Robert Rosenfeld, DDS
Population trends show a steady increase in the senior population. Perhaps unlike generations past, many of today's seniors remain fashion conscious and strive to maintain a youthful appearance through the use of myriad products and procedures. Not surprisingly, this includes addressing one of the most important features of one's appearance: his or her smile. Not every patient has the wherewithal to afford expensive indirect dental procedures, such as veneers or crowns, nor does every patient have the constitution to undergo lengthy and involved procedures. Direct composite restorations, however, executed skillfully, may satisfy the esthetic desires of most patients. Until recently, for even routine dental restorations, clinicians needed to stock an extensive array of composite resin materials to match the often darker shades of seniors' teeth and spend considerable time blending shades or adding tints to create esthetic restorations that match the surrounding tooth structure. The advent of single-shade composites like OMNICHROMA® One-Shade Universal Composite (Tokuyama, https://omnichroma.com/us/), which, when polymerized, is capable of mimicking the appearance of almost any tooth in which it is placed, has simplified the clinician's job. OMNICHROMA allows clinicians to provide their senior patients affordable and esthetic solutions, as demonstrated in the two cases presented.
Key Takeaways
The use of OMNICHROMA single-shade composite resin allows clinicians to match virtually all shades of teeth, even those darker than the VITA classical shades (often needed for seniors).
Using a single-shade system of composites allows for a reduced inventory of shades and translucencies needed to match all teeth and lessens the complexity of shade selection, making restorations speedier and more efficient.
Even complicated characterization may be possible with the use of a single-shade composite system like OMNICHROMA.
About the Author
Robert Rosenfeld, DDS
Private Practice, Westwood, New Jersey; Fellow, International Academy of Dental Facial Esthetics
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