June 2026 Pearls for Your Practice

Pro 2 by SprintRay

There are a lot of pieces of technology that come through a dental practice. Some of them are nice. Some of them are helpful. And then there are the ones that become absolutely indispensable.

For us, 3D printing has moved into that category. What started as a convenience has turned into something we rely on every single day. If our printer went down now, we would feel it within an hour. We print models constantly. We print night guards constantly. With the introduction of the Midas workflows, we even print indirect restorations. All of this saves time, reduces costs, and tightens up our workflows. It has gotten to the point where I cannot imagine running a modern practice without in-house 3D printing, but the only way that works is if the printer itself can keep up. That’s where the SprintRay Pro 2 earns its place in our practice.

The Pro 2 is fast. Not dentist fast. Actually fast. It is the kind of printer where you can start a model at lunchtime and have it ready long before your afternoon patient needs it. When you use it for night guards or restorations, the speed really matters. You can design, print, wash, and cure a guard or a provisional in the time it used to take just to pour up a stone model. That kind of turnaround changes how you practice.

Accuracy is the other key. If you are printing something as precise as a night guard or a restoration, you cannot have a printer that guesses or drifts. The Pro 2 produces consistent, accurate prints that seat the way they should. The fit of our guards is noticeably better. The fit of restorations has been great. When the prints look right and fit right, you trust the system. Once you trust the system, you use it more. That is exactly what has happened in our office.

The reliability makes it even easier. It is not finicky. It is not temperamental. The interface is simple, and the workflow is clean. My assistants can run it without needing me to stand over their shoulders. That independence is huge because it frees up time and keeps the practice moving. A piece of equipment that speeds up dentistry while also being easy to operate is worth its weight in gold.

The Pro 2 has essentially become the backbone of our digital production. Models, guards, restorations, guides, trays. Day in and day out, it just works. Every one of those prints helps us give patients better, faster, more predictable outcomes. That is the kind of technology upgrade that makes a real difference.

SprintRay Pro 2 is not just another 3D printer. It is a daily driver that has reshaped how we schedule, how we plan, and how we deliver care. In a world where digital dentistry keeps expanding, having a printer that can actually keep pace is essential.

A long two-run home run into the center field bleachers for the SprintRay Pro 2.

GrandioSO 4U by Voco

I always knew Steve Harrington as Steve Harrington. The lovable babysitter. The guy with the hair. The unexpected hero of Stranger Things. For years that was the whole story for me. Then I found out that Joe Keery, the actor who plays Steve, is also in a band called Djo. And not just a side project band. A really good band. The kind you put on once and then wonder how you missed it for so long.

That is exactly how I feel about GrandioSO 4U from Voco.

I already liked the original GrandioSO composite. It had great polish, reliable handling, and gave me good results in everyday restorations. But GrandioSO 4U takes that foundation and adds something that changes how I approach a lot of direct restorations. This is a universal nanohybrid composite with an extremely high filler content, about 91% by weight, which gives it strength and physical properties very similar to natural tooth structure. It was developed over years of research to make a material that is strong, beautiful, and easy to work with.

One of the standout features is that it offers a true 4-millimeter depth of cure in about 10 seconds. That means you can place it in thicker increments without worrying about undercure. It simplifies and speeds up the process by combining efficiency with quality. If you have ever used traditional composites where you feel like you are layering forever, this is a noticeable difference.

GrandioSO 4U also uses what Voco calls Visual Transformation Technology. Before you cure it, the material has a translucency that helps you see what you are doing. After you cure it, it becomes opaque and helps match natural tooth esthetics in a way that blends in beautifully. That combination of handling and optical properties makes finishing and polishing feel more predictable and natural, whether you are working anteriorly or posteriorly.

Another clever part of the design is the Cluster Shade system. Instead of dealing with 16 separate VITA shades, GrandioSO 4U covers the full range with just five broader clusters. That simplifies shade selection and helps reduce inventory without sacrificing esthetic outcomes. It also contains 30%–50% less resin compared to many classic composites, which gives it a smooth, nonsticky consistency and aids in color stability.

Beyond all that, the physical properties are impressive. The filler content and formulation give it low shrinkage and high wear resistance. It feels solid when you are placing it, and it holds up well over time. That is what you want when you are doing both routine and complex restorations. It makes me comfortable reaching for it whether I am doing a simple class II or a high-visibility anterior case.

So yes, Djo is my favorite new band of the year. And GrandioSO 4U is my favorite composite of the year. Sometimes something you think you already know turns out to have another layer that makes you appreciate it on a deeper level. In this case, Voco took a composite that was already good and made it even better by combining speed, strength, and esthetic versatility.

Hard hit triple into right field for GrandioSO 4U by Voco.

All-Bond Universal by Bisco

Faculty in dental school can be incredibly influential. They shape our clinical philosophies and our everyday decisions. For years, my dental school used a fourth--generation bonding agent in every operative procedure. It was drilled into us that fourth generation was the gold standard and that it had stood the test of time because the science was solid. Then a couple of years ago, the school made the switch to All-Bond Universal from Bisco. If it is good enough for the faculty who taught me and thousands of other students, then it is good enough for me.

That kind of trust matters in a bonding agent. Bonding is one of those things that can make or break a restoration. You can prep perfectly and finish beautifully, but if your adhesive interface is not reliable, then you are fighting the long game of microleakage, sensitivity, and restoration failure. I have used a lot of universal adhesives over the years, and some of them were convenient, but I sometimes feel like there is a compromise somewhere. All-Bond Universal feels different because it combines versatility with strong performance.

All-Bond Universal was developed to work well with self--etch, selective--etch, or total--etch techniques. That flexibility lets you choose your approach based on the clinical situation and patient needs. If you want to use selective enamel etching for a more aggressive approach on enamel and a gentler self--etch on dentin, the material supports that. If you want total etch because that is your preference in a high--stress area, you can do that too. For a busy practice where not every case is identical, having one adhesive that you trust for all scenarios is incredibly practical.

The chemistry is reliable. It creates a strong hybrid layer and consistent bond strength across different substrates. When you use it properly, the outcomes are predictable. You don’t feel like you have to compensate or adjust your technique every time you switch from anterior to posterior or from enamel to dentin. That consistency gives me confidence that the restoration I am placing today will be there years from now.

Another nice part about All-Bond Universal is the handling. The bottle design and delivery make it easy to apply without waste or frustration. The material wets the surface well and flows where it needs to without being runny. It integrates with the rest of the adhesive protocol in a way that feels intuitive instead of fiddly.

Patient response has been good too. I see less postoperative sensitivity with this adhesive compared to some older materials I have used. Patients rarely comment on temperature sensitivity after the appointment, which is always a sign that you are doing something right at the adhesive interface.

When a bonding agent becomes part of the standard curriculum at a major dental school, you know there is data and confidence behind it. They do not make those decisions lightly. Usually, they change because new evidence demonstrates benefits that outweigh the old standard. That is exactly the situation with All-Bond Universal.

For dentists who want a versatile, strong, and dependable adhesive that fits a variety of clinical situations, this is one that earns trust. I learned on a fourth--generation system, but I practice with something that makes sense for today’s dentistry. If it is good enough for my dental school faculty, it is good enough for me.

Solo home run into the left field bleachers for All-Bond Universal by Bisco. 

Editor's note: This article appeared in the June 2026 print edition of Dental Economics magazine. Dentists in North America are eligible for a complimentary print subscription. Sign up here.