CDE0111

I 29 feature _ interview I cosmeticdentistry 1_2011 Filling materials did not perform very well owingtoincreasedmarketcompetition.Thereare plenty of new and innovative filling materials on themarketrightnowandwehavetoinvestagreat deal in order to stay ahead with new develop- ments and products. _What current trends have you observed in the industry? All manufacturers are striving for a product that offers almost ideal properties for a filling material and exhibits the same physical properties as natural tooth substance. All our competitors are moving towards this ideal but I see us far ahead. We have been working with nanotechnology since the early 2000s and based on the results of this launched our first nanohybrid composite Grandio in 2003. ThisproductisstillinhighdemandinGermanyand many other markets. But we did not stop there. With GrandioSO, we are now able to present another nanohybrid composite to the dental community that has outperformed our original expectations. In terms of its physical properties, it is probably the most tooth-like material on the market. _When and where will it be available? It is already available in Germany and other selected European markets. Like its predecessor, GrandioSO is universally applicable but a little more translucent, so it can be used for restora- tions in the maxillary anterior region. We will still offer Grandio to our customers worldwide.Intheend,itisthedentistswhodecide which product they prefer. _Do aesthetics play a more prominent role in the development of a composite like VOCO’s GrandioSO? The primary goal is function. There is a place for aesthetics too, but it must not compromise functionality or the stability of the filling. There are different points of view in dentistry regard- ing this matter right now but for us the primary goal cannot be highly opaque teeth that might be currently en vogue amongst Hollywood stars. In the US, for example, we found that dentists were using the white opaque shade of our flowable composite Grandio Flow for anterior restorations, as this is the typical shade of highly bleached teeth in the US. Normally, we recom- mend it only be used to whiten dark spots or in cases in which dentists absolutely need an opaque layer. This is not the direction we wish to take. Teeth have a natural translucency andwewanttokeepitthatway.Ibelievethatwith our current portfolio we offer dentists viable solutions to achieving long-lasting and natural aesthetic restorations. _Some European companies develop their products especially for the North American mar- ket. Do you do the same? We sell exactly the same products in North America as we sell in Europe. Usually, most prod- ucts are launched there six months after they have been placed on the European markets. The only difference is the type of shade. In Germany, for example, the majority of dentists use Shade A3.5, which does not play any significant role in markets like the US, where Shade A2 is more common. _Will GrandioSO be the main focus of your presentationatIDSthisyearandareyouplanning to introduce more products there? GrandioSO will indeed be the main focus of our IDS presentation, but there are other prod- ucts that we plan to launch at IDS 2011._ Areal view of the VOCO headquarters in Cuxhaven, Germany.