I Use That: G-CEM LinkForce

Clinicians have no shortage of options for types of cement. When it comes to choosing a product, bond strength to both tooth and restoration is a crucial feature in their decision process - but not the only one. Dentists often find that some of the additional features in a product can prove as vital as the strong bond.

We asked Dr. Mark Kleive, DDS, PA, and his dental assistant, Tara Bishop, CDA, about their experience with GC America’s G-CEM LinkForce™ universal dual-cure adhesive resin cement and what features of the product they appreciate most.

Dr. Kleive graduated from dental school in 1997, making this past summer his 20th year practicing dentistry. For five years, Tara Bishop, CDA has been a dental assistant in Dr. Kleive’s practice. Between them, they share a quarter of a century of experience practicing adhesive dentistry.

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With a private practice in Black Mountain, North Carolina, Dr. Kleive and Bishop have been using G-CEM LinkForce for some time on all their direct and indirect restorations, including CAD/CAM dentistry workflows. They are enthusiastic about their results, both for esthetic outcomes and material properties.

What Dr. Mark Kleive, DDS, says about GC America’s G-CEM LinkForce

The thing that attracted me to G-CEM LinkForce is that it is a very nice, all-in-one system you can bond anything with, whether it be a metal crown and bridge, all-ceramic crown and bridge, or hybrid-ceramic crown and bridge. I use it for cementations of all types of ceramics, resins, metals, for partial restorations or whole restorations, inlays, onlays, and crowns and bridges. It really is a one-size-fits-all type of scenario.

In dentistry, it is common for dental practices to have multiple materials they are using for different indications. You end up having all kinds of inventory.  Efficiency to me is that I don’t have to go hunting for different materials in the office. I like to keep things as simple as possible. I appreciate having an all-in-one kit because it’s easier for me. The workflow is simpler when you are not thinking about, ‘What bonding agent or what adhesive system are we going to use for this?’ Maybe it’s just because I am getting older, but simplicity is such an improvement.

It is more color stable than other products I have used before, and there are more shades of cement, so you have a little bit more room to alter the colors of the final restoration. Also, the shades of cement are included in try-in paste. A lot of companies don’t do that. With G-CEM LinkForce Try-In Paste™, you can see if the shade of cement you are using is the right color because cement will show through in some of your restorations. So, in other words, you can try different shades of cement without the adhesive present to ensure you match as much as possible to achieve the proper esthetics of a restoration.

When it comes to the consistency of the materials, some materials are really sticky before they are cured. The handling properties of this material are less sticky, and I like that better than other materials I have used before.
I do lots of CAD/CAM dentistry in my office. I have found G-CEM LinkForce is an ideal cement for virtually every material. For every milling block that CAD/CAM dentists have in their office, for all the milling blocks that are out there, it works for all of it.

What Tara Bishop, CDA, says about GC America’s G-CEM LinkForce

I like that the adhesive can be used for multiple purposes. It simplifies the process because I do not have to find out which adhesive to use. I automatically know I can use G-CEM LinkForce for cementing my veneers and crowns. It’s just a smoother process between me, as the assistant, and the doctor.

I place orders for the practice, too, so instead of ordering multiple adhesives and cements, I can just order the G-CEM LinkForce kit. It simplifies ordering tremendously.

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I also like the fact that there are more try-in shades and more cement shades, which include the option of opaque or translucent, because every patient is different.  If we have those options, we can get the best cosmetic outcome, and even more so in the anterior.

With G-CEM LinkForce Try-In Paste, we can make sure the shade looks good. We know exactly what it’s going to look like using that shade of the cement. And if we don’t like the way it looks, we can choose a different shade. The system we were using before just had one tube of try-in paste.

When we cement the crown with G-CEM LinkForce, the excess cement is so much easier to clean off than a different type of cement, so you are actually saving time. Overall, it simplifies many things.