3 Restoratives. Less Inventory. More Success.

When it comes to restorative success, simplicity matters, at least according to Shaina DiMariano, DDS. “The more material decisions we have to manage," she explained, "the harder it is to provide restorations that achieve durable, long-lasting results.”

In her Folsom, CA, practice, Dr. DiMariano believes a toolbox of intuitive, simplified materials is critical to treatment success. And she’s found the perfect solution in a trio of restoratives from Solventum, formerly 3M Health Care.

Easy, Breezy, Just 3 Shades

Featuring only 3 shades with no blocker needed, 3M Filtek Easy Match Flowable Restorative offers a naturally adaptive opacity for enamel-like translucency where needed and a dentin-like opacity everywhere else. With an easy-to-bend cannula for precise placement, Dr. DiMariano finds it to be a perfect addition to her workflow, which routinely includes the injection molding technique. 

“I can use this on almost every restoration, and it’s the only flowable that I can use in a Class V lesion of the gumline and have it actually replicate the zone of the tooth that it’s in,” said Dr. DiMariano, who added that being able to warm the composite has made a big difference in her workflow.

Once the flowable is placed, and prior to curing, Dr. DiMariano reaches for 3M Filtek Easy Match Universal Restorative, which uses the same 3-shade system for natural-looking restorations.

“This packable pushes the flowable out, but gives a seamless margin with no voids,” she shared. “The materials flow into the space together and seal it, and they work very well together.” 

Zero Guesswork

Rounding out this trio of go-to’s is 3M Scotchbond Universal Plus Adhesive, the first universal adhesive to offer dentin-like radiopacity. It also bonds and seals caries-affected dentin and provides clinicians with control and predictability during placement.

“The sensitivity problem has been eliminated completely. It’s very straightforward to use, and it doesn’t require multiple steps,” Dr. DiMariano said. "These 3 restoratives simply take out the question marks. If I do have a complication after a procedure, I have enough clinical consistency and success with these products that I can almost always rule out the material as the problem and instead focus on the tooth itself.”