Because of the pandemic, we have had to make so many changes in the way we practice and our usual routine has been upended. One of those areas is our ability to continually learn and hone our clinical skills. I have received many requests from soon-to-be graduates to seasoned dentists on clinical webinars. 

I heard you and have introduced a Clinical Skills Springboard Series where leading experts and clinicians all across the country come on and give us their tips and advice in all things clinical. It is a great way to learn from top clinicians from the comfort of your own home…and it’s free to all Nifty Thrifty members!

Recently I had an opportunity to bring on Dr. Shea Bass onto this series. Dr. Bess has been practicing in S. Jordan, UT for over 15 yrs and being in the same city as Ultradent, has had extensive opportunities to work with Ultradent in developing their successful line of dental products.

An area that Dr. Bess has worked extensively in is bonding. He’s the bond guru testing numerous adhesives with Ultradent’s state-of-the-art equipment.  Along the way, he has picked up some observations and tips/tricks that’s he is going to share with us. As a practicing clinician, Dr. Bess is not just speaking from an ivory tower but rather from real-world experience he has or has seen from other clinicians. 

I asked Dr. Bess to give us insight as to the most common mistakes that he sees regarding the use of bonding materials in dentistry. He gave me three simple but common mistakes:

1. Not following manufacturer’s instructions! Yes, there is a reason why all products have an instruction sheet. It’s not for your staff to practice their jump shot. Different products are created and tested based on certain techniques. If the same protocols are not followed then failure can result.
2. Thinning out the adhesive. Most of us spray air on the adhesive and move it back and forth. Dr. Bess says this is a definite NO. This creates ripples in the adhesive instead of a consistent, thin layer of adhesive.
3. Time. You have to give the solvent in the adhesive time to evaporate. This goes back to the first observation – follow the manufacturer’s instructions!

And yes, products DO matter. Not all bonding agents are the same. Dr. Bess discusses the differences in bond strengths and incredibly, there can be a difference of up to 4x the bond strength between the highest-rated bonding agent and lowest rated. Dr. Bess goes into detail and comparison with some of the most common products on the market.

Dr. Bess gave us a great overview of bonding and the importance of the type of bonding used as it pertains to real-world results.  Check out the rest of my chat with Dr. Bess and you will learn quick and simple tips to improve your adhesive dentistry. Of course, we will continue to bring on additional clinical leaders on our Clinical Springboard series to help dentists offer the best quality dentistry possible right from the comfort of your own home!

 

 

Learn about: 

-The biggest mistakes that clinicians make when using adhesive

-Not all bonding products are the same