In First Impressions George Freedman, DDS, gives readers a brief summary of products that have recently been introduced to dentistry, based on his clinical experience.
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Massad Edentulous Low Temp Impression Tray |
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The most difficult part of creating dentures is to get an accurate initial impression. If the denture impression does not capture all the soft-tissue details along with the underlying hard-tissue framework, the denture cannot possibly fit well. For every detail that is not accurately recorded, the practitioner will spend tremendous amounts of chairside time adjusting and repairing the error. The Massad Low Temp Edentulous Impression Tray is designed to be customized right inside the mouth, thus eliminating the need to make a custom tray, reducing both lab cost and chair time and greatly improving impression accuracy. Most importantly for the patient, impression-taking comfort is guaranteed due to the rapid cooling rate of the tray material. This tray is available in 5 maxillary and 5 mandibular sizes, matching all patient arches. The tray body (but not the handle) is immersed in heated water for 30 seconds until rubbery. As it rapidly cools, the tray is inserted into the patient’s mouth, where it is quickly molded to closely approximate the patient’s arch. Dabs of impression material are incrementally placed to stabilize the tray on the arch. Pressure areas are removed. Border areas are trimmed approximately 0.5 mm to allow adequate thickness for the final wash on all peripheral and internal surfaces. The impression is poured in stone or digitally scanned, and the denture fabrication begins on a perfect foundation—an accurate model of the arch. The tray handle can be separately molded to a more comfortable access simply by inserting the material into the hot bath and shaping it immediately thereafter. The entire procedure should be completed in less than 15 minutes. |
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Embrace Varnish |
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The key to maintaining a healthy and stable oral condition is often dependent on the environmental input of the dental team. The most important parameters are the protection of the mineralized state of hard tissues and the bioavailability of suitable ions in the oral fluids, particularly in the immediate vicinity of the teeth. The dentist and hygienist must ensure that patients, in spite of their diet and oral care practices, are protected as much as possible from the acid damage that is the most common source of hard- and soft-tissue breakdowns. Pulpdent’s Embrace Varnish is a 5% sodium fluoride gel with xylitol-coated calcium phosphate in a permeable resin matrix. The xylitol coating is in place to prevent the calcium and phosphate salts from interacting until they come in contact with saliva. Once the saliva dissolves the xylitol, the calcium and phosphate ions are released. Then they react with the fluoride ions in the mouth to form protective fluorapatite on the teeth. Embrace Varnish contains the bioavailable calcium, phosphate, and fluoride that are essential to remineralization and hard-tissue protection. It is a pleasant tasting, single-component gel that does not separate, and no mixing is required prior to application. The application technique couldn’t be simpler: dry the teeth with the gauze (teeth should be clean, but prophylaxis is not required), remove the brush and open the varnish pouch, dispense the gel on the glove or a pad, and apply a thin coat with a single horizontal swipe of the brush. Embrace Varnish delivers up to 10 times more fluoride than many other similar products.Dr. Freedman is a founder and past president of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, a co-founder of the Canadian Academy for Esthetic Dentistry, and a Diplomate of the American Board of Aesthetic Dentistry. He is a visiting professor at the Universita di Firenze, Florence, Italy. He is the materials editor for Dentistry Today. He is the author or co-author of 11 textbooks, including his most recent textbook Contemporary Esthetic Dentistry (Elsevier), more than 700 dental articles, and numerous webinars and CDs, and is a team member of REALITY. He lectures internationally on dental aesthetics, adhesion, desensitization, composites, impression materials, and porcelain veneers. A graduate of McGill University in Montreal, Dr. Freedman maintains a private practice limited to aesthetic dentistry in Toronto. He can be reached at (905) 513-9191 or epdot@rogers.com.
