My father always used to say “You get out what you put in.” That was a moral about effort, hustle, and hard work. He was adamant about always trying your best, giving whatever you were doing your all.
I am sure that most of us give our best day to day in our office, but I often wonder about our materials. We ask a lot of our materials. High-caries-risk patients offer unique challenges. They have acidic oral environments. They may lack saliva. They have high counts of cariogenic bacteria. We plug restorations in and hope they can work their hardest and do their best. But can they?
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Today, we see materials made to work their best in these situations. Crysta from Pulpdent is the newest technologic innovation for restorative materials. Developed by Pulpdent in Watertown, Massachusetts, Crysta is a bio-interactive restorative material. The power behind Crysta is MCP—methacrylate-functionalized calcium phosphate. MCP is a stabilized calcium phosphate that is arrested in a transitional state. It can provide needed ions to demineralized tooth structure—ions such as calcium, phosphate, and fluoride. These ions can remineralize tooth structure and seal margins, which is critical in the fight against caries.
The MCP in Crysta binds to calcium on teeth and also serves as a precursor to nucleation sites that attract and bind calcium and phosphate in the environment. This simulates natural mineralization.
Crysta is the newest engine that powers some of the favorite Pulpdent products in their lineup. Activa Presto restorative material now includes Crysta, as does Lime-Lite Enhanced cavity liner. The commitment from Pulpdent to bio-interactive materials is long and storied, and Crysta is the latest innovation.
Activa Presto can be used as full-contour restorative material, and with Crysta MCP technology, it’s an even better choice for high-caries-risk situations. Lime-Lite Enhanced is a great material of choice as a cavity liner or indirect pulp cap material. Once Lime-Lite Enhanced is in place, Activa Presto or any other restorative material can be placed on top of it to full contour.
Crysta is the next step in the progression of interactive restorative materials. You get what you put in, and it is apparent that Pulpdent cares about what we put in.
Editor's note: This article appeared in the June 2022 print edition of Dental Economics magazine. Dentists in North America are eligible for a complimentary print subscription. Sign up here.
