Heraeus 360 Newsletter
June 2011
Lee Ann Brady DMD
I have the good fortune to interact with dentists from around the world. We discuss the practice of dentistry, share experiences, and trade little tips that we can take back to our practices. Some of these “tips” made such a difference in what I do, they have stayed with me, and I love to share them with others. Here are five of my favorites.
1) Place a wedge interproximally as soon as the patient is numb, before beginning the prep. It can take several minutes for the PDL to be compressed and a wedge to overcome the dimension of the matrix band. This way you will see a space between the adjacent teeth, making prepping the box easier, and the contact tighter. You may have to place a larger wedge when you are ready to place the matrix.
2) Don’t put your dentin adhesive out until you are ready to apply it. The solvent in dentin adhesive will evaporate; changing the thickness of the material and also altering it’s properties, such as bond strength. If you are using a unit dose of I-bond don’t snap the cap until you are ready to apply.
3) Dog Ear the corner of a sectional matrix to create a handle. Sectional matrix bands can be difficult to hold on to, and impossible to hold at the correct angle for placement. By bending down one corner, I create a handle that allows me not to contort my hand during placement.
4) Use Gluma routinely. A good friend of mine has a standard line whenever anyone mentions Gluma, “Every Prep, Every Time”. I am with him on this one, the near lack of post op sensitivity in my practice gives me peace of mind and it an incredible internal marketing tool.
5) Take four photos on every hygiene patient that you print and give them for their records. One of the most powerful tools for increasing case acceptance I have implemented is to have my hygienist take a full smile, retracted smile, upper and lower occlusal photos. We take them at the beginning of the apt., print them and give the patient a copy for their records. The hygienist instructs them that if they see anything in the photos they have a question about to circle it and then they will ask me when I come in.
[…] my clinical outcomes and the patient’s experience. For these reasons I follow the rule “Every Prep, Every Time”. For indirect restorations, this does mean they get treated both on the day we do the prep prior to […]