esthetic option for metal-free restorations, from a company with many years of experience with zirconia."
"Combined with last year's 'Most Innovative New Product of the Year' -- RelyX Unicem cement -- you have a dynamic combination of materials that together are revolutionizing the indirect restoration procedure," he continues.
Lava crowns and bridges are restorations that are fracture-resistant and considered inert with respect to biocompatibility, providing one of the most durable all-ceramic restorations available today. The high strength and natural esthetics of the framework mean that, as compared to many other all-ceramic systems, less tooth structure is removed during clinical preparation and cementation can be accomplished using proven, conventional techniques, such as those utilized with PFM materials.
3M ESPE utilizes a patented coloring liquid, allowing the choice of eight dentin shades for crown copings and bridge frameworks. The colorable zirconia frameworks are thin and translucent, helping to ensure a natural tooth appearance.
The end result is a restoration ideal for crowns, splinted crowns, and three- and four-unit bridge applications that offer strength and stability, in addition to outstanding marginal fit and esthetics.
Lava crowns and bridges are available to all dentists and their labs through Authorized Lava™ Milling Centers throughout the United States. For a list of Authorized Lava Milling Centers, visit www.3MESPE.com/lava.
