Simply put, light diffusion refers to a material’s ability to scatter and reflect light rays in many different angles. Composites without a form of light diffusion technology are less forgiving and that’s why preparation borders are still often visible through the composite. Alternately, a composite can be so opaque that the filling often stands out from the tooth tissue. With aesthetic composites, the ability to diffuse light in all directions, in a way that emulates these natural teeth, is crucial to their success. With the help of Kuraray Noritake Dental’s Light Diffusion (LD) technology—which incorporates light diffusion particle fillers to augment the opacity of restorations—our CLEARFIL MAJESTY family of composites can do just this.

Both CLEARFIL MAJESTY ES-2 Premium and Classic, as well as CLEARFIL MAJESTY ES Flow, faithfully reproduce the diffusive properties of tooth structure. This means that they show a higher level of light diffusion in the more opaque shades (dentin) and a lower level in the more translucent ones.

The actual effect of our LD technology can be clearly seen in the following images. On the laminated Light Diffusion Card there are three discs, each made of a composite material less than 1mm thick. The composite on the left (the CLEARFIL MAJESTY Esthetic) is the most translucent of the three when the card is placed directly on top of another surface—this composite best allows the text to be read through it. However, increasing the distance from the text by inserting a pair of two-euro coins underneath the card reverses this outcome—thanks to the light diffusion properties of CLEARFIL MAJESTY Esthetic, it is the only composite through which the text can no longer be read.

When put into practice, the end result is simple: this light diffusion helps create a restoration that merges effortlessly with the surrounding natural dentition.