What's Zendura FLX all About?
The years of experience with orthodontic applications with Zendura® have taught our development team some important lessons. The IDEAL device for clear aligner therapy would:
- Provide firm but gentle force to teeth continually, as prescribed.
- Be comfortable to wear - easy to put on and easy to take off.
- Be invisible and stay clear during the full course of use.
Our original Zendura A material meets these important performance objectives… but we’re always aiming for improvement. Could there be a material that was more compliant during insertion (to reduce patient discomfort) yet apply tooth-moving force better during an aligner stage? Could a material rebound yet be impervious to staining? Could a material do that while being as tough, safe, and effective as Zendura A? It turns out, after searching high and low, the answer is actually "no". No single material achieved this leap in performance…so we found a way to combine high-performance materials in a dual-shell structure. Zendura® FLX™ combines an inner shell to firmly grip teeth and an outer shell to provide a tough barrier against bruxing or grinding from the opposing dental arch. The dual-shell structure provides precise fit and strength.
While a third, central layer provides elastic rebound…the real magic of Zendura FLX.
Commodity plastic materials have some strength, but little elasticity. When deformed, their ability to rebound is limited.
The elastomeric middle layer of Zendura FLX provides dental appliances made with this innovative material with the ability to rebound and recover from mechanical deformation.
The elastic properties that we build into the three-layered sheet of Zendura FLX results in some amazing 3-dimensional properties of the appliance constructed using Zendura FLX. Forces applied in any direction – including rotational forces – receive the rebound response engineered into Zendura FLX!
How Does This Help Build a Better Aligner?
The nature of thermoplastic materials is to adapt to their environment (forces placed on them) over time. This response is exaggerated at higher temperatures, such as at body (or mouth) temperature. This means that ALL thermoformed aligner materials will enter the mouth with a higher force placed on teeth, then decline in force over time. This translates into a good chance of pain for the patient when inserted…and possibly marginal tooth-moving force in as little as a day or two.
All Thermoplastics Apply Less Force Over Time 
The center-layer construction of Zendura FLX has been specifically designed to generate LOWER force on initial insertion, yet have elastic recovery to provide GREATER tooth-moving forces over time than possible with standard/commodity thermoplastic materials. This is a truly unique development by the Bay Materials design team, and one we hope both orthodontists and patients can enjoy!
After all, the idea is to have happier patients, with an increased success rate in tracking actual tooth movement to the prescribed plan of the orthodontist.
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