Written by Jack Ringer, DDS, FAACD, FIACDE | June 2019
It can be so frustrating at times when choosing the right material for various procedures; and that certainly has applied with me when choosing a core material. Today adhesive dentistry is the norm for most restorative procedures and placing core build-ups in conjunction with these restorations is quite common.
It is well recognized that for non-vital teeth a post is only warranted when there is minimal tooth structure available and in fact can be detrimental to the tooth, i.e. potential root fracture. Therefore, for the majority of clinical situations (be it a vital or non-vital tooth), the ideal scenario is to have core build-up material alone that is bonded to the remaining tooth structure. However, bonding alone is not the only criteria that make for an ideal core material.
One wants:
• Easy handling
• Dual cure
• Strong
• Radio-opaque
• Relatively esthetic, i.e. tooth colored
• Easily dispensed
• Easy to shape
I had tried several core products in the past, but could never find one that met the above criteria list until I was turned on to LuxaCore® Z Dual from DMG. Being resin based it bonds well to tooth structure and being dispensed in a hand held syringe cartridge, application is quite simple and precise. What I really love about the material is that it has just the right viscosity to inject in or on the tooth so it doesn’t slump while being viscous enough to be able to shape the core when it is expressed from the syringe. If that is not enough, the material is dual cure, tooth colored, easy to shape with a carbide or diamond bur; and the cherry on top, it is radio-opaque!!
LuxaCore Z Dual has finally made placing core build-ups in my practice a stress free, efficient and predictable treatment modality.