A Bioactive interest in dentistry

Acitiva_Base-Line_reflect.smKirkwood Young shares his experiences with Activa Bioactive and explains why bioactive materials herald a new future for dental treatment.

I believe strongly in minimal intervention dentistry. It is something we strive to achieve in our practice, and I am always on the lookout for new products that may help us achieve our clinical aims. Not too long ago, I read in the dental press about a new bioactive restorative product that really piqued my interest, but the big question for me was whether the claims being made were evidence-based.

I contacted Prestige Dental about the product Activa Bioactive (Pulpdent, USA) to find out more. I was delighted, but not surprised, that Prestige Dental, as a very reputable company, had plenty of evidence-based papers to share.

Tried and tested in practice

The first thing I did when I received the product was to read the instructions. I absolutely recommend that users look at the instructions, but actually it’s very easy to use.

In addition, I’ve found that the more you use Activa Bioactive, the more uses you find for it. I’m using it every day for all sorts of purposes. For example, I’ve used it as a core build-up material when I’m doing crowns and bridges, as a base/liner, and as a filling material. I’ve found that the aesthetics are really very good, blending nicely and taking on the appearance of the adjacent tooth, so it’s not just useful in the posterior. Also, it’s great in terms of marginal leakage. Other materials can fill voids, but they do not chemically bond with the tooth and can leave gaps and white lines, and you don’t get the desired results. Activa integrates with the tooth and eliminates the gaps that you can get with traditional composite materials.   

There are two particular cases that come to mind where using Activa Bioactive in place of alternative products provided really great results. The first involved a female patient who had a very deep cavity in a lower tooth. I filled the cavity with Activa Bioactive and it worked to a very impressive depth without sensitivity. Then there was a male patient with a broken crown on an upper tooth. I used Activa Bioactive-Restorative as a core build up, and again achieved impressive results.

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Looking to the future

One of the things I really like about this material is that it takes prevention one step further, because it releases and recharges calcium, phosphate and more fluoride than glass ionomers. All this, of course, improves the potential for remineralisation as it works with saliva.

I’m not suggesting that Activa Bioactive is suitable for everything; I’ve got different materials for different uses. However, what I would say is that dentists tend to be quite conservative and may not be proactive in considering new materials and new approaches to patient treatment. When you’ve got a tooth that has been damaged, you want to bring it back to life and give it as much of a chance at recovery as possible. Bioactive materials provide teeth with the minerals they need to be healthy and move dentistry forward, whatever form they take.

Dentists should be looking at what causes disease, understanding why it’s there, and thinking what we can do to treat it and prevent it. And then – how do we do it with the least invasive technique? Having materials like Activa Bioactive – used as part of a preventive, restorative and minimally invasive treatment plan – is a real step forward.


For more information about Activa Bioactive products in the UK, contact Prestige Dental by calling 01274 721 567 or email [email protected].

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