Product Evaluation

IonoStar Plus offers a 2-minute set time, immediate packability, and nonstick handling

Any dental restorative material that can make a procedure quick and painless is worth a try. Dr. Sharde Harvey said she found exactly that when she tried IonoStar Plus from VOCO. Calling it easy and quick to apply and polish up, she said convenience and faster procedures are especially important when working with pediatric patients. She found IonoStar Plus to be excellent for kids where moisture control is sometimes tricky.

Dr. Harvey said IonoStar Plus is not only ideal for children and primary dentition, but she also described it as excellent for semi-permanent fillings, for deep cavities as a liner or base, and for root canal temporary fillings, because it seals better and is harder than other restoratives. “It gave me another restorative material to add to my armamentarium and use as a strong temporary material that won’t break down quickly,” she concluded.

For this Dental Product Shopper evaluation, Dr. Harvey and several other dentists tested IonoStar Plus. The evaluators were eager to try the new glass ionomer that VOCO describes as fast-setting, with immediate packability, nonstick handling, and enhanced physical properties.

Once triturated and placed, IonoStar Plus offers 2 stages of consistency, providing optimal wettability for marginal adaptation and immediate packability to allow shaping and sculpting without any pull-back due to its nonstick handling, according to VOCO. The new direct-activation capsule eliminates the need for an activator and enables access to smaller cavities and difficult-to-reach areas.

“I like to smooth my Class V areas with a PFI before curing, which, until now, was impossible with the stickiness of a glass ionomer,” noted Dr. Carrie Niemann. “This product was great for that purpose,” she said. Robert Wilkoff, DDS, previously had difficulty placing Class V resins in subgingival situations and found that IonoStar Plus was easier to place than other glass ionomers.

Although he found the material to be a bit sticky for about the first few seconds, Dr. Gary Chike said it ultimately had very nice handling characteristics and sculptability. Dr. Marisol King praised VOCO’s trifill instrument, calling it excellent in manipulating and packing IonoStar Plus following placement, and the material did not stick to the instrument.

She went on to say, “I really loved the variable mixing time [and] found this glass ionomer to be excellent in viscosity and a great core buildup material.”

IonoStar Plus can expedite procedures with its immediate packability, 2-minute setting time, easy placement, and lack of need for a primer. “The time saved with the speed of placement in cases of large core buildups or temporary restorations was fantastic,” said Dr. King, who added that her patients were impressed with how quickly the procedures were completed. Dr. Niemann noted, “The packable nature made it easier to apply to the Class V areas and to keep dry by saving time through not requiring a primer.” Dr. Marc Herman said IonoStar Plus was critical in a case where a patient was gagging and they had to work quickly. He found there was less drilling and less worry about the filling popping out.

Several evaluators commented on the high compressive strength and abrasion resistance of IonoStar Plus. Dr. John Newland was looking for a material to facilitate nonretentive, wet Class V restorations. He liked the ability to use it in a moist field and said, “So far, the restorations have stayed in place with no sensitivity.” Dr. Robert DeFazio said IonoStar Plus worked very well as a strong core material and a Class V material that would stay in place, and Dr. Wilkoff identified the final setting hardness and apparent marginal seal as the features he liked most. “[IonoStar Plus] needed very little tooth preparation and held nicely,” Dr. Herman said, and Dr. Harvey called it a strong temporary material that won’t break down quickly.

IonoStar Plus has a high continuous fluoride release and, according to VOCO, is the fi rst GI with tooth-like fluorescence. After using the material on a patient with a very high Class V decay rate, Dr. DeFazio said, “I like the shade choices and I really like the fluoride release.” Dr. Herman found the material was easy to contour with burs, polished well, and provided very good color match. “I would definitely purchase this instead of other glass ionomers,” noted Dr. Brandon Sandlin. All of the evaluators said they would recommend IonoStar Plus to their colleagues. “This would be my core buildup material of choice,” Dr. King concluded.