William G. Dickerson, DDS
Many of you know my feelings about the superiority of Aquasil hydrophillic impression material by Dentsply Caulk. Therefore, when a new impression material was introduced recently, I was reluctant to even try it. First of all, it was hard to take it seriously. After all, it was packaged in a small, old-fashioned kid's lunch box. The mascot for the impression material was a superhero called Captain Exact! A bonding agent that was introduced years ago, Powerbond, was criticized for the same type of marketing ploy. It did not fare well in the market. But timing is everything! The cute and corny marketing has actually created a nostalgic demand, as many baby-boomer dentists want the kits to give to their children. I know I did.
Because of my friendship with the people at Kerr, I reluctantly agreed to try the material. They claimed it was as hydrophillic as Aquasil and assured me it was a quality product, regardless of the packaging. I was intrigued by the name, Take One, as it implied that accurate impressions are almost guaranteed. And besides, the worst thing that would happen would be that I would have to retake the impression with Aquasil when this one didn't work. Yes, an inconvenience, but hardly the end of the world.
Take One is a vinyl-polymer blend with a bimodal filler system and a patented hydrophilic additive which is supposed to give it strength, high elongation (for easy mouth removal), high recovery from deformation, and a lower contact angle (to displace fluids in critical preparation areas). The vinyl polymer is a blend of five raw vinyl viscosities which optimizes polymerization and gives high treat-strength, dimensional stability, and high elongation. It comes in regular set and fast set, which sets in four minutes.
Keeping most margins supragingival, I used this material on a full-mouth case (28 units) using the tray material and the wash with the blow technique. I was concerned that keeping all the teeth dry and free of seepage would be nearly impossible, so it would be a true test of the hydrophillic nature of the material. When I removed the maxillary-arch impression, I notice that there was some blood in it and thought I would have to take it over. After washing the impression and examining it, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was an incredibly good and accurate impression. I took the lower arch and it, too, was beautiful with all margins visible and detailed.
What I like about Take One was the extra-thin wash material that was easily blown subgingival to pick up the great detail. The tray material set up rigid enough to eliminate the need for custom trays. To date, using this material, I have not had to retake an impression, except to capture the hamular notch when using the Accu-Liner and once when I put in too small of a tray and it was exposed in the impression. But having to retake an impression because of the inaccuracy of the impression material or because of bubbles or voids at the margins has not happened. To say I am impressed with this material is an understatement. I am adding this to my list of recommended impression materials along with Aquasil. It really does hold up to its name ... Take One! Try it and tell me what you think. I think you will like it.
Aiming for the slam dunk!
Remember that the other part of the secret to make great impressions the first time, every time, is your technique. Be careful to observe the working and setting times of the materials you are using. Do not assume that they are the same for every material. Both Take One and Aquasil have the time right on the cartridge. As soon as the material begins to move through that tip, the timer is started. Good technique requires that the wash and tray material join at the ideal time; otherwise you end up with an impression that is unsatisfactory. Don't start expressing the wash material before the assistant is ready to start dispensing the tray material. When you are dispensing wash material, keep the tip in the material until you are finished. The quickest way to get a bubble is to raise the tip. Practice your technique with your clinical assistant so that you are well coordinated and every impression is a slam dunk!
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