LuxaCrown Evaluation
A strong, durable, and esthetic semi-permanent crown-and-bridge material that bridges the gap between simple temporary provisionals and permanent dental restorations
Have you ever driven on a spare tire beyond the recommended number of miles, just to postpone the expense and inconvenience of getting a new tire? Provisional restorations are a bit like that spare tire. They are meant to be temporary, but patients tend to push that definition to the limit to avoid the cost, time, and inconvenience of an extra appointment. Factor in a pandemic—with its financial hardships and safety concerns, both of which make patients reluctant to visit the dentist—and the need for a quick, economical, and lasting temporary restorative solution has never been more pressing.
DMG America is meeting that need with LuxaCrown, a semi-permanent crown and bridge material that bridges the gap between simple temporary provisionals and permanent dental restorations. With this self-curing composite, dentists can create a chairside provisional restoration that is esthetic, strong, and durable and will last up to 5 years, according to DMG. Restorations made with LuxaCrown allow patients to enjoy the immediate benefit of function and appearance, while dental health is preserved and protected until definitive treatment can be performed.
“It is a great way to make a [semi-permanent] crown in just a few minutes,” described Scott Chanin, DMD, one of several dentists who recently reviewed LuxaCrown for DPS. “It is predictable, strong, easy to use, and lasts a long time—all of the attributes you want in a provisional material. I give it a 10 out of 10.”
Handling & Setting/Curing Times
Easy to dispense with an automatic mixing tip, LuxaCrown comes in 50-mL cartridges and has “handling characteristics that make it quick and easy to use,” according to Debra Haselton, DDS. Dr. Kenneth Mydlowski said it produces “good margins and has good density,” and Dr. Steven Edelson said he would recommend the material due to its “quick setting, ease of adjustment, and improved strength.”
LuxaCrown has a working time of 0:00–0:40 minutes and a setting time of 5 minutes. Dr. Mihaela Popa praised the short setting time and said the material was easy to adjust and “easy to add to with flowable composite.” Prosthodontist Manny Chopra said the material “cured in a reasonable time,” and Dr. Thomas Walker shared, “It has an extremely quick set time with ease of cleanup and improved accuracy,” offering a very efficient solution for semi-permanent crowns and bridges.
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| Oleg Amayev, DDS Philadelphia, PA |
Lance Teramoto, DDS Honolulu, HI |
Thomas G. Walker, DMD Trussville, AL |
Strength/Durability
LuxaCrown is a “very strong, very stable, bubblefree, long-lasting material with no fractures,” noted Oleg Amayev, DDS, and Dr. Chanin said he had “much less breakage” with LuxaCrown, which avoids the need to remake a temporary crown. “It’s strong so it will last a long time if necessary. Wear is especially good in bruxers,” Dr. Chanin added. Calling it a reliable material that polymerized efficiently and had great strength, Dr. Chopra acknowledged, “To truly test the product it needs to be in the mouth for at least 6 months.” Lance Teramoto, DDS, said, “The strength of the product was excellent. None of the LuxaCrown restorations fractured. It eases my mind knowing I now have a product that is strong enough to last awhile.”
Esthetics & Efficiency
Featuring natural fluorescence and high shade stability, LuxaCrown is available in 5 shades (A1, A2, A3, A3.5, B1) and has “consistent shade properties,” according to Dr. Chopra. “LuxaCrown works great on front teeth where esthetics are important,” said Dr. Popa. “The color blends perfectly with the natural teeth, and it polishes very nicely.” When fabricating a crown for an anterior tooth that needed to be cemented over a titanium custom abutment, Dr. Haselton discovered, “LuxaCrown did a great job of masking the metallic abutment!”
“It saved lots of time compared to different materials that break or cause bubbles and require time-consuming repairs,” shared Dr. Amayev, who said it was excellent to use for a 6-unit anterior bridge. Dr. Walker remarked, “LuxaCrown decreased chair time…and expedites the time spent in crown-and-bridge procedures. It made my assistant’s life much easier on cleanup.” Describing it as a “great material when doing multiple procedures,” Dr. Chanin determined, “It makes the crown procedure much more predictable and gives a great result. It offers a long-lasting restoration similar to a lab processed [restoration] but is made chairside.”
"It is predictable, strong, easy to use, and lasts a long time. I give it a 10 out of 10."
-Scott Chanin, DMD
Flemington, NJ
Overall Satisfaction
Hoping that LuxaCrown would provide “ease of use, durability, color stability, and strength,” Dr. Edelson was pleasantly surprised to find that this semi-permanent crown and bridge material features all these qualities, plus “quick setting and less chair time.” Noting that he would highly recommend LuxaCrown to colleagues, Dr. Walker shared, “It outperformed my expectations and far outperformed my current material for temporary construction.” Dr. Chanin concluded, “I highly recommend this product. It is the best provisional material I have used.”
Takeaways
• Produces esthetic, strong, and durable semi-permanent restorations
• Crown or bridge is created chairside in only one appointment with no lab required
• Available in 5 shades (A1, A2, A3, A3.5, B1) with high shade stability and natural fluorescence
• Preserves and protects dental health until definitive treatment is performed
