I have to admit that when I heard the name Scotchbond I immediately thought of the old bonding agent I used for years and years. It worked well in my office but I moved on to newer – and what I thought was better – technology for bonding. I was wrong, and am glad I looked further into what Scotchbond Universal has to offer. I also learned how a new family of products has been developed to work in synergy to create a fantastic union.

Scotchbond Universal can simplify bonding for directs and indirects. Its chemistry may be complicated, but it has been created to be precise in what it does while offering the flexibility to deal with the variable environment that is the oral cavity.

Scotchbond Universal is a single-bottle system that can work equally well with whatever bonding protocol you favor – total etch, selective etch, and self-etch. Many of the pitfalls associated with the different generations of bonding agents can be avoided due to the unique composition. The sensitivity issues of fifth generation bonding agents have been removed since it can rehydrate the collagen if you have over-dried the preparation after etching. A Vitrabond co-polymer is included in the mixture that allows superior bonding to dentin, both dried and moist, to the same extent as we get with glass iomomer materials. It also contains heme which also helps in this area. As a self-etcher, it does a great job   of etching enamel, creating a perfect surface for bonding. Since it is a self-etching adhesive, it is more tolerant if there is a bit of moisture present.

For bonding of indirect restorations it has even more attractive features. Silane is incorporated into the material so it can be used to prepare the intaglio of our ceramic restorations after the application of HF. Another component is MPD, which has the ability to bond with metal oxides, opening the door to bonding metal and zirconia to the tooth structure without any special pre-treatment. Or the bonding of our CEREC restorations to stock or custom abutments.

Seventy percent of dentists use more than one bonding agent, complicating the daily operations of their offices. Scotchbond Universal gives the dentist one solution for their bonding needs for all the different situations that arise: directs, indirects, ceramic, metal and fiber, simplifying one of the most widely done procedures in the office for you and your staff.