Diamonds sit atop the Mohs Hardness Scale with a hardness of 10 and are 58 times harder than the next hardest mineral on Earth. Impressive numbers, to say the least.
But as Dr. Eric Van Zytveld can attest, “many coarse diamond burs quickly lose their cutting efficiency during tooth preparation.” And for dentists like Dr. Benjamin Schwartz, the search for an efficient diamond bur to make crown preparations faster and smoother with less finishing required was a long one—until now.
Described by Microcopy as “the overachievers in rapid and bulk reduction,” NeoDiamond X-Class is the company’s new line of 10 extra-coarse versions of its popular NeoDiamonds. Featuring extraordinary sharpness and cutting efficiency in a single-use bur, NeoDiamond X-Class offers everything needed to become the new go-to bur for crown and bridge preparation and crown removal.
“These are the coarsest and most efficient cutting diamond burs I have tried, removing tooth structure and cutting through crowns quickly and efficiently,” determined Dr. Van Zytveld after evaluating NeoDiamond X-Class. Describing it as “one of the best diamond burs I’ve used to date,” Dr. Schwartz declared, “They cut through tooth structure like a hot knife through butter!”
Cutting Efficiency
Utilizing 213-. diamonds bonded to a cut-to-grit shank, NeoDiamond X-Class is ideal for robust restorative procedures such as crown and bridge removal and gross tooth material removal. The diamonds made Dr. Schwartz’s crown prep visits quicker, and he didn’t need to change the bur mid-procedure.
“It cuts effectively, efficiently, and smoothly, staying sharp through the entire procedure and leaving the tooth with a relatively smooth surface that requires less finishing,” he explained. Also lauding how effortless it was to cut through tooth structure, Dr. Wayne Berman said the burs’ efficiency allowed him to complete preps more quickly.
“These burs cut better than my current brand, and the quality was better than the other single-use brand I’ve tried,” said Dr. Lisa Curry, who also said she was able to complete her crown preps faster. “Less chair time equals happier patients,” Dr. Curry declared. “These burs worked very well for any single-unit crown case,” said Dr. Allan Mohr, who was happy to find “quality, well-cutting disposable diamonds at a good price point” and appreciated not having to use bur kits. After using the diamonds for several crowns, Dr. Jeff Sperry decided, “They seemed to hold their cutting ability.” Dr. Carl Sakamaki said the burs provided “very efficient cutting and smooth preps,” and Dr. Brenda Berkal reported “smooth, comfortable tooth reduction.”
Single-Use Benefits
Explaining that it’s “hard to clean the nooks and crannies of a diamond,” Dr. Berkal appreciates that “single-use diamonds are much more sanitary with increased safety” and said NeoDiamond X-Class provides “both quality and convenience.” Noting that the burs are good for crown preps, Dr. Laura Lam explained, “They are easy to use because they are single-use and keep their sharpness during the prep.”
For Dr. Sakamaki, “Every bur was new and sharp, which greatly reduced prep time, made the process more efficient, and helped with organization and setup.” Similarly, Dr. Arman Roksar said, “The diamond seemed to prep very well when it was new and made the prep faster.”
Aiming to use as many disposable items as possible, Dr. Scott Shaffer found that “each bur was sharp, precise, and durable throughout the entire procedure.” Dr. Schwartz “loved the individual sterile packaging.”
Variety of Diamonds
Although there are 10 diamonds in the X-Class line in a variety of shapes and grits, each evaluator received 3 of the most common types—flat-end taper, round-end taper, and occlusal reduction diamond. Each bur arrives in individual sterile packaging and is marked with 2 black bands to distinguish it from coarse-grit burs.
Noting that the black bands help differentiate the X-Class burs from other diamonds, Dr. Van Zytveld said the flat-end taper diamond quickly sectioned a failing 3-unit PFM bridge, and he “will definitely purchase the pear-shaped diamond for removing composite restorations.” Although he would prefer more variety within the X-Class line, Dr. Sakamaki said the burs “made the prepping very easy.”
