By Daniel Lewis

Designed to make restorative work simpler while providing premium results, Ultradent Products' Transcend™ composite is a massive leap forward for universal shade composites. While there are certainly other single shade composite systems available, Transcend composite delivers where many of them don’t. 

One of the key features of Transcend composite is its Resin Particle Match™ technology. This tech involves closely matching the refractive indices of the resin and the filler particles in the composite to create high levels of translucency. This allows for ideal pigmentation and opacification, which in turn enables Transcend composite to match the color of surrounding dentition, no matter the tooth shade.  

“If I’m using a Transcend universal body shade, the reason I’m using it is because I just want to use one thing. I’m trying to simplify my life, I’m trying to reduce my inventory, and that’s a selling point to me with this. The idea that it’s just one and done. You have no idea how valuable that is,” says Gary Findley, DDS.* “Some people have odd colors of teeth, say in the D shades. And there have been times in the past where I’m having a patient coming in who has a C4 or a D3 tooth shade, so I’ll order a composite to have something on hand that can match their teeth. I’ll use it, feel great about it, and by the next time I need that shade of composite it’s been a year and a half since I’ve used it and it’s gone bad, it’s stiff, it’s hard. Now I’ve cost myself money doing that filling. So one shade for everything simplifies your life, streamlines things, reduces inventory… it just makes life easier.”

Image courtesy of Dr. Gary Findley

“And I know some of these other one-shade systems advertise ‘one shade for all colors’ or whatever they say. Well, that’s not exactly true if I need a blocker, because then it’s the blocker plus one shade. I’m not a math expert, but that’s two. When Transcend says it’s only one shade, it really is, it’s not a blocker and a shade, it’s just one,” says Dr. Findley.

The Resin Particle Match technology also allows for a better chameleon effect, which means clinicians can complete most restorations with just one shade of composite without a blocker shade. “For me personally, 85, 90, maybe even 95 percent of what I do, I can get by using [Transcend’s] Universal Body shade,” Findley says. “I’m not doing these super complex restorative cases, I’m just filling holes,” he adds with a chuckle. “I’m just doing basic restorative dentistry, that’s how I earn my living. Many dentists are out there using A2 as their universal shade. For those people, just use Transcend UB (universal body shade) and it will be like using A2 but better. It will make your work look better, and good luck distinguishing it from the natural tooth color.”

Naturally, Dr. Findley does encounter more complex cases where he isn’t “just filling holes” and feels a layering technique is appropriate; the complete Transcend kit allows him to do so. “When ordering the complete kit, I also get some dentin shades and some enamel shades, so if I feel compelled to use the layering technique, I have that option.”

Handling is an important factor to consider when selecting a composite and the viscosity of Transcend composite has been finely tuned to be malleable so that it doesn’t crack during manipulation. The result is a composite that moves and sculpts the way you want it to and stays in place without drooping or slumping. “Transcend is a softer composite, and I like that,” Findley says. “It flows, or adapts, really well to irregular preparations.” Transcend composite is created using a blend of resin monomers and filler particle sizes for sculptability while maintaining a strong and durable nature. “If you’re looking at the chewing surfaces of a tooth, you have bumps, valleys, and little lines going from one to the other. So as a dentist, we try to tap [the composite] in there and mimic some of that natural structure because we want a finished tooth to still look like a tooth—we try to re-create the grooves and the humps that teeth naturally have,” Findley says. “Some composites don’t hold their shape well, so you’ll tap the composite into the tooth and before you can reach for the curing light to cure it, [the composite] is just kind of ‘slumped’ in there, it doesn’t hold its shape [ . . . ] It’s kind of like just trying to sculpt pudding, and you lose all your work before you can cure it. Transcend is softer, but it still maintains its shape, its sculptability.”

Image courtesy of Dr. Gary Findley.

Transcend composite has been designed to maintain its shine long after a patient leaves the office—it contains particles that are chemically bonded into the resin monomer matrix, which allows it to polymerize into a highly durable material that stays glossy over time. 

With its Resin Particle Match technology, simplified shade system, ideal handling properties, flexibility, strength, and long-lasting gloss retention, Transcend composite is quickly becoming a go-to choice for dentists looking to simplify their restorative work while providing the best possible results for their patients. 

*Dr. Gary Findley is a practicing dentist in the Salt Lake City, Utah area. He is also a member of the Ultradent Products Clinical Team, where he assists in product development, research, and many other areas.