Sameer Puri D.D.S. While many clinicians are familiar with the emax blocks from Ivoclar, very few are familiar with the Impulse range of blocks. The Impulse blocks have both the Value blocks and Opal blocks. In this blog, I want to show you what the indications for use are for the Opal blocks. The Opal blocks are indicated for use for enamel replacement, when you want to go very bright on the shade.
In the case shown below- the patient had severe discolored stumps that required the use of lab fabricated restorations. The technician used an opaque ingot which was then layered with more translucent porcelain to get the final shade. If we tried to complete this case chair side, it never would have worked because the stumps were just too dark. After receiving the case from the lab, we then milled out some Opal blocks just to see how they would look. Obviously in this particular case, the Opal blocks are the incorrect shade and translucency but this shows you what the potential indications are for this material. I would use Opal blocks for enamel replacement, for very thin minimal prep venues or when I want to make the final shade bright. Opal 2 is more opaque than Opal 1 as you can see from the photos below. You cannot use the shortened cycle for these restorations. You have to use the special Impulse firing cycle in your CS oven. You will rarely use these blocks but when there is a clinical situation where the case is appropriate, these blocks may come in handy.
