JOSEPH PELERIN, DDS, has a spot on his deck where he prays or meditates. It was there that he found himself thinking about the potential for a desensitizer with a glutaraldehyde-free, chlorhexidine-based formula.
Pelerin contracted a company to create a prototype, and Hemaseal & Cide® was born. That was 24 years ago. Since then, Hemaseal & Cide has become Advantage Dental Inc.’s most popular product. In addition to its desensitizing properties, Hemaseal & Cide has established a clinical track record of improving bond strength, reducing microleakage, and demonstrating twice the antimicrobial activity of popular glutaraldehyde desensitizers—all while being economically priced.
In the beginning, Pelerin simply wanted something that was more effective for desensitizing. At an Academy of Operative Dentistry meeting, he listened to a representative from the National Institutes of Health discuss the benefits of using chlorhexidine in periodontal treatment.
“He described the mechanism of action of the molecule in a mouth rinse,” Pelerin says. “I knew that one of the main reasons for postoperative sensitivity in posterior composite restorations was a micro-void in the bond, and I thought that in eliminating those voids, we could avoid using glutaraldehyde and instead use chlorhexidine, which does not irritate the soft tissue. I am very mechanical, and I was using chlorhexidine as a mechanical building block. I also found that chlorhexidine can lower the surface tension of water, and I thought that this could really be the ultimate liquid to eliminate postoperative sensitivity and provide other benefits without the negative effects of glutaraldehyde. If glutaraldehyde were a new substance being submitted for FDA clearance today, I do not believe that it would be cleared.”
Although postoperative sensitivity was only a problem for approximately 3% of Pelerin’s patients, he notes that it was significant for that 3%. When he began using Hemaseal & Cide, however, that number went down to 0%.
“I thought, ‘Wow, either I am really lucky this month, or this really works,’” he says.
As other dentists began trying the new product, word spread about the results that it could achieve.
The benefits of Hemaseal & Cide soon became apparent. Several studies have confirmed its antimicrobial abilities. One study found it to be twice as powerful as the leading glutaraldehyde-based product at killing Staphylococcus bacteria. Furthermore, it has been found to enhance bond strength and reduce microleakage. Pelerin notes that it is even useful in conjunction with newer self-etch products that eliminate postoperative sensitivity because of these added benefits.
The research is clear: anyone who is doing operative dentistry should be using Hemaseal & Cide.
“Dentistry is tough enough; we do not need unnecessary obstacles making our lives miserable.”
