Clinical Case: Fixing Margin Enamel Chipping with Flowable Composite
November 9, 2020 | Dr. Walter Devoto
About the Case
A ten-year-old patient chipped his right central incisor while playing with the family cat. The case was treated during an emergency visit. When a child is involved, and only a small repair is needed, it is important to have a restorative delivery system that is fast, easy to use, and dispenses a controlled volume of material. While flowable composites provide many desirable features, the materials themselves often contain air bubbles. If these bubbles go undetected, and the composite is cured, a time-consuming repair may be needed to achieve an esthetic and color stable final restoration. In a 10-minute procedure it was possible to esthetically integrate the 3M™ Filtek™ Supreme Flowable Restorative into the patient’s natural tooth structure making this an effective and efficient treatment option.
INITIAL SITUATION: A fracture on the upper-right central incisor is evident on this pre-operative facial view.
Palatal pre-operative view reveals how little tooth structure is missing and how little composite will be required for restorative procedure.
Etched tooth for 15 seconds with 3M™ Scotchbond™ Universal Etchant and rinsed for 20 after cleaning with 3M™ Sof-Lex™ Extra-Thin Contouring and Polishing Disc (coarse grit).
Applied 3M™ Scotchbond™ Universal Adhesive, rubbed for 20 seconds, treated with a gentle stream of air for solvent evaporation, and light cured for 10 seconds.
Applied 3M™ Filtek™ Supreme Flowable Restorative directly from the needle tip delivery system to the incisal edge in need of repair.
The first layer of 3M™ Filtek™ Supreme Flowable Restorative prior to light curing. Notice that the material is stable on the tooth (no running or dripping).
Cured the first layer of 3M™ Filtek™ Supreme Flowable Restorative for 10 seconds, applied the second layer, and light cured with 3M™ Elipar™ DeepCure-S LED Curing Light. Used a coarse 3M™ Sof-Lex™ Extra-Thin Contouring and Polishing Disc to create the general form of the tooth.
Recreated the original texture of the tooth with a slow speed coarse bur (StyleItaliano Finishing Bur Kit).
Polishing completed with the 3M™ Sof-Lex™ Diamond Polishing System.
FINAL RESULTS: Final esthetic result reveals an excellent match in both color and form.
Refer to Instructions for Use (IFU) for complete product information. Results may vary.
