Heraeus launches new composite

With new Charisma Opal, Heraeus Kulzer extends its successful range of Charisma composites. The innovative submicron-hybrid composite enables dentists to create highly aesthetic, invisible restorations in an even simpler, more usable manner. Its intrinsic colour characteristics mimic the colour and lustre of the natural tooth substance. Easy and accurate shade matching is ensured by a compact shade system and a 2-layer shade guide from original material.

The new light-curing submicron-hybrid composite from the Charisma brand is based on Heraeus Kulzer's many years of experience in the ongoing development of composite materials. The innovative filler technology of the new Charisma Opal is based on X-ray opaque Microglass and highly dispersive silicon dioxide, providing the composite with a pronounced chameleon effect and high radio-opacity.

With these intrinsic colour effects, Charisma Opal perfectly reproduces the natural opalescence, fluorescence and translucent effects of the patient's surrounding tooth substance. Exhibiting all dimensions of colour the new composite really creates lifelike restorations.

Due to its compact, comprehensible shade system, Charisma Opal is time-saving and easy to use. With only 14 shades in three different opacities, it covers all indications in aesthetic restorations, from shape and shade corrections over splinting teeth to restorations of primary teeth. The 2-layer shade guide made of original material makes selecting the most appropriate shade easy. The guide consists of a base layer of opaque dentin composite with a layer of universal composite over the surface. As a result, it shows the exact colour effect of the final restoration. Thus, the 2-layer shade guide minimizes the risk of wrong shade matching which is the most common reason to renew restorations.

Research groups worldwide verified the benefits of Charisma Opal. In a study on the polishability of composites conducted by the Fraunhofer Institute Freiburg, Germany, the new submicron-hybrid composite showed the lowest average surface roughness of all tested materials which leads to high gloss polishing as well as low plaque accumulation. This and further studies have proven that the new formula of Charisma Opal combines great aesthetics with equilibrated physical properties.