Product Evaluation

HEXA DENTAL

HEXA Temp Crown & Bridge Material  

An easy-to-use, multifunctional bis-acrylic composite that creates strong, esthetic temporary restorations

Fabricating temporary crowns and bridges may not be a dentist’s favorite task, but it’s a necessary evil that requires time, technique, patience, and an easy-to-use temporary material that produces functional and esthetically pleasing restorations. Frustrated by temporary materials that set slowly and are difficult to handle, Dr. Frank Friedman was on the lookout for a new material that would make these procedures less stressful. Similarly, Dr. Frederick Bonds was tired of soft-setting provisional materials that tear upon removal or break when trimming, causing annoying delays for patient and clinician.

With these challenges in mind, Hexa Dental introduced HEXA Temp Crown & Bridge Material, a self-curing bis-acrylic composite that simplifies the temporary fabrication process for dentists while producing a functional and esthetic provisional restoration for the patient.

According to Dr. Friedman, who was one of many dentists who evaluated HEXA Temp Crown & Bridge Material for DPS, the “quality material” is easy to trim and has a “fast preliminary setting time that allows for quick removal with low shrinkage.” Reporting that the material saved him several minutes of time during procedures, Dr. Bonds said, “I like the way it sets quickly and can be trimmed immediately. It is much better than other temporary materials I have used.”

Dispensing, Handling, & Setting Time

This multifunctional, self-curing, bis-acrylic composite combines ease of use with outstanding strength and esthetics. Delivered in a 50-mL cartridge with an automix tip, HEXA Temp Crown & Bridge Material is “easy to dispense” and “easy to use and accurate,” according to Dr. Mark Taira and Dr. Jon Lundquist.

With a working time of 40 seconds and a setting time of 4 minutes, HEXA Temp Crown & Bridge Material optimizes efficiency for consistently accurate reproduction of tooth detail. Calling the material “strong with a good set time” and “easy to trim and polish, easy to customize,” Dr. Clyde Ono contends that “the Hexa material stacks up as good as or better than other automix temporary materials.” Dr. Pedram Mastour said the material has a “great working time,” and Dr. Lundquist said the fast set time means “less chair time.”

A California dentist was pleased that the material was not messy to use and did not have a strong smell of acrylic. Dr. Fernando Campos appreciated its flexibility, explaining, “It was great having some elasticity. The flexibility helps to avoid over-retention [that can occur] when the temp material goes over embrasure areas.” As a result, he says, “I have not once seen a [Hexa] temporary get stuck in position.”

“The Hexa material stacks up as good as or better than other automix temporary materials.”
—Clyde Ono, DDS; Wilmette, IL

Durability

While temporary crowns and bridges are not meant to be a long-term solution for the patient, the resulting provisional restorations still need to combine function, durability, and esthetics. Equipped with favorable mechanical properties, HEXA Temp Crown & Bridge Material produces stable provisionals that are fracture resistant, according to Hexa Dental.

Previously experiencing temporary materials that break, Dr. Frank Siracusa called the Hexa material “durable and easy to use,” and Dr. Taira agreed that it is a “durable, good solid provisional material.” Dr. Friedman mentioned there is a “learning curve as to proper timing of when to adjust without breakage.” Hoping to find “an automix temporary material with good strength properties,” Dr. Ono determined that HEXA Temp Crown & Bridge Material is “easy to use with good margin strength and a good shade match.”

Esthetics

HEXA Temp Crown & Bridge Material is available in 6 shades—A1, A2, A3, A3.5, B1, and Bleach—and produces a high luster without polishing that “looks natural,” according to Dr. Campos. When using the material for single as well as 8-unit bridges, Dr. Ono described “very consistent results” and said he was “able to custom-build esthetic temps by adding bonding agent and composite.” He also said finishing and polishing was “very easy to accomplish.” While he suggested additional shades and more opacity to mask darker shades, Dr. Mastour called the Hexa material a “great product with beautiful translucency and excellent polishing properties” and said his patients were “truly impressed.”

Overall Satisfaction

Pleased with the overall ease of use and esthetic qualities found in HEXA Temp Crown & Bridge Material, Dr. Ono said the material is “easy to use with good margin strength and good shade matching.” When asked if he would recommend the material to colleagues, Dr. Ono replied, “Yes. It is a very good product that definitely would have to be considered for your temps.” Rating his overall satisfaction as excellent, Dr. Campos agreed that he would recommend HEXA Temp Crown & Bridge Material to his peers and concluded, “I would not buy any other product.”

Takeaways

• An easy-to-use temporary material that produces strong, esthetic provisionals

• Temporaries are stable and resistant to fracture

• Rapid automix delivery assists in producing accurate reproduction of tooth detail

• Can be precisely trimmed without breaking

• Four-minute setting time and 40-second working time optimize efficiency