Finishing and polishing of composites / cosmetic dentistry training

Finishing and polishing of
composite
restorations
INDIAN DENTAL ACADEMY
Leader in continuing dental education
www.indiandentalacademy.com

Introducti
on

• The aim of this paper is to elaborate on the
commercial products available and their
clinical application keeping them in line
with the BASIC PRINCIPLES OF
ABRASIVE SCIENCE as it relates to
finishing and polishing of dental
composites.
• Additional highlighting of technique
considerations in the finishing and
polishing systems and devices and the
use of specific devices for specific clinical
situations will be done.

Back to basics……..
 Finishing is the transformation of an object
from a rough to a refined form.
 Polishing is the production of a shiny mirror
like surface, which reflects light similar to
enamel without creating supplemental films
by the addition of wax or lacquer
 THUS…the final surface character of the
composite is the combination of two distinct
processes of finishing and polishing.

Inherent and Acquired polish
 Acquired polish is the one in which the final
surface characteristics achieved are as a
result of finishing polishing procedures done
by the operator.
 Inherent polish is the one the surface
naturally reverts to through mastication and
erosion.
 A:I polish ratio should be 1 so that the surface
finish will not change over time.

FINISHING BURS
 PRIMARILY USED FOR FINISHING
COMPOSITES to begin with.
 Tungsten carbide.
 Available as 8 fluted,10 fluted, 12 fluted, 16
fluted, 20 fluted and 30 fluted.

ET Burs (Komet/Brasseler
USA)
 ET burs are the standard against which all the others are
compared. So are RELIABLE.
 Have rounded tips
 Seem to produce a slightly higher gloss than the others that fall in
this group.(1)
 Available in a number of popular shapes.
 Preferred shapes include ET3, ET4, ET6 ,ET9 as 8, 16 and 30
fluted and OS1, OS2 and OS3 as 12, 20, and 30 flutes
FLIP SIDE
 Most expensive.
 Having 5 diferent flute selections may be excessive.

 Has only 2 flute options 12 fluted and 30
fluted.
 Quality is comparable to Brasselers ET Burs
but number of shapes and effectiveness are
inferior to Brasseler.
SAFE ENDED FINISHING BURS
They are available as a different series
especially useful for veneers.

Other products in this group.
- BluWhite finishing burs (Sds/Kerr)
- Least expensive.
- Cut cleanly.
- Midwest finishing burs
(Dentsply/Professional)
- Slightly lower gloss compared with ET
Brasseler.

Finishing Diamonds
 Primarily used to contour, adjust and smooth
porcelain but also can be used to finish
composites.
 Typically used with water spray.

Wet or Dry ???????
 Wet polishing has its advantage of avoiding
overheating.
 But forms a uniform reflecting smear obscuring the
restoration tooth interface and the surface details of
composites.
 With dry polishing there is a definite visualization of
both the surface and the margin.
 Typically carbides are used dry and diamonds are
used wet.
Bottom line is……………..
Provided you use light pressure
and slow speed , dry polishing is a
better choice.

ET Diamonds (Brasseler USA)
. Shapes are similar to ET finishing burs
. Available in 3 Grits
30 microns (fine) Red
15 microns (extrafine) Yellow
8 microns (ultrafine) White

Other products in this group.
. T & F Hybrid points (Shofu)
. Available in 10 shapes but have only a single grit.
. In studies they showed good durability(2)

. TDF (NTI/Axis dental)
It is a clone of ET diamonds but has only 2
grits.
. Two striper diamonds (Premier)

Diamonds or Carbides ????
 Carbides:
Cuts by pulverizing.
 Resists clogging.
 But Tends to dull out faster than diamond.
 Diamonds:
 Cut faster.
 Light touch for optimal efficiency.
 Long Lasting.
 Can easily cut tooth by error.

RAPTOR
 The Rapid Adapting Precision Transformer
for Occlusal Resins or R.A.P.T.O.R.*, is the
keystone of a simplified approach to finishing
Class I and Class II posterior composite
restorations. These burs feature angulations
and planes which quickly re-establish proper
occlusal anatomy and approximate occlusion.
They are used in conjunction with specially
designed 30-Flute safe tip Christmas Tree
and 18-Flute needle and egg-shaped burs.

FINISHING DISCS
 Discs allow us to perform finishing with more PRECISION and
SAFETY compared to diamonds and burs.
 Most discs use the abrasive agent as aluminium oxide or silicon
carbide on a plastic backing a few diamond ;discs are also
available.
 Area of operation is limited so one has to go back to the finishing
burs in areas which cannot be finished by the discs.

. Refinement of the incisal
embrasure.
. To adjust the incisal length.
. To smooth the junction of the
composite and the tooth without
damaging the tooth enamel

Sof-Flex Contouring and
Polishing Discs. (3M ESPE) and
Sof-Flex extra thin contouring
and polishing discs

Flipside
 The effectiveness of Sof- Flex XT in producing
shine was on the lower end as compared to
Sof- Flex discs.(3)
 Sof- Flex XT are the most expensive amongst
other products in this group and are at low end
of effectiveness.
 Sof-Flex XT was found
ineffective in repair of
composite ditched margins

Flexidisc Mini and Flexidisc
(Cosmedent)
 Studies show they consistently
produced higher sine on the
surface than Sof-Flex or Sof-Flex
XT.
 Significantly cheaper than Sof-
Flex. www.indiandentalacademy.com

Super-Snap (Shofu)
• Protected mandrel so no
chance of marring the restoration.
They are the highest in
effectiveness in this group.www.indiandentalacademy.com

Other Products in this
Category
 Visionflex (Brasseler)
 Esthetic Polishing System (Brasseler) and
Fini (Pentron) both appear to be a virtual
clone of Shofu in their design.
 Flexidisc Plastic Center (Cosmedent)
 Esthetic Polishing System (Brasseler)

Finishing Strips
 Available in metal and plastic backing.
 For composites plastic backing ones are used
typically.
 Indispensible for finishing and polishing of
composite restorations.

Sof- Flex Finishing and
polishing strips
 Available in 4 grits each being colour coded.
 Available in 2 widths 2mm and 4 mm
 Gap in the center for easy passage through contacts.
 Relatively expensive compared to others in the same
group.

Flexistrip (Cosmedent)
 Also available in 4 grits
 Available in an ultrathin version to
increase their flexibility and help in going
through contacts without peeling of the
abrasive from the mylar backing.

Epitex (GC)
By far the thinnest strips available (0.05mm).
. Easy passage through contacts
. No stripping of siliconcarbide abrasive during insertion
. Less tissue trauma
FLIPSIDE
. Tearing
. Residue of silicon carbide after polishing

 Super-Snap polystrips (Shofu)
 Finishing Strips (Bisco)- Least expensive in
this category.
Other Products in this category

POLISHING INSTRUMENTS
RUBBER
Abrasive particles are uniformly
dispersed throughout the
device matrix i.e. Rubber.
Advantage- Good durabilty
BRUSHES
Advantages-
- Unmatched access to hard
to reach occlusal areas.
Disadvantages –
- Need to start with
relatively smooth surface.
- Need to apply substantial
pressure for optimal
performance.

ASTROPOL
(Ivoclar Vivadent)
 Rubber polishing system with 4
shapes a cup, small point, large
point and a disc.
 Has 3 Grits, Finisher (wears out
fastest), polisher and high polisher
(high polisher is impregnated with
diamond particles of mean size 3.5
microns)
 Tests have rated Astropol of
producing highest gloss (4)

PoGo (Dentsply/Caulk)
 Diamond impregnated version
of Enhance discs.
 Has only a single grit.
 Has a cup, a disc and a point.
 Needs practice to master
correct pressure.
 Very light pressure and
polishing in one direction will
give high shine

D Fine Diamond polishers for
hybrid composite and D Fine
Double diamond. (Clinicians
Choice)Semi flexible rubber instruments
impregnated with fine diamonds.
Permanently attached to latch type
mandrels.
D Fine double diamond is an
offshoot of the original product and
is more flexible.
D Fine Double Diamond also
produced the highest shine on
composites along with ASTROPOL.

 Hawe HiLuster (Kerr)
 CompoMaster (Shofu)
 Jiffy Hishine (Ultradent)
 Diacomp (Brasseler)
 Diagloss (Axis)
 Jiffy Polishing Cups Points and Discs
(Ultradent)
 Flexipoints Flexicups Flexiwheels
(Cosmedent)

BRUSHES
 Stiff brushes made from
aromatic polyamide and
impregnated with silicone
carbide.
Jiffy Brush (Ultradent)
 3 Shapes regular cup, Small cup and Point.
 They produced the lowest shine in intraoral
simulation tests in comparison with others in
their category.

ComposiPro Brushes (Brasseler)
 Polyamide bristles with silicon carbide.
 Similar in design to Jiffy Brushes.
 But effectiveness is better than jiffy brushes.
 Groovy (Clinicians Choice)

Polishing Pastes
 Retain the ability to take the gloss of a restoration
one notch higher.
 Messy and are produce splatter.
 Abrasive may be aluminum oxide or diamond,
diamond pastes being costlier.
 They can be applied with one of
Prophy cup- Internal part is Webbed.
Felt Wheels
Discs with felt like surface
Brushes

Prisma-Gloss /
Prisma-GlossExtraFine
(Dentsply/Caulk)
 Aluminum oxide as abrasive.
 Begin with Prisma Gloss (Mean size 1 micron) and
repeat with Prisma Gloss Extra Fine. (Mean size
0.1 micron)
 Most effective in its group.

 Abrasive used is diamond with a grit size of
less than 1 micron.
 Semiviscous.
 Tendency to Dry Out during polishing.
 But produced remarkable gloss in intraoral
simulation tests on composites.
Sparkle (Pulpdent)

 Diamond Polish (Ultradent)
 Enamelize (Cosmedent)
 Luminescence Plus (Premier)
Other Products

 Remember, no one system can give an
enamel like luster to the surface. It is through
the careful stepwise finishing polishing of
every surface that a good restoration may be
achieved.
 Finishing and Polishing is not a runthrough
affair. Sufficient time has to be given for it to
obtain the best results. Patience is the a key
factor. Never miss out Patience.
CONCLUSION

Thank You…..
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Finishing and polishing of composites / cosmetic dentistry training

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