Product Evaluation

KEYSTONE

Tray Aways® and Supergel

Supergel and Tray Aways work together to produce predictable, detailed final impressions.

When choosing an alginate impression material, dental professionals look for a material that easily mixes to a smooth consistency, has a rapid setting time, and resists tearing. When selecting impression trays, size options and rigidity are important features, and, of course, the ultimate goal is an accurate final impression. Keystone’s Supergel alginate impression material works together with Tray Aways impression trays to produce accurate impressions while maximizing patient comfort.
“Faster setting impression materials and little or no patient discomfort during the setting process are very important to me,” shared Dr. Fred Winter, one of many dentists who tested the Supergel and Tray Aways for this DPS evaluation. Compared to his previous dental alginate, Dr. Winter said Supergel set up faster, minimized patient discomfort, and retained the accuracy of the impression. He praised Tray Aways as well, saying, “The trays fit comfortably in the patient’s mouth and didn’t dig into the soft tissue.”
For Dr. Karyn Halpern, Supergel was easy to mix to a smooth consistency, allowing her to “produce a predictable clean impression free from drags and tears.” Overall, our team of evaluators decided that the combination of Supergel and Tray Aways results in a detailed final impression and highly satisfied patients.

Supergel

A blended alginate impression material that mixes to a smooth consistency, Supergel produces consistent, accurate, bubble-free detailed reproductions, according to Keystone. Noting that it mixed with water to an even and thick consistency, Dr. Andrew Fundo said the dental alginate stayed in the tray without running over the edges or slumping. Dr. Sean Grady said the material was dimensionally stable and his assistants were able to mix the material with consistency, which resulted in better, consistent impressions. Dr. Winter thought it was a little harder to mix than his usual material, and Dr. Bruce Weitz recommended finer particles for the powder. “I really like the consistency and smoothness of material and very little dust,” shared Dr. Mitchell Pasenkoff.

Tray Aways & Viscosity

Made from rigid, high-impact styrene, Tray Aways disposable impression trays have smooth rounded edges, interior retention slots, and vertical perforation to help create a consistent, dimensionally- stable impression that’s free of distortion or bite through. The perforated trays come in 3 sizes for the upper and lower arches and are also available for partials and anterior impressions.
“The trays were made with good quality rigid plastic, fit well, and are easy to adjust and modify after warming up with a flame,” shared Dr. Fundo. Dr. Dale Schuur commented, “The trays are sized well and are stiff with plenty of retention holes.” A couple dentists had trouble fitting the trays in the mouths of children, and one said he would like more flexibility. Praising the trays for their smooth finish and retentive properties, Dr. Weitz said he could eliminate a step in the impression-taking process because he didn’t have to apply an adhesive to the tray.

Final Impression Accuracy

According to Dr. Schell, the alginate impression material was cost effective and accurate, resulting in a very detailed impression with no need for re-impressions. Dr. Pasenkoff said his “models are a dream” when combining Supergel with Tray Aways. “The impressions were accurate with very good detail, and I had virtually no pulls or voids,” noted Dr. Fundo. Dr. Grady noticed a decrease in the number of retakes explaining, “The trays fit well and because the impression material mixed better we were able to get more consistent impressions.” Pointing out the need for precision in any dental procedure, Dr. Schuur concluded, “These products met the mark each and every time.”

"Setting time was ideal, tray adaptation in the mouth was good, and the assistants were able to mix the material with consistency."
-Sean Grady, DDS
Johns Creek, GA

Overall Satisfaction

“Overall the impression system was better than expected,” noted Dr. Grady, adding, “[The impressions] were very reliable.” Praising the products for their accuracy and patient comfort, Dr. Marc Herman determined that using the alginate impression material and tray “enabled us to work easier, quicker and more accurately.”

Takeaways

•Alginate is easy to mix to a smooth consistency
•Supergel produces consistent, accurate, bubble-free detailed reproductions
•Disposable trays are made from rigid, high-impact styrene
•Tray Aways come in 3 sizes (small, medium, large) for upper and lower arches
•Results in predictable, detailed impressions