At some point—and usually over a period of several years—pediatric patients arrive at their dental appointments with a mix of primary teeth and newly developed permanent teeth. And while shade-matching is always a tedious and time-consuming task, it becomes all the more magnified when restorations are needed and both classes of teeth are in close proximity.
It’s a situation that Marc Nardea, DMD, sees often at his New York City practice, Midtown Pediatric Dentistry. But several years ago, he found a solution with Tokuyama Dental's OMNICHROMA family of restoratives—primarily reaching for OMNICHROMA Flow and OMNICHROMA Flow BULK for fast and easy shade matching. And ever since then, he hasn’t found any reason to change.
Crack the Shade-Matching Code
“I really enjoy using OMNICHROMA because it blends in with the colors of all the other teeth, and I don’t have to spend time shade matching,” he said. OMNICHROMA's versatility is particularly valuable in pediatrics, where Dr. Nardea often treats patients with a mix of primary and adult teeth.
"The adult teeth appear more yellow in contrast to the whiter baby teeth," he said. "OMNICHROMA products eliminate the issue of a shaded composite being too white or too dark.”
Patients from 1 to 18
With a patient population whose ages run the gamut from 1 to 18, Dr. Nardea confronts a similar dilemma each day, whether it’s “wiggly” younger patients or older teens who are more focused on esthetic restorations. Neither group is particularly adept at tolerating lengthy chair times.
He also routinely sees patients in every age group who have experienced mild to severe trauma—either from falls, accidents, or sports injuries. In fact, he often uses OMNICHROMA composites with strip crowns when, for example, a large chunk of a broken primary or permanent tooth needs to be restored.
"In my practice, I see a lot of kids with trauma to their front teeth," Dr. Nardea added, "and OMNICHROMA is very useful in those cases because they're challenging enough as it is, and getting that ideal shade match is really helpful."
“The OMNICHROMA family of restoratives truly does the work. When I use a composite, I just want to know that it’s on par with the best on the market,” he continued. “OMNICHROMA products are also similarly priced with other composites, and you get a very big advantage with that shade match. I would say it’s a no-brainer to have it.”
