Product Evaluation

The high-polish finish that both dentists and their patients seek in ceramic restorations creates a paradoxical situation—while esthetically desirable, it also makes occlusal adjustments increasingly difficult. Just ask Dr. Sharde Harvey, who has experienced the “slip and slide” of other articulating papers that hinder consistent and accurate color transfer on such surfaces.

With special color pigments for ultra-precise and effective occlusion detection, Bausch’s Arti-Ceram articulating paper recently proved helpful to Dr. Harvey during occlusal adjustments following her patients’ restorative procedures.

“Unlike shiny articulating paper, Arti-Ceram seems to be a fibrous paper saturated with ink that transfers with neater contact points, and without smudged spots,” Dr. Harvey said. With no more slips and slides, she explained, “It provides a single marking with only the contacting surfaces,” and she can now “find the patients’ true occlusion more quickly and accurately.”

Convenient Precut Shapes and Sizes

Arti-Ceram is available in 100-µm and 200-µm  thicknesses in both strips and horseshoe shapes. The proven green color makes markings more clearly visible and rich in contrast on highly polished surfaces.

Dr. Marisol King “loved having the different size options,” and described the ability to use the paper more than once, even when slightly moist, as “excellent.” Dr. Manny Chopra found the paper “easy to use with color that’s easily visible,” and Dr. Arthur Volker appreciated the precut shapes. For Dr. Harvey, Arti-Ceram’s availability in arch form as well as single pieces makes them “easier to grab and use than papers that are attached.” Dr. Karen Guo suggested making the full-arch paper a different color on each side to enable checking centric occlusion with one side and excursive contact with the other.

Distinctive and Accurate Markings

“The markings were more accurate, and the paper marked well in all situations,” said Dr. Steven Wolfram, who “felt the markings could be trusted.” For Dr. King, “It fi t well on occlusal surfaces and articulated well against removable prosthetics and highly polished surfaces.” Dr. Aaron Knop agreed, finding Arti-Ceram “easy to place and mark on smooth surfaces,” along with Dr. Chopra, who described it as “easy to use on glazed porcelain crowns.” He also found it especially helpful when assessing centric and eccentric jaw movements during an implant crown procedure.

Dr. Volker was pleased that using Arti-Ceram helped eliminate the need to apply petroleum jelly to his office’s existing articulating paper to transfer markings. “The different intensities of green provide a clear indication of the occlusal load, and the color transition from heavy to light contacts was very clear and distinctive,” said Dr. Michelle Na, who was able to easily detect whether her restorations were in heavy contact by using the color intensity of adjacent teeth as a reference.

“Arti-Ceram delivers consistent, accurate occlusal marks, both in centric occlusion and in excursive movement,” Dr. Guo said. Recalling a complex anterior implant case where she needed “a reliable indicator of occlusion and protrusive contact on a highly polished surface,” she also reported that “the 100um full-arch paper accurately showed any occlusal interferences.”

Versatility on Wet and Dry Surfaces

“This more fibrous paper is phenomenal for accurately marking occlusions in wet environments,” Dr. Harvey remarked. Additionally, Dr. Ryan Saunders “loved how it left distinct marks in both dry and moist environments,” explaining that “marks on the dentition were clear, easy to see, and precise, allowing me to make very quick adjustments.”

“It works very well to produce consistent markings, even on wet surfaces,” said Dr. Na, naming this feature as Arti-Ceram’s best quality. “This really shortened my adjustment time,” she said, “since I don’t have to wipe the surface with dry gauze or constantly ask for suction, and the markings aren’t washed away.”

Dr. King said she prefers using Arti- Ceram over her previous articulating paper. “This paper provided consistently good marks, and moisture didn’t cause it to tear prematurely,” she said.

Dr. Guo added, “It shows up on highly polished surfaces, even with significant salivation,” and Dr. Kalpesh Mehta echoed these comments, saying, “The best things about this articulating paper were the easy-to-visualize green markings and the good transfer, even on wet surfaces,” which helped him better visualize spots of heavy occlusion.

Overall Satisfaction

Receiving high marks for its clear and accurate markings, all evaluators noted that they would recommend Arti-Ceram articulating paper to others within the dental profession. With that, Dr. Knop assured that Arti-Ceram “made it easier to check occlusion,” and Dr. King said, “I can’t say that I thought anything should be improved. Overall, I really liked this articulating paper.” Dr. Guo concluded, “This paper is certainly a consistent, high-quality product, and I have already advocated for its use in my office.”