I Use That: Mexcem Elita Chroma

Dr. Lou Graham first started using Kerr Dental’s Maxcem Elite Chroma in his Chicago practice earlier this year. Already he’s experienced the benefits this next generation self-etch/self-adhesive resin cement can bring, from its color cleanup indicator to its one-peel cleanup. 

What Dr. Graham says about Maxcem Elite Chroma 

When a dentist needs additional retention for less retentive preps, resin cements are routinely required and poise the issue of isolation and clean-up. All too often the window of clean-up is short and dentists remove the excess cement as fast as they can.  The fear is leaving excess cement, which leads to a plethora of problems. An equal problem is removing the cement too early, because if bleeding occurs (and it often does) or gingival crevicular fluid is present, both circumstances lead to instant micro-leakage. 

Multiple manufacturers have identified this problem. Kerr, as one example, has launched Maxcem Elite Chroma, which has a unique approach to resin cement removal.  Like other companies that have created a larger window of time for cement removal along with easier cements to remove, this particular product has a color change that indicates when it’s “safe” to remove the cement. 

Related reading: A review of Kerr Restoratives' Maxcem Elite Chroma

When the dentist “loads” the crown with the cement it dispenses pink. As it sets, it turns white. This is the beauty of this cement. Imagine you have inserted the crown. Your option is to wait and watch it self-cure and as it does so, it turns white. That is the “safe” signal to begin cleanup. It occurs between one to two minutes, giving you a 45-second clean-up window. The cement then peels away.; simply insert a double knotted piece of floss and clean interproximally.

When tack curing, if you use a light that’s weak or you are too far from the cement, it might not be cured enough. If the light is too strong it might cure too fast. With this cement, if you finish a two-second cure and the cement is still pink, you know it’s safe to cure a few more seconds. If the cement has already turned white, you know to stop curing. When the transition of pink to white occurs, it’s time to begin clean-up. 

This is a self-adhesive resin cement, so per the manufacturer, you don’t need to use a bonding agent on the tooth. Do I use silane internally on my dilithium crowns? Yes, and though it’s optional to use zirconia primers when cementing zirconia crowns, I prefer to do so. Is proper cleaning of the internal surfaces of the crowns important?  Of course.

The only time you would ever etch is when you are cementing to enamel margins. In that case you would selective etch for 15 seconds, rinse, suction dry and then place your crown with Maxcem Elite Chroma. 

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Main benefits

There is no question ease of use is the main benefit. A color shift that guides you to “safe” removal and the fact it can be tack or self-cured with a large removal time that allows easy peel off makes this resin cement a wonderful new addition in our practice. And this material is not runny; it has an excellent consistency that allows complete seating .

The patient benefit 

For the patient, resin cementation was always a challenge because they’d usually need to be numb. Since using the product, I have not required anesthesia. Patients love this. For me, this a huge benefit because after the five-minute full set, I can confirm the occlusion one last time and if any minor adjustment is required, it’s a simple task.

Related reading: Kerr Restoratives launches Maxcem Elite Chroma

More about Mexcem Elite Chroma

Maxcem Elite Chroma is said to be the first self-etch/self-adhesive resin cement offering a color cleanup indicator, and also offers One-Peel™ cleanup, automix delivery system, easy no-refrigeration storage and compatibility with all indirect restorations. Maxcem Elite Chroma is said to form a strong and durable bond with a wide variety of dental substrates and is compatible with all indirect restorations: anterior or posterior ceramics, PFMs, metal restorations and CAD/CAM materials. Radiopaque for easy identification on X-rays, the cement is available in a dual-barrel, automix syringe system supplied with single-use automix tips and optional curved dispensing tips designed to allow the user to deliver the desired volume of cement directly into restoration and/or tooth preparations.