Dentists are under increasing pressure to improve their efficiency. The solution is to reduce costs, optimize processes and shorten treatment times - whilst providing the same or even better quality.

Guest post by Dr. Petr Hajný, Prague, Czech Republic

Adhesive composite restorations involve several procedural steps that can be simplified or even eliminated. Innovative materials enable more efficient workflows. These products include 4-mm composites and universal adhesives. Other products such as the OptraGate lip and cheek retractor provide an easy means to achieve a dry treatment field. Contouring instruments with anti-stick effect and single-step composite polishers allow the restorative procedure to be completed in a jiffy.

To find out just how much efficiency can be gained by optimizing the workflow for adhesive restorations, I analyzed the restorations placed in over a 100 patients using before and after digital images of the restorations with the date and timestamp on them. I developed two treatment protocols (conventional vs efficiency-optimized) for three different restorative classes and then calculated and compared the average treatment time for each of them. The following table illustrates the findings.

Optimizing the use of material is another way of increasing efficiency. Innovative dispensing systems such as the VivaPen of the Adhesive Universal enable an efficient use of high-quality adhesive. Compared with conventional bottles, the VivaPen yields three times as many applications per millimetre of content. In addition, the VivaPen allows me to apply the material more intuitively and in fewer steps. Application is directly in the mouth. No material is wasted.

OptraGate, Tetric, Bluephase and Adhese Universal are registered trademarks of Ivoclar Vivadent AG. Availability of certain products may vary from country to country.