ZONEfree Temporary Cement
ZONEfree is the first translucent zinc oxide noneugenol temporary cement available for use in cosmetic dentistry
Before ZONEfree, there was no zinc oxide based cosmetic provisional cement available to the dental community. If a dentist was using provisional cement for esthetic cases, the only options were to use clear or translucent resin-based formulas. Using prismatic nanofillers, researchers developed a zinc oxide noneugenol translucent cement that can be used universally but is beneficial in the esthetic zone—ZONEfree. When spread thin, the color blending nanofillers allow the cement to blend with any adjacent surface.
Thirteen evaluators with a combined 269 years of experience participated in Dental Product Shopper’s evaluation of ZONEfree. They rated several features, including ease of placement, viscosity and flowability, esthetic look, ease of clean-up, and overall satisfaction with the product.
Ease of Use
According to the manufacturer, ZONEfree does not re-quire a curing light and sets in 2 minutes. ZONEfree’s automix delivery also provides accurate placement.
When asked to rate the ease of placement of ZONEfree, 10 evaluators rated it as excellent and 3 rated it as very good. An evaluator with 14 years of experience said, “[I] used the product to seat some temporary veneers and it worked very well.” An evaluator with 33 years of experience said, “It comes off the tooth very easily when removing the temporary.”
Viscosity and Flowability
According to the manufacturer, the ultralight viscosity and thin film thickness of ZONEfree assures controlled flow into the provisional restoration, and allows for easy, complete seating.
When the 13 evaluators were asked to rate the viscosity and flowability of ZONEfree, 9 rated it as excellent, 3 rated it as very good, and 1 rated it as good. A dentist who practices in Millis, MA, said, “[ZONEfree] easily flowed through the mixing tip.” When asked if he would recommend ZONEfree to colleagues or contacts within the dental profession, this evaluator said “definitely.”
Esthetic Look
According to the manufacturer, ZONEfree provides translucency with color adjustment potential in the highly esthetic anterior zone. ZONEfree’s prismatic nanofillers also enable a “chameleon effect” that allows the cement to blend with any adjacent color.
When asked to rate the product’s esthetic look (color adjustment potential), 8 evaluators rated ZONEfree as excellent and 5 rated it as very good. A clinician with 14 years of experience said, “[I] liked the translucency of the product; it made the temps look very esthetic.”
When asked what he would like to see improved about ZONEfree, an evaluator from Seattle, WA, said, “It needs to be packaged with more mixing tips.” This evaluator went on to rate ZONEfree’s esthetic look as “excellent.”
Ease of Clean-Up
According to the manufacturer, ZONEfree’s crystalline formulation assures easy removal, without adhering to the preparation. Because ZONEfree is translucent and not transparent, it is easy to see the excess cement both during clean-up and removal.
When the 13 evaluators were asked to rate ease of clean-up, 9 rated it as excellent, 2 rated it as very good, 1 rated it as good, and 1 rated it as fair. A dentist who practices in Franklin, TN, said, “The cleaning up was easy and not messy.” When asked if she would recommend ZONEfree to colleagues or contacts within the dental profession, this evaluator said “definitely.”
92% would definitely or probably purchase ZONEfree in the future!
Overall Satisfaction
When the evaluators were asked if they would recommend ZONEfree to their colleagues, all 13 said they definitely or probably would. Twelve of the evaluators said they definitely or probably would purchase ZONEfree in the future.
Evaluators were asked to rate their overall satisfaction with ZONEfree. Five evaluators rated it as excellent and 8 rated it as very good. An evaluator with 35 years of experience summarized his evaluation of ZONEfree, saying, “Once we ran out of ZONEfree, I knew I liked it because I was disappointed that we no longer could use it.” Another evaluator with 20 years in practice added, “This product is great.”
