Product Evaluation

ILUMI SCIENCES

Super Fiber Posts

One-step fiber-optic post system delivers photocuring light all the way to the apex, ensuring complete polymerization 

You summon your skills and experience, use the best available tools and protocols, and there’s still more than a little guesswork when it comes to post placement. After all, seeing is believing, so how can you truly tell if you’ve achieved complete curing all the way to the bottom of the canal? Dr. David Sabourin shares this “concern about resin cement being completely cured in the post space,” but fortunately, he found a solution with iLumi’s Super Fiber Post, a lighted post that ensures that the materials deep in the post hole will cure completely.

iLumi’s patented fiber-optic technology distributes omnidirectional photocuring light throughout the entire post all the way to the apex, providing visual evidence of complete and consistent polymerization deep into the root canal. The posts are pre-primed and pre-etched, making this a 1-step post system that saves time and improves bonding strength. Additionally, a uniform composite structure provides superior mechanical strength. Indeed, Dr. Sabourin found that “this post system transmits light down the length of the post very well, providing certainty of the resin cure.” This, he believes, “will make post cementation more predictable and efficient.” He added, “It makes the procedure a breeze.”

Ease of Use

For convenience and efficiency, Super Fiber Posts come in a variety of post and corresponding drill sizes with color-coded stoppers. The evaluators were given posts in 3 sizes (1.10 mm, 1.35 mm, 1.47 mm) with corresponding drills.

“I liked that it was easy to use with pre-matched drills,” noted Dr. Jeff Sperry, and Dr. David Martin said, “The variety of sizes was a big plus and having primed posts made for quicker insertions.” He also said he experienced “less stress in post placement since the steps were reduced due to pre-priming and complete cure.” The posts “have a great design and are very straightforward to use,” shared Dr. Brandon Tiek, who added, “In just a few steps I can have a solid foundation to restore a crown and, because of the simplicity, my assistant could quickly and easily set it up and reduce the number of steps typically needed for using a post.”

Complete Polymerization

The core of each Super Fiber Post incorporates total internal reflection, a phenomenon that occurs when light traveling in a transparent material encounters an interface with another transparent, but less optically dense material. With more than 5 times aluminum radiopacity at 1 mm, it’s easy to see Super Fiber Post placement details on an x-ray.

Dr. Martin appreciated “the ability to get a full-depth light cure in the canal,” and Dr. Hasan Khajah said the light cure option without the need for a dual-curing cement “helped in reducing time and cost.” He was impressed by “the ability to light cure all the way to the apex, giving the post core structure the best retentiveness possible with bonding.” In addition to in vivo use, Dr. Khajah used iLumi in vitro on carefully separated extracted teeth and “could see bonding all the way through the post structure.” Acknowledging that “many clear posts are difficult to see radiographically,” Dr. Lawrence Leibowitz said, “This post made a tricky post buildup easy to visualize.”

“The ability to light cure all the way to the apex gives the post core structure the best retentiveness possible with bonding.”
- Hasan Khajah, DDS, MS, CAGS

New Castle, DE

Post Retention

According to iLumi, the posts provide uniform flexibility with dentin-like mechanical elasticity, virtually eliminating the risk of root fracture. The frosted white, shadow-free design optimizes esthetics. According to Dr. Sperry, the posts “provided an internally retentive force that enabled crown retention,” and “worked great” for incisor and single canal premolar restoration. When used on a tooth for which other fiber posts had fractured or quickly come out, Dr. Martin was pleased that “the Super Fiber Post is holding very well.” Dr. David Thurman said the posts “helped to retain the core on severely broken-down teeth,” and Dr. Tiek said he “liked the shape, which is very anatomical so I’m confident I can avoid undo stress on the tooth root in which it’s placed.”

The posts “provide good bonding adhesion and hold up well to crown preparation,” described Dr. Todd Sarubin, who said all 20 posts he placed were “well-cured, stable, and well-bonded to the restorative material and the post space.” When a patient arrived for root canal therapy with an old post, core, and crown on tooth No. 5, Dr. Sarubin cleaned the tooth, re-prepped the canals, and inserted and cemented 2 posts in place. “It turned out great, and the posts were able to go 3/4 of the way down the root for extra retention.” Two weeks later, the crown was inserted with “no issues.”

Overall Satisfaction

Calling the Super Fiber Posts “as good as or better than any post I’ve used,” Dr. Leibowitz said they are “quicker, easier, and good at addressing the shortcomings of many others.” Dr. Tiek said he “loved the system and will continue to use it,” and Dr. Khajah called it “a product I would use all the time.” Noting that iLumi “thought of all the steps we go through when cementing a post correctly,” Dr. Sabourin concluded that “both the doctor and patient benefit from this well-thought-out system.”

Takeaways

• Patented fiber optic technology delivers photocuring light all the way to the apex, ensuring complete polymerization
• Posts are pre-primed and pre-etched to save time and improve bonding strength
• Uniform composite structure provides superior mechanical strength
• Dentin-like elasticity reduces the risk of root fracture
• High radiopacity offers detailed x-ray views