Quantium universal composite elevates the user experience without compromising patients
When the team at BISCO set out to create a new universal composite 8 years ago, the goal was to offer clinicians a beautiful, strong material that provided a great user experience. The material also had to exhibit excellent handling capabilities, and that’s exactly what they’ve achieved with Quantium.
Composites are high-volume materials, said Timothy Sedlacek, R&D Project Manager/Supervisor at BISCO, and dentists are sensitive to how they feel in their hands. Quantium addresses this, serving as a packable material that doesn’t slump at room temperature, and a flowable when warmed.
“The unit-dose compule of Quantium can be warmed for a more fl owable viscosity, and it maintains its physical properties when warmed,” Sedlacek said. “Not many composites that can be warmed in this way have that feature as part of the design.”
'Pops' on X-Rays
Shruti Dere, an Associate Product Manager at BISCO, shared that the team behind Quantium put a lot of emphasis on ensuring the material was not only easy to handle, but also had high flexural strength, low volumetric shrinkage, high radiopacity, and optimal esthetics. She added that Quantium's flexural strength is comparable to other composites, and it surpasses them in radiopacity.
“It really pops on an x-ray,” Sedlacek agreed. “That’s important for clinicians to assess the health and see what’s going on at the margin, and if a patient is at a new dentist, it’s easy to see past work.”
Esthetics You Can Rely On
Quantium has various filler sizes, Sedlacek noted, making it possible to achieve both low shrinkage and great polishability. The material also comes in various VITA shades for optimal esthetics. Both enamel and body translucencies are available, so Quantium can be layered to create more opaqueness toward the bottom, and then greater translucency as clinicians build up toward the surface.
“There are many reduced-shade and single-shade composites, which simplify the shade system, but they don’t work in every case,” Dere said. “A full shade range offers clinicians the choice to ensure a good shade match.”
Clinicians Love It
So far, the early feedback from those using Quantium universal composite in clinical practice has been positive.
“Clinicians have been pleased with the handling and look of the composite,” Sedlacek explained. “It’s strong, has great esthetics and low shrinkage, but the most important thing is how it feels the moment it’s taken out and applied. It’s meant to be a material clinicians will enjoy using.”
