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Inside Dentistry
May 2013
Volume 9, Issue 5

3M™ ESPE™ Sof-Lex™ Spiral Finishing and Polishing Wheels

The new shape of versatility for beautiful results

The finishing and polishing procedure is the home stretch of the restorative process, so tools that can streamline and simplify this stage are always welcome in the dental office. The 3M™ ESPE™ Sof-Lex™ Finishing and Polishing System (www.3MESPE.com/SofLex) has been a long-standing, “tried and true” favorite of many dentists for producing beautifully smooth results, and now 3M ESPE is expanding its line with an innovative new product design aimed at making the process even simpler.

One Simple Shape

New 3M ESPE Sof-Lex Spiral Finishing and Polishing Wheels have a unique, flexible shape that easily adapts to irregular, convex, and concave tooth surfaces—reaching most exposed surfaces, even typically hard-to-reach places like line angles and occlusal grooves. With these versatile wheels, dentists can polish anterior and posterior restorations with one simple tool, rather than switching between points, cups, discs, and brushes throughout the procedure.

The wheel’s spiral shape adapts to all tooth surfaces, with rubber “fingers” that flex to conform to convex and concave surfaces as they move across the restoration. Abrasive particles are embedded throughout the wheels, so dentists can angle them to effectively polish with any side—top, bottom or edge. This flexibility makes it easier to work intraorally, especially on challenging posterior teeth. Additionally, the flexibility of the wheels makes them kinder to gingival tissues compared with other types of rotary tools.

Sof-Lex spiral wheels are indicated for finishing and polishing a variety of direct and indirect restorations, including composites, resin modified glass ionomers, bisacrylic temporary materials, and precious and semi-precious metals. Combined with an outstanding restorative such as 3M™ ESPE™ Filtek™ Supreme Ultra Universal Restorative, Sof-Lex spiral wheels help dentists efficiently create lifelike restorations with a natural luster.

One Wheel to Finish, One Wheel to Polish

This simple system consists of just one finishing wheel and one polishing wheel, eliminating the need for dentists to spend time picking and choosing from among a host of shapes and levels of coarseness. The beige fine finishing wheel smooths and removes scratches on restorations that develop during contouring, and prepares the surface for high-gloss polishing. The white superfine polishing wheel creates a very smooth, high-gloss polish, particularly with a nanocomposite such as Filtek Supreme Ultra Universal Restorative.

Sof-Lex spiral wheels are single-use, and work without paste or water cooling, reducing cleanup and saving even more time during every procedure. The wheels are designed to fit perfectly in to the Sof-Lex Finishing and Polishing System, and use the same mandrel as the discs. Because the discs and wheels feature easy, pop-on mounting, dentists can move efficiently through the contouring, finishing, and polishing procedure. Like the spiral wheels, Sof-Lex discs and strips are color-coded from dark (coarse) to light (superfine) for an easily followed step-by-step process.

Testing shows that Sof-Lex spiral wheels produce a smooth surface better than or equal to other leading products. Under a scanning electron microscope at 500x magnification, restorative samples abraded with 320-grit sandpaper show outstanding smoothness after polishing with Sof-Lex spiral wheels.

With Sof-Lex spiral wheels, finishing and polishing is made simpler than ever, letting dentists put away points, cups, discs and brushes to utilize one simple, versatile spiral shape for all finishing and polishing needs. 

for more information, contact:

3M ESPE
Phone: 800-634-2249
Web: www.3MESPE.com/SofLex

Disclaimer

The preceding material was provided by the manufacturer. The statements and opinions contained therein are solely those of the manufacturer and not of the editors, publisher, or the Editorial Board of Inside Dentistry.

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