When I am working chairside, one of my favorite things to have in the set-up are diamond polishing paste and a rubber cup. My first experience was when I was a patient myself, having my porcelain crowns seated and adjusted. After having everything placed and the occlusion adjusted, the porcelain surface felt very rough and unnatural. Each time a polishing point was used in increasing fineness, I waited for everything to feel smooth and glossy, running my tongue over the porcelain as soon as I had the chance, just to be disappointed by the surface texture, until the last step, diamond polishing paste. The sensation of the glassy- smooth surfaces allowed my pulse to slow and my confidence to return that my new restorations would indeed feel like teeth. I wasn't sure on the mechanism of action, but I didn't care and immediately became a fan. Two years ago at the AAED meeting in Las Vegas, I attended a presentation that looked at the surface texture of different finishes and compared them. Under a scanning electron microscope, a porcelain surface that has been polished and finished with diamond polishing paste is undetectably similar to porcelain glazed in an oven. So now not only am I a fan, but I have a scientific explanation for how it works. I use diamond polishing paste as the final step when finishing porcelain, composite and even natural tooth surfaces after they have been adjusted. Give it a try and let me know what your patients think.



Comments

Commenter's Profile Image Aly Sergie
December 30th, 2010
So what's your current favorite Lee Ann?
Commenter's Profile Image Lee Brady
December 30th, 2010
Ultradent with mint flavoring!!
Commenter's Profile Image Will Baker
January 5th, 2011
diamond polishing paste or aluminum oxide paste?
Commenter's Profile Image Lee Brady
January 5th, 2011
diamond polishing paste
Commenter's Profile Image Leah
December 7th, 2011
Hi, I am a patient. How do I find a dentist in California that uses this? I have several crowns that have been adjusted when first glued on and now they feel rough and gritty where they were adjusted. My dentist polished them but they still feel rough. I need to find a dentist to polish my crowns using this technology. Thank you for your help.