Achieving high-quality restorations with TPH Spectra ST

The Rolling Stones famously sang, “You can’t always get what you want,” and for dentists, that was largely the case with composites. They could get good esthetics, durability and handling, but not all at the same time. But for Dr. Lucas Rudelich, DDS, a new composite from Dentsply Sirona is giving him exactly what he wants.

A go-to material

Dr. Rudelich is a general dentist in Taylorsville, Utah, and he’s used TPH Spectra^® ST since last October. He finds that he can use it for just about everything.

“I use it for all of my composite needs: Class Is, Class IIs, anteriors,” he says. “Anything I am going to use with composite.”

The material is versatile enough to be effective for both anterior and posterior applications.

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“It’s sort of a one-stop shop,” Dr. Rudelich says. “You can use it for both. It’s pretty enough to use for anteriors.”

The composite comes in different formulations, which are suitable for each application. That flexibility gives him a certain level of simplicity and convenience.

“It’s kind of nice because it’s the mix of both,” Dr. Rudelich says. “I don’t have to switch from one composite to the next. I can use it for all of my restorations. I like to keep things simple. And that was a big thing for me - it is simple.”

Enhanced esthetics

While teeth need to be functional, looks also matter. TPH Spectra ST delivers the esthetics that Dr. Rudelich wants. But rather than have scores of little bottles in varying shades cluttering up his shelves, Dr. Rudelich gets the results he needs with just a few shades of TPH Spectra ST.

“The big thing I also liked was that you don’t need 16 shades,” he says. “And I thought this was crazy, but they have five different shades, and each shade - I don’t know how they do it; it must be magic - works with three or four different shades. So, the A2 they give you works with A2, A1; it does multiple shades and it really does match, unbelievably.”

Dentsply Sirona’s SphereTEC filler technology brings a chameleon-like blending ability to TPH Spectra ST composite for simplified shade matching. It also enables faster finishing and allows the material to be polished to a superb luster.

“It really does polish well, so much so that I’ve had a couple people come in and say a restoration was a little high,” Dr. Rudelich says. “And that’s because I might have left a little flashing that I couldn’t see. It blends in so well; it’s hard to tell where the composite ends and the tooth starts. So, it’s really nice from an esthetic point of view. ... If it’s in the spectrum of the shades that they give you, it truly does match those shades.”

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Attractive qualities

While simplicity and esthetics attracted Dr. Rudelich to TPH Spectra ST, the composite’s handling abilities has kept him coming back.

“It’s been some of the best handling composite that I’ve ever used,” he says. “It’s pliable, but it doesn’t stick. As a dentist, you’re allowed to use your art form and art craft. Instead of using a bur, you’re able to do it in the mouth. It cuts down on a lot of time trimming excess because you can really put anatomy in and make it look really nice. You don’t have to get extra material to protect your gloves so that it doesn’t stick. It condenses well, but it also doesn’t stick.”

While TPH Spectra ST has only been available since last October, Dr. Rudelich still gives it high marks for durability.

“From what I’ve noticed in the couple months that I’ve used it, it wears just as good, if not better, than others,” he says. “From everything I’ve read and done with it, it’s been really good."