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daily AAO San Francisco May 16

exhibitors Ortho Tribune U.S. Edition | May 16, 201510 By Armineh Khachatoorian, Brand Manager, 3M Unitek H elping you work smarter and more efficiently while achieving better results and improving lives — that’s our mission at 3M Unitek. We provide innovative solutions that improve the treatment process and give you the con- fidence that comes from performing a treatment to the best of your ability. Save time and achieve better bonding results with the APC™ Flash-Free Ad- hesive Coated Appliance System. This unique system eliminates the flash re- moval step from bonding. APC Flash-Free Adhesive saves bond- ing time for patients, doctors and staff by reducing it by up to 40 percent per bracket.* This system also reduces bond- ing from 11 steps to just five when com- pared with traditional light cure bond- ing adhesives (Fig. 1). Users have found that adhesive clean- up after debonding is a pleasant experi- ence for patients and helps make the last clinical appointment much more posi- tive. The unmatched bonding efficiency of the APC Flash-Free Adhesive system means increased patient satisfaction and greater productivity for your prac- tice. Goal: Improving the bonding appointment Orthodontic adhesives have tradition- ally consisted of highly filled pastes descended from dental restoratives. Removing excess adhesive flash after appliance seating has been a necessary step in the bonding procedure because, if not removed, exposed adhesive flash can stain or discolor the tooth or act as a plaque trap, possibly leading to decal- cification. Flash removal is time consuming and APC Flash-Free Adhesive: Say goodbye to adhesive flash stressful, as bond integrity and the care- ful positioning of the appliances can be compromised if an appliance is inad- vertently bumped. The additional time patients spend in cheek retractors also adds to their discomfort. Addressing this persistent pain point for orthodontists as well as patients be- came a priority for members of the 3M Unitek APC Flash-Free Adhesive project team. They worked to develop a new class of APC adhesive that would elimi- nate the flash removal step. They did this using a lightly filled resin and a compressible mat. Leveraging 3M science APC Flash-Free Adhesive leverages sev- eral 3M technology platforms, including nanotechnology, nonwoven materials and adhesives. A compressible nonwo- ven mat is saturated with a relatively low viscosity adhesive resin. When the appliance is placed on a tooth, the mat allows the resin to flow out, filling the gap between the tooth and the appliance bonding base (Fig. 2). Unlike the irregular clumps of ad- hesive flash produced by highly filled paste adhesives, the surface tension of the low-viscosity resin enables it to wet the tooth surface and form a smooth fillet around the bonding base. The size of the fillet is determined by the precise amount of resin, optimized in the APC adhesive system for each type of tooth and appliance. The nonwoven, fabric-like material consists of long, randomly oriented en- tangled fibers. 3M’s extensive knowledge and experience with fiber composition and processing techniques led to the creation of a nonwoven material to al- low compressibility and accommodate a range of tooth contours but not expand as flash around the bonding base. In addition, to ensure orthodontic out- comes will be unaffected, the nonwo- ven material’s thickness and loft were designed to provide adhesive bond line thickness comparable to traditional paste adhesives. APC Flash-Free Adhesive mats are precisely cut to ensure fit and alignment with each appliance’s bond- ing base. Finally, to meet the challenge of deliv- ering a precoated bracket, a new package was designed that ensures the correct amount of adhesive stays on the bracket. The package minimizes contact with the adhesive and allows easy bracket remov- al while protecting against the various hazards of shipping the product globally (Fig. 3). The result is an unmatched orthodon- tic bonding system that saves time, im- proves bond retention and exhibits a bond failure rate of less than 2 percent,* as reported by system users. It also protects enamel under the adhe- sive* (Fig. 4). The science behind beautiful smiles is impressive, but harnessing the power of 3M science to help you change and im- prove lives is what matters most. Work- ing together, there is no limit to what we can accomplish (Fig. 5). *For details, see www.3MUnitek.com/ FlashFree. Fig. 1 Photos/Provided by 3M Unitek Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Fig. 4 Fig. 5 Here at the AAO To check out the APC Flash-Free Adhesive Coated Appliance System, stop by the 3M Unitek booth, No. 1129.

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