AXIS Dental UltraGloss
Composite Polishing System
UltraGloss composite polishing system features metal-free polishers with flexible surfaces for safe, highly effective restoration contouring and polishing.
Described by the manufacturer as “the best option for contouring and polishing anterior composite restorations on the labial surfaces of the teeth,” AXIS Dental’s new UltraGloss composite polishing system features single-use, metal-free polishers with highly flexible polishing surfaces.
According to the manufacturer, the metal-free design prevents damage to the restoration from scratching, and the polishing surface conforms optimally to the tooth structure, resulting in the creation of natural interproximal and labial contours. The super-thin polishing discs are color-coded to simplify selection.
Ten dentists participated in this Dental Product Shopper evaluation of the UltraGloss system. They rated and commented on such features as ease of polishing, ease of contouring, final esthetics, and usefulness of the metal-free design.
Ease of Polishing
The UltraGloss system includes 15 of each UltraGloss polisher, 2 Qwikstrips for shaping and finishing interproximal regions of the tooth, and 2 mandrels. The coarse disc (green) is used to create accurate interproximal and labial contours, and the DSC-M120 medium 8 mm disc (blue) is used to remove deep scratches and to smooth contours. Next, a satin finish and seamless margins are created using the DSC-F120 fine disc (red) and, finally, a high-gloss shine is achieved by working from the restoration to the tooth using the super-fine disc (clear).
Ease of polishing with the UltraGloss system was rated as excellent by 6 evaluators, as very good by 3, and as good by 1. One evaluator called it “very easy to use” and another “would have liked the first polisher to be a bit more abrasive.” Usefulness of color coding was rated as excellent by 8 evaluators and as very good by 2. Comments ranged from “would be better to have the container labeled ‘coarse,’ ‘medium,’ ‘fine,’ etc.” to “coding makes things easy” and “nice and vibrant…easy colors to remember.”
Ease of Contouring
Ease of contouring was rated as excellent by 4 evaluators, as very good by 4, and as good by 2. One dentist described the discs as “very flexible… mandrel connections are very good.” When asked about the polisher’s flexibility in conforming to tooth structure, 3 evaluators rated it as excellent and 7 rated it as very good. One evaluator noted that “being doublesided was a nice feature” and another dentist said, “Mainly on anteriors, it was easy to shape line angles and even developmental depressions.”
Three evaluators rated the polishers’ durability as excellent, 6 rated it as very good, and 1 rated it as good. One evaluator called them “reasonably dur - able…perhaps more so on the lesser grit (more aggressive) polishers” and another said they “hold up very well with very little separation when the disc is flexed heavily.”
Final Esthetics
Final appearance of restorations after polishing with UltraGloss was rated as excellent by 4 evaluators and as very good by 6. One evaluator reported “very nice gloss and esthetics” and another called it “very good when polishing preps for pros.” When asked about the usefulness of the metal-free design in reducing damage (scratching) to restorations, 6 evaluators rated it as excellent and 4 rated it as very good. The dentist who described this feature as “excellent” said, “If I were to switch to a multiple-disc system I’d use one with this feature.”
Overall Satisfaction
All 10 evaluators said they would definitely or probably recommend UltraGloss to colleagues and 7 would definitely or probably purchase it. Overall satisfaction was rated as excellent by 2 evaluators, as very good by 6, and as good by 2. One evaluator said, “Follow the steps and you’ll get great results.”
