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Product Focus:
Ultradent’s Peak SE and Peak LC,
the “Tomorrowland” of Adhesive
Dentistry
W
hen I was much younger, I remember visiting quires us to search for a primer and a bonding agent that
a “Tomorrowland” exhibit at Disneyland that has high bond strength numbers (50 MPa to 70 MPa using
portrayed what the future might be like. At shear bond testing) with both dentin and enamel. This will
the end of the exhibit, the announcer said, “Better living result in a durable bond that will maintain adhesion for
through chemistry—brought to you by Monsanto.” Now years. This should be consistent with anterior or posterior
I’ve come to understand how true this was. Certainly, the teeth, and be stable, easy to use, and priced right.
world of dentistry today revolves around chemistry. In my I’ve tried a variety of other bonding agents in the past
opinion, the most notable influence chemistry has had in but I’ve found that Ultradent has developed one of the best
the dental profession is in adhesive dentistry. self-etching primer and bond combinations available in
Cosmetic dentistry has been the backbone of most dentistry—Peak SE and Peak LC. With Peak SE and Peak
dental practices for a number of years. Any practice that
places tooth-colored composite resin restorations is prac-
ticing under the cosmetic dentistry umbrella--not to men-
tion the fact that most offices offer whitening procedures.
These procedures are part of the average dental practice,
all of which rely on better chemistry.
With advances in the chemistries used for adhesive
dentistry, we’re able to concentrate more on preservation
of the tooth structure. Our primary objective should be
to save the healthy tooth enamel and dentin, using the
motto “if it’s not decayed—don’t touch it.”
There are important factors to be aware of with today’s
adhesive materials. We need chemistry that does not leave
gaps between the composite, dentin, and enamel to avoid
microleakage becoming a problem. Because the gingival
margin is the most critical area, we need a bonding liquid
that seals the gingival margin to avoid leakage. This re-

James Jesse, DDS

Dental Product Shopper
Editorial Advisory Board Member

Private Practice
Colton, CA
Phone: 909.825.7403 Figure—Bond strengths of self-etching bonding systems to
E-mail: jamesjessedds@aol.com dentin and enamel.1

www.dentallearning.net Dental Learning / April 2011 1

LC, I’ve experienced consistent and high bond strength to
both enamel and dentin. This was also supported by test-
ing by independent university research (Figure).1
Use the self-etching primer as a 30-second scrub fol-
lowed by a vacuum close to the tooth for 3 seconds. This
should be followed by a bond that is a 10-second scrub,
followed by light air for 10 seconds, and finishing with a
3-second light cure with Ultradent’s VALO curing light in
plasma emulation mode. The syringe dispenser has a 1-
2 Dental Learning / April 2011
way end to keep air out and preserve the freshness and
stability, with no cap to remove or accidentally drop into
a container. The chemistry stays consistent to the very end
of the syringe. With its higher bond strength numbers, sta-
bility, ease of use, and cost, Ultradent Peak SE and Peak
LC is one of my “Disneyland favorites.”
Reference
1. AADR Abstract #0825, Dallas 2008.
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