Product Review: BRILLIANT Everglow® Composite

The Members of Catapult Education were asked to evaluate COLTENE’s BRILLIANT EverGlow®, and ultimately this product came along and made them say “Winner!”

The material is described by COLTENE as a universal submicron hybrid composite, suitable for anterior and posterior restorations and is applied in 2-mm increments. It also has excellent polishability and strength comparable to 3M’s Filtek™

Supreme Ultra Universal Restorative. Its “Duo Shade” feature aids in excellent esthetics and simplified shading for a chameleon effect with more efficient placement. The combination of easy handling, strength and polishability should be a big help to every clinician. Catapult Education engaged 29 of its evaluators to test BRILLIANT EverGlow’s many qualities. This group had some of its own common traits and differences:

• One-third of the evaluators use the industry leader in composite sales, 3M’s Filtek™ Supreme Ultra Universal Restorative.
• As typical with most dental offices, more than one composite was used by the majority of the evaluators.

What were the important qualities we were looking for in a composite and how did BRILLIANT EverGlow match up?

• Handling (in terms of sculptability, non- sticky, non-tacky, wax type feel, contouring, etc.) - Almost every evaluator commented on such in one way or the other. 50% of the evaluators thought it was excellent, while almost 40% rated handling as good. That diversity of opinion is fairly typical in composite evaluations with individual comments like “ideal,” “too tacky,” “needing a warmer,” or “not needing a warmer.”
• Polishability was rated even higher than handling with 19 of 28 evaluators rating it as excellent.
• Overall experience was rated good to excellent by 25 of 28 evaluators.
• In regard to purchasing the product, 22 of 28 evaluators commented “yes,” which is very high for a composite evaluation.
• The overall impression of BRILLIANT EverGlow by the group is that it’s a very good overall composite.
• Many of the evaluators found this to be similar to their favorite current composites, which is a high compliment because they’re comparing it to their preferred brands.

Case Study
by Hugh Flax

A patient with a very compromised cardiovascular condition wanted to conservatively improve her smile at tooth #7, where it was dark from retrusion and old composite material that was poorly shaped. To correct this matter, a strategy to whiten the surrounding teeth while a blueprint of an improved shape/ volume was created on a model would be followed by gently reshaping line angles and doing a direct veneer on the challenging tooth (Fig. 6).

STEP 01 Tooth #7 was conservatively prepared to remove old composite buccally and interproximally. After microetching with aluminum oxide and rinsing with chlorhexidine, 37% phosphoric acid was applied and rinsed thoroughly with water and then lightly dried.

STEP 02 ONE COAT 7 UNIVERSAL (COLTENE) bonding agent was applied/dried for 25 seconds and cured for 10 seconds (Fig. 7).

STEP 03 Using a putty matrix, a thin layer of translucent shade was adapted and sculpted to create a lingual incisal “scaffold” to frame the primary anatomy of the tooth as well as the lingual occlusal anatomy (Fig. 8).

The A1/B1 Duo Shade was applied and layered using a compule of material on the facial surface following the two planed anatomy of the tooth as well as the mesiodistal line angles of the contralateral tooth and buccal contours of the adjacent teeth (Fig. 9).

STEP 05 Smoothing the gingival margins and refining the primary anatomy was performed with a 12 fluted carbide ET9 finishing bur and coarse/fine composite finishing discs.


STEP 06 Secondary anatomy was created with a fine diamond flameshaped diamond to develop depressions between the three labial lobes.


STEP 07 Occlusion was verified and adjusted with a 12 fluted egg-shaped bur (Fig. 10).

STEP 08 Interproximal polishing was done with various grits of strips to aid in flossing and to decrease the risk of stain buildup in the future (Fig. 11).

STEP 09 ALPEN® ShapeGuard Composite Plus Step 2 Polishers and a felt polishing disc with aluminum oxide paste created a natural high gloss finish for esthetics and longevity (Fig. 12).

The close-up, post-treatment photo demonstrates the beautiful blend of color and anatomical congruency for this minimal change to the patient’s smile (Fig. 13). The patient was ecstatic about the simple and natural improvement in her appearance — especially doing this with no anesthesia given her heart condition. It was gratifying to help this young mother feel more confident again. The transitional approach with a very reliable composite could be a stepping stone for our patient’s desire for an ideal smile when her medical condition stabilizes. (Fig. 14).