In the age of selfies, high-definition cameras, and social media, the demand for high-quality esthetic dentistry has never been greater. For dentists, one thing that can make or break their work is the quality of the composite they choose to use on their patients. With so many options out there, here are five attributes that all dentists should demand from their composite to guarantee esthetics, performance, and quality and ensure patient satisfaction. Yes, it IS possible to have all of the following in one composite.

It's the most wonderful time of the year where we celebrate cherished traditions, reunite with family and beloved friends, eat our most favorite (often sugary) foods, where we shop 'til we drop, stay up late wrapping presents and baking cookies, and give gifts to those we love. Could there be a better time to look and feel your best? Opalescence is here to help! Here are our top ten reasons to whiten your smile this holiday season:

Dr. Sean Lee, the owner of Newtown Smile Dentistry in Newtown, Connecticut, believes in doing things right the first time. It’s this philosophy that guides how he treats his patients, performs the many dental procedures in his everyday work, and how he chooses products.

Why should a clinician use the Triodent® V3 Sectional Matrix System for Class II restorations instead of using one of the other systems out there? The reason I recommend the Triodent V3 Sectional Matrix System the very most is because it is so simple and quick. With the unique reverse s-curve cross-sectional shape to the matrix band, it provides the appropriate contour as it approaches the contact area. The band helps facilitate not only the correct anatomical shapes relative to anterior and posterior aspects but also buccal to lingual just above the contact point. In the formation of the marginal ridge, it helps to shape the proximal aspect of that marginal ridge.

When Dr. Patrick Yoshikane of Orange, California, graduated in 1989 from the Loyola University School of Dentistry in Chicago, all he knew was the tofflemire system. “As general dentists, we’re trained to use a tofflemire [band] for amalgams or proximal surface restorations,” Dr. Yoshikane says. However, Dr. Yoshikane found that again and again, in many different situations, the tofflemire system just wasn’t cutting it. The best he could do, he says, was “hope our contacts are good,” and “wedge it harder to spread the contact.” But unfortunately, too many times his contacts “were too flat and always open.”

“I’ve been practicing dentistry for 22–23 years now,” says Dr. Nick Devani of Premier Smiles Dentistry in Cypress, California. “Class II restorations, in general, are the toughest thing that dentists have to deal with. They’re the hardest thing, in my opinion, because getting that contact just perfect is really a pain in the neck sometimes.” He continues, “When I first graduated, there were no sectional matrix systems. It was only tofflemire. That’s all we had. The biggest problem with using a tofflemire—and I used one for about 15 to 16 years, is that getting a nice, broad contact was always really tough. You’d get a pin contact, and a lot of times, that wasn’t enough. Patients would then complain about getting food impacted, about how their floss would go right through, and a lot of times we had to re-do those restorations to try and get a broader contact. So, over time, using tofflemire became very inefficient. According to industry averages, redoing a Class II restoration can cost $345 dollars in time and materials (data on file), not to mention the cost of a lost patient.

The complete line of Opalescence tooth whitening products is backed by over 25 years of scientific research and industry-leading innovation. Over the last two decades, we’ve learned what’s important to dentists and patients. We’re driven to continue leading the way in the tooth whitening industry. With the only products that combine all of the following unique features and benefits, it’s no wonder Opalescence tooth whitening systems is trusted by people all over the world for healthy, dazzling, bright, white smiles.

“The first thing that drew me to the Uveneer template system was the ease of use,” says Dr. Chad Goeckeritz of Falling Creek Dental in Draper, Utah. Dr. Chad Goeckeritz of Falling Creek Dental in Draper, Utah holds the Uveneer template system Dr. Goeckeritz says before he adopted the Uveneer template system in his practice, he would often spend up to an hour and a half to two hours on a chairside composite veneer case. “Before using the Uveneer composite template system, I would spend hours stacking and layering and doing everything by hand with the little mylar strips and teflon tape around the teeth to try and get the perfect shape. They turned out great but it was just so time-consuming,” he recalls.

Utility Think of a diode laser as the Swiss Army Knife of dentistry. There are so many FDA-approved procedures that can be completed with a diode laser—like frenectomies, gingivectomies, implant recoveries, cuspid exposures, and more—that owning one brings an incredible amount of utility to a clinician. Essentially, any soft tissue work that needs to be done can be completed with a diode laser. And they make the work so simple! You only need to grab the laser from the counter, put a new tip on it, and get to work. Utility is the #1 reason dental offices should own at least one diode laser. When most offices purchase a diode laser, they say they intend to use it mostly for troughing, but then they see a patient that has a cold sore and they end up finding more and more reasons to use it. Read about Dr. Tanya Lawhon, who upon purchasing her first diode laser, found that it was in such high demand among her staff and patients that she now owns three!

According to a recent Dental Economics article1, the overall cost of impressions is greatly influenced by the time spent taking the impressions themselves. The article’s author, Dr. Ronald D. Perry, says “a close examination reveals the financial impacts of impression-taking involve far more than material costs, and many dentists who seek to cut corners in this area may be costing themselves more in the end.” Thus, it is the quality of the material and time spent on the procedure that determine how much impressions may be costing the average clinician.