Articles from Style Italiano

Polishing lifelike composite

2011-11-19 13:11:37 admin

An Article by
Dr Jordi Manauta
Submited:
13/02/2012

This article is part of chapter 10 of the book layers by Dr. Jordi Manauta and Dr.
Anna Salat which will be published by Quintessence books on september 2012
The aim of this step-by-step article is to show how easy is to obtain extremely shiny
composite restorations, with rich morphology and long lasting surface stability
changing just 3 times the bur in our contrangle.

Fig1.- the tree rotating instruments

used, from lef to right goat brush (Shiny S, Micerium, Italy), felt wheel (Shiny F,
Micerium, Italy) and Periocare blue ring bur (DC Pericare 831 524 014, Alicante
Spain)

Fig 2.- A sample tooth of white composite (Intensive

milk IM, Micerium) obtaining on purpose a terrible surface after final polymerization.
The color white is to obtain full visibility in this exercise.

Fig 3.- Probably the most important step is the first of

them. We place in the contrangle @10,000rpm (maximum) the Periocare blue ring
bur and obtain a smooth surface, trying to eliminate all the excesses and
irregularities to obtain a continuous surface. The aim is to educate ourselves to
achieve a biscuit try like surface which any ceramist can teach us very precisely.
This step usually is where we focus most of the time in the finishing and polishing
stage.

Fig 4.- with a sharp pencil we mark the proximal

angles to define the shape of the tooth (primary anatomy).

Fig 5.- Following the marked lines, always with the

same bur, we do some pre-interproximal grinding at low speed. This step can be
done in a clinical case and often we must get help with red and yellow diamond
polishing strips (intensiv). Note how the tooth changes its shape dramatically.

Fig 6.- With the pencil we can mark the path to do

some incisal characterizations (if needed) in this case we make the proximal lobes
more short as in many young teeth.

Fig 7.- after incisal grinding (with the same bur) we

mark some incisal lobes division and develop them with the tip of the bur. If they
need to be really sharp we can help ourselves with the red diamond strip.

Fig 8.- In order to develop secondary anatomy (macro

texture), we mark some vestibular weaves which must be sharper in the cervical
and wider in the incisal, but always very smooth, we shall never see the bur shape
marked on our restorations. To achieve this we must pass the bur from mesial to
distal, applying more pressure when approaching the center of the groove and
releasing int he surroundings.

Fig 9.- With a pencil we mark the tertiary anatomy

(micro texture), note that the more close and parallel the grooves are, the more
natural they look.

Fig 10.- With the same bur always at low speed, we

can develop with just the tip, each one of these grooves. the more pressure we
make, the deeper the grooves will be.

Fig 11.- after the finishing stage with the bur (which I
consider to be the most important) the we start the polishing and shinnig, to do this
we switch to the goat brush and apply a 3 micron diamond paste (Shiny A,
Micerium, Italy), we spread the paste with the brush without rotation, then we start
@3,000 rpm with no water, doing really slight touches otherwise extreme heating
can happen and ruin something more than the restoration, and then @15,000 rpm
with water.

fig 12.- we repeat exactly the same steps but this time
with a 1 micron diamond paste (shiny B, Micerium, Italy)

Fig 13.- For the high gloss polishing, we switch to the

felt wheel and apply a 1 micron aluminum oxide paste, repeating the spreading,
3,000 rpm with no water and 15,000 rpm with water.

fig 14.- The restoration showing a ceramic like

appearance, after cleaning with a gauze the paste excess.

Fig 15.- The tooth observed from a 45 degree view,

shows strongly the surface characterizations and secondary and tertiary anatomy
playing a fundamental role in lifelike of restorations.

Fig 16.- When working extraorally we can use some

silver powder to study shape, texture and every minimum detail of our work.