Directa CoForm is an innovative aid for forming composite restorations around difficult incisal edges and fractures.
The Directa CoForm system—distributed by JS Dental Mfg, Inc—is a set of preformed, transparent matrices that are designed for composite restorations around incisal edges and fractures. The matrices easily conform to the patient’s dentition to provide a natural restoration. Coform’s ready-cut mesial and distal corners do not adhere to composite, making them easy to remove without drag. CoForm provides each of these (for canines, anteriors, and first premolars) in 4 different sizes, making the matrices adaptable to any clinical application.
CoForm aids pressure to push material into cavities and etched tubules, according to the manufacturer. Using preformed, transparent matrices also reduces a practice’s waste when compared to using disposable matrices. CoForm is packaged in a clinical dispenser with a simple selection system, providing excellent ease of use for the clinician.
Band Properties
Made from celluloid plastic, Directa CoForm easily conforms to natural dentition to deliver a natural and well-adapted restoration. Easy to remove without drag, the Directa CoForm is ready to use and supplied in a ready-cut series of mesial and distal corners for anteriors, canines, and first premolars. Four sizes of each provide a solution for all situations.
When evaluators were asked to rate the band strength of Directa CoForm, 6 called it excellent, 4 called it very good, and 3 called it good. An evaluator with 48 years of experience called the bands “thin and strong.”
Evaluators also commented on the accurate anatomy and shapes. Three rated this feature excellent, 8 rated it very good, 1 rated it good, and 1 rated it fair. One evaluator liked the “convenience, good anatomy, and thinness,” and another appreciated the “assortment of sizes in mesial and distal.” A third evaluator said he would like to see “some sort of color coding on them so we can tell by a glance what size is what,” adding, “They tend to get jumbled up.”
Band Performance
Another important feature rated by the evaluators was CoForm’s ease of placement and removal. Three called it excellent, 9 called it very good, and 1 called it good. One evaluator said, “When it works...it works amazing! [CoForm provided] smooth, polished edges and great contour.” A second evaluator who practices in New Jersey commented that CoForm is “much easier and more flexible than I imagined.”
On the tightness of contact, 3 rated it excellent, 8 rated it very good, and 2 rated it good. Ease of marginal edge earned a 4.2 rating, with 6 calling it excellent, 4 calling it very good, and 3 calling it good. Lastly, minimal flash was called excellent by 6 evaluators, very good by 3 evaluators, and good by 4 evaluators. An evaluator who called his overall experience with the product excellent said CoForm was “easy to choose size and type of form,” adding that it “gives a smooth and excellent contour.”
Practice Benefits
Directa designed the Directa CoForm to make composite restorations easy, while saving time and money for the practice. When asked to rate how well the product reduces treatment time, 7 caleld it excellent, 3 called it very good, 2 called it good, and 1 called it fair.
When asked to judge whether or not Directa CoForm is “profitably priced,” 3 called it excellent, 3 called it very good, 3 called it good, and 4 declined to comment on this feature.
One evaluator said, “I’m not sure that the price point justifies the extra inventory. I have been cutting full crown forms down like this for years, or having my assistant do it, so the extra convenience of having them precut may not be justified.” This same evaluator went on to rate his overall satisfaction with the product as very good.
Overall Satisfaction
When asked to rate their overall satisfaction with CoForm, 5 evaluators called it excellent, 6 called it very good, and 2 called it good. An Ohio-based dentist who said he would definitely recommend CoForm to colleagues stated, “They made it easy to obtain great cosmetic results.”
Another evaluator simply called CoForm a “great product.”
