Cementing with Confidence: Resiment

Every dental practitioner wants to feel completely confident that any crown or bridge being seated will remain firmly in place. If an appliance comes loose or completely dislodged, it is a great inconvenience for the patient, the patient’s caregivers, and the dental office. In some cases, such an occurrence can even become a threat to the person’s health and well-being. This is especially true when treating patients with developmental disabilities. If a porcelain fused to metal crown, bridge, or a stainless steel crown becomes dislodged in the mouth and is swallowed or aspirated, it can potentially have life threatening consequences. As a result, dental professionals who treat patients with significant physical and intellectual disabilities are very concerned about the stability and integrity of the bond between the cement they choose and the dental appliance they are seating.

Several years ago, I was considering how best to deal with this potential problem in my own practice. I decided to consult with the crown and bridge department director at a large dental laboratory in my area. I told him that I treated persons with special needs and I was looking for the most stable and dependable bond possible when seating fixed appliances. Without hesitation, he advised me to buy and use a product called Resiment.

Resiment is a permanent BIS-GMA self-curing filled composite resin cement that is available both with and without fluoride. I always use the version that contains fluoride because of the oral hygiene challenges routinely encountered in the special needs population. This crown and bridge cement comes as an easy to use paste to paste system with a 1:1 mixing ratio. It is compatible with most dentin bonding agents, and most formulations of acid etchant.

Resiment produces an extraordinarily strong bond to metal, composite resin, enamel or dentin. This excellent cement can be used for final cementation of all types of crowns (including those that are short or difficult), bridges, implants, inlays, onlays, Maryland bridges, pins, and posts. It has a three to three and one-half minute working time, which gives the operator an ample amount of time for precise placement and cleanup. This is very important because once Resiment sets up, it can be quite difficult to clean off exposed surfaces and interproximal areas.

Resiment is manufactured by Septodont and is available through most dental supply companies. The approximate cost is $125.00 for the version without fluoride, and $134.00 for the version that contains fluoride. The original Resiment kit comes with one 5g syringe of catalyst and one 5g syringe of base that the operator dispenses and mixes. There is now a kit available featuring a new auto-mix delivery system containing the original Resiment in both standard and fluoride. The kit containing the new auto-mix system is called Resiment® Ready-Mix® Auto-Cure Standard or Resiment® Ready-Mix® Fluoride.

Since I have been using Resiment to seat my crowns and bridges, I have NEVER had a crown or bridge come off. This even includes stainless steel crowns that I considered to be short or difficult to fit. I have been very satisfied with this product and would highly recommend it to any dental practitioner

Dr. Carlton Horbelt has served as an Executive Board Member-at-Large since September 2006 and will continue to serve in this capacity for the remainder of his two-year term. Dr. Horbelt also serves as Dental Director at the Arlington Developmental Center and Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Community Oral Health at the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry in Memphis, TN.