What is
4 Seasons?
In what types of restorations can 4 Seasons be used?
What shades and ranges of translucencies are available?
Why do the syringe plungers and the Cavifil caps have different colors?
Are there any differences in the actual color of the dentin shades
compared to the enamel shades?
Why is the shade guide made of ceramic material and what are its advantages?
Can I use my
Vita® shade
guide and still achieve excellent results?
Are there any differences in the translucency values within shade groups?
Are there any differences in physical properties among shades, or shade
groups?
Can 4 Seasons
be used with Tetric EvoFlow®?
Can 4
Seasons be combined with Tetric® Color?
Why are no adhesive systems included in the System Packs and Intro
Packs?
How do I utilize the 4 Seasons Vivapad?
How much time do I have to work with the material before it begins
to polymerize?
What is the difference between the Traditional Shaded Layering Technique
and
the Anatomical Technique
and how can 4 Seasons be used with both techniques?
Why would a dentist choose one technique over the other?
What types of finishing systems are recommended for use with 4 Seasons?
Will 4 Seasons cure with all types of curing lights?
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What is 4 Seasons?
4 Seasons is a fine particle hybrid composite material. The unique
filler chemistry provides optical properties
that mimic natural teeth more closely than ever before, giving dental
professionals
the power
to create highly esthetic restorations. Additionally,
the fine filler particles provide excellent polishing properties and
low wear. (
top of page)
In
what types of restorations can 4 Seasons be used?
Because
of the unique esthetic properties and excellent physical properties,
4 Seasons
is
suitable for all
classifications (I to V) of dental restorations.
It is a truly “universal” composite
system.
In the Anterior region, 4 Seasons is ideally suited for
direct veneers, diastema closures, adjusting the shape
or position
of teeth, as well as
class III’s, IV’s and V’s due
to the highly esthetic properties.
In the Posterior region, 4 Seasons is ideally suited for class
I and II restorations due to the excellent physical
properties, and
more specifically,
the excellent resistance to abrasion (low wear).
Furthermore, 4 Seasons can be used to fabricate inlays, onlays
and veneers that have to be extra-orally post-tempered.
(
top of page)
What shades and ranges of translucencies
are available?
4 Seasons is available in an assortment of 40 shades allowing the
system to be as simple or as creative as the dental professional
chooses.
Natural teeth are made of different types of hard tissue, which
exhibit different
degrees of opacity. For instance, dentin is much more opaque
than enamel. When restoring a tooth where both dentin and enamel
have
been removed,
it is virtually impossible to restore the tooth to its natural
state with a material of just one opacity.
For this reason, 4 Seasons
consists
of two shade groups; Dentin and Enamel, to cover a wide range
of anatomical conditions and variations.
The Dentin shades are primarily designed for reconstructing dentin
and building up mammelons. Darker shades such
as A5 and A6 are
gaining in
importance for repairing eroded tooth necks in older patients.
They will also play a key
role when utilizing the Anatomical Build-up
technique.
The Enamel shades are especially designed for reconstructing the
enamel layer of teeth. With the majority of characterization being
found within the enamel layer of teeth, the 4 Seasons system was
developed with
4 Enamel sub-groups, each providing unique esthetic
solutions. (
top of page)
Why
do the syringe plungers and the Cavifil caps have different colors?
The different colors indicate
the different shade groups to simplify and streamline the procedure.
This color-code
system is employed throughout the
system appearing on the syringe spindles, cavifil
caps, shade guides and
imprinted on the white plastic trays
within the kits. (
top of page)
Are
there any differences in the actual color of the dentin shades
compared
to the enamel shades?
No. The 4 Seasons A-D dentin and enamel shades are perfectly matched to their
respective shade.
The only difference between the 4 Seasons
dentin shades and the enamel shades lies in the level of translucency.
Many other composite systems on the market simply “water down” the
color (or saturation of chroma level) of the dentin shades to create
a corresponding, more translucent
enamel shades. In these situations,
the enamel shades may have a lower value and
be off the original shade
entirely. (
top of page)
Why
is the shade guide made of ceramic material and what are its advantages?
The individual
shade tabs are made of high-quality ceramics to prevent
the shades from fading as a result of exposure to
light, maintaining shade stability over time. Unlike the traditional A-D shade
tabs, each 4 Seasons shade tab represents one shade,
perfectly matched to the contents of the designated
syringe or cavifil, after polymerization.
The Enamel shade tabs are tooth shaped, providing the natural
appearance and reflection of teeth. With a glossy side and
a matte side, depending on the preference of the practitioner,
the enamel shade tabs mimic the color and translucency of
the polymerized materials based on thickness.
The Dentin shade tabs are small wedge shapes enabling them
to be held very close to the actual dentin layer of the tooth.
This is extremely important when utilizing the Anatomical
Build-up Technique.
Finally, the color coding system is also incorporated on
the shade guides to further streamline the procedure.
(
top of page)
Can
I use my Vita® shade guide
and still achieve excellent results?
Yes. The A-D shades
of the 4 Seasons system were developed to specifically match
the “body” portion of the
traditional A-D shade tabs.
On a further note, due to the fact that the 4 Seasons shades
are so perfectly matched to the conventional A-D
shades, and
the fact that each of the 4 Seasons shade tabs represents one shade,
or the “body” shade, it is
anticipated that the 4 Seasons
shade guide will become a standard shade guide used in most dental
practices.
(
top of page)
Are there any differences
in the translucency values within shade groups?
With the exception
of any specialty shades, all shade groups maintain a consistent
level of translucency. All dentin shades are 7 — 9% translucent
(similar to the translucency of natural dentin) and all A-D enamel
shades are 13 — 15% translucent (similar to the translucency
of natural enamel). While the variance in translucency between
the dentin shades and the A-D enamel shades is easy to detect,
the translucency within each shade group is undetectable. This
eliminates any concern regarding variation in translucency among
shades, within shade groups. (
top of page)
Are
there any differences in physical properties among shades, or shade
groups?
With the exception
of
radiopacity, all 4 Seasons materials possess the same physical
properties (e.g. flexural strengths, compressive strengths,
Vickers hardness, wear abrasion, etc.) providing the restoration
with durability
and longevity regardless of what material is used on the surface
of the restoration. For example, even the Enamel Trans Super
Clear shade, with a translucency value of 56.6%, boasts the same
physical
properties as the dentin shades. (
top of page)
Can
4 Seasons be used with Tetric EvoFlow®?
Yes. The
two materials can be combined without any problems. In fact,
it is recommended.
Tetric EvoFlow®
can be used with 4 Seasons very effectively as an initial
layer / liner under all restorations,
or to fill small voids. (
top of page)
Can
4 Seasons be combined with Tetric® Color?
Yes. The two materials can be combined without any problems.
The monomer chemistries are quite similar.
Tetric Color can
be placed
just prior
to the final layer of composite and used very effectively
to characterize
additional anatomical features. (
top of page)
Why
are no adhesive systems included in the System Packs and Intro
Packs?
4 Seasons can be used
in conjunction
with any dentin
and enamel
adhesive system such as ExciTE®, Syntac®, AdheSE® and
AdheSE® One.
The kits do not include an adhesive allowing the dental
professional to
choose their preferred system.
(Be sure to observe the
Instructions for Use pertaining to the adhesive system
of choice.) (
top of page)
How
do I utilize the 4 Seasons Vivapad?
The
4 Seasons Vivapad
allows the dental professional to organize and streamline
the restorative procedure.
The appropriate amounts
of the desired
shades can be
dispensed onto the 4 Seasons Vivapad prior to starting
the procedure. The orange
cover protects and prevents polymerization of the
material. The 4 Seasons Vivapad
has also been labeled for shade
identification. (
top of page)
How
much time do I have to work with the material before it
begins to polymerize?
4 Seasons offers low sensitivity to ambient light,
as compared to other composite systems on the market,
providing
the
dental professional
with ample time to restore the natural anatomy and
appearance of teeth
under ideal lighting and stress-free working conditions. (
top of page)
What
is the difference between the Traditional Shaded Layering Technique
and
the Anatomical Technique and how can 4 Seasons
be used with both techniques?
The traditional Shaded Layering
Technique has been
the preferred technique
of dentists for many years. It simply consists
of “MATCHING” the
shade of the existing tooth. In this case the dentist simply
determines the shade of the tooth by holding a shade guide
close to the enamel
surface of the hydrated tooth and selecting one of the
20 Enamel Shades. After preparation, the tooth is restored,
from bottom
to top, with
the one shade. For example, if the restoration consisted
of both the dentin and the enamel layer, A2 dentin and
A2 enamel
would be used.
The Anatomical Build-up Technique is representative
of the build-up techniques followed by laboratory
ceramists when
creating highly
esthetic indirect restorations (e.g. Empress®.) Utilizing the 4 Seasons
Enamel Value shades, dentists now have the opportunity to “CREATE” shades
of existing teeth. As we all know, the natural color of
our teeth is derived from the dentin layer. In this case
the dentist
would simply
determine the relative value (brightness) of the tooth
by holding the shade guide close to the enamel surface
of the hydrated
tooth and selecting
one of the 3 Enamel Value Shades. Immediately after preparation,
the dentist chooses a dentin shade, utilizing the 4 Seasons
dentin shade
guide. The dentin layer is restored using the Dentin material
that matches the dentin of the natural tooth rather than
the preferred shade.
The enamel layer is restored using the Enamel Value material,
which diffuses the highly chromatic (dark) dentin color
creating a naturally
esthetic result.
4 Seasons was developed with both Enamel Shaded
shades and Enamel Value shades allowing the dental
professional
to choose
their
preferred technique. (
top of page)
Why would a dentist choose one technique over the other?
It is expected that more than 90% of dentists will continue to place
composites utilizing the traditional shaded layering technique. However,
for those dentists who have utilized composite systems based on Anatomical
Build-up techniques
in the past, or those dentists who are interested
in trying new techniques, they will find that the Anatomical Build-up
technique increases opportunities for characterization and may even
simplify the entire restorative procedure.
With 4 Seasons, dentists have the opportunity to utilize either technique. (
top of page)
What types of finishing
systems are recommended for use with 4 Seasons?
Since
4 Seasons is a resin-based composite system, any traditional composite
finishing & polishing system can be used. Internal evaluations
show that the Astropol® finishing & polishing system provided
a high gloss result and a sustained polish over time. (
top of page)
Will
4 Seasons cure with all types of curing lights?
Yes. 4 Seasons will
cure with all popular curing lights that emit a spectrum of light
between 400nm and 500nm
and a suggested power output of >500mw/cm2. (e.g. bluephase LED,
Astralis Quartz Halogen Curing Lights).
(
top of page)
Tetric EvoFlow, Tetric Color, ExciTE, Syntac,
AdheSE, AdheSE One, Empress and Astropol are a registered trademarks
of Ivoclar Vivadent,
Inc. Vita is not a registered trademark of Ivoclar Vivadent, Inc.
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