Product Review
According to the manufacturer, Protemp Plus is tough and has
the highest fracture resistance of other leading temporary
materials. The material is indicated for use
with single- and multiple-unit temporaries, crowns,
bridges, inlays and onlays, and veneers. It is also
indicated for long-term temporization.
In this Dental Product Shopper evaluation, 11
dentists used Protemp Plus in their practices for 4
weeks. They rated the material on such things as
strength, esthetics, ease of use, and color stability.
Strength
In vitro tests performed at Tufts University measuring
material toughness among several temporization
materials, Protemp Plus was shown to have
greater resistance to fracture.1 In addition, field tests
conduced by 3M ESPE found that dentists reported
fewer unscheduled office visits as a result of fractured
temporaries when Protemp Plus was used compared
to other materials.
When the evaluators were asked to rate the
strength of Protemp Plus, 6 rated it as excellent, 4
rated it as very good, and 1 rated it as good. One
evaluator said, “I had a thin margin that did break,
but overall it was good.” Another evaluator said,
“No breakage noted.”
Esthetics
3M ESPE describes Protemp Plus as having outstanding
esthetics with a natural gloss that does not
require polishing or glaze and excellent color stability.
The material comes in 5 fluorescent shades that
match Filtek Supreme Plus flowable restorative.
The 11 evaluators were asked to rate the esthetics
of Protemp Plus. Eight evaluators rated the
esthetics as excellent, 2 rated them as very good, and
1 rated them as good. One evaluator said, “Looks
great.” A second evaluator said, “Both the patients
and I were pleased.”
Ease of Use
The manufacturer says that the procedure associated with Protemp Plus is fast and does not
require polishing or glazing on unadjusted
areas. Because of the nanotechnology
incorporated into the material, the temporary
surface is smooth, so that simply
cleaning the temporary with alcohol
achieves the desired gloss. According to
3M ESPE, dentists find Protemp Plus
convenient and easy to use.
The evaluators were asked to rate the
material’s ease of use and speed and simplicity
of the technique. With regard to
ease of use, 9 evaluators rated Protemp
Plus as excellent, 1 rated it as very good,
and 1 rated it as good. When asked
about the Protemp Plus technique, 9
evaluators rated it as excellent and 2
rated it as good. One evaluator said,
“No great amount of polishing was
needed.” This same evaluator said that it
was “very easy and straight-forward.”
Another evaluator described the material
as “easy to use.”
Color Stability and Plaque Removal
The manufacturer says that an
improved surface quality allows Protemp
Plus to hold color better than other materials,
which is a benefit in long-term situations.
When the evaluators were asked
to rate the color stability of Protemp
Plus, 10 rated it as excellent and 1 rated
it as good. One evaluator said, “Temps
were short term, but were stable.”
In addition to maintaining color stability,
the manufacturer says that the
improved surface quality also makes it
easier to remove plaque from the temporaries.
When the evaluators were asked
about plaque removal, 5 rated it as excellent,
4 rated it as very good, and 2 did
not answer. One evaluator said, “Patients
were able to keep the temporaries clean.”
Overall Satisfaction
When the evaluators were asked if
they would recommend Protemp Plus
to their colleagues, 10 said definitely or
probably and 1 wasn’t sure. When
asked if they would purchase the material
in the future, 9 said definitely or
probably and 2 weren’t sure. At the
end of the evaluation, the dentists who
participated were asked to give their
overall satisfaction rating for Protemp
Plus. Six evaluators rated it as excellent,
3 rated it as very good, and 2
rated it as good.
Reference
1. Babcic V, Perry R, Kugel G. Selected mechanical
properties of temporary crown and bridge.
J Dent Res. 2008;87(Spec Iss A):0371.
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