Rubber Dam Placement for Anterior & Posterior Teeth

Check out this video on rubber dam application including rubber dam clamps & isolation for posterior/anterior teeth! Enjoy! Rubber Dam In Video - https://amzn.to/2LZQnPn (Full Disclosure - The above links are affiliate links, but I’d recommend these products either way, thanks for the support) Script: What is up guys, its Dr. Sami & today I want to review some tips on how to place the rubber dam! So the rubber dam is an awesome tool in dentistry that allows us to protect the back of the throat & maintain isolation for procedures that require bonding. I personally try to use this tool as often as possible & find that it makes my work more predictable & enjoyable. However, I have found that a lot of dentists avoid the rubber dam because of how difficult it can be to place in the mouth. . . In this video, I plan on sharing some basic tips I use everyday to make rubber dam placement simple & convenient for any patient.... So 95 percent of my cases involve three basic setups. & the first setup i want to talk about involves the upper posterior teeth. I always clamp the molars when working on the posterior quadrants because it gives me more room to maneuver my drill when working. I prefer a clamp with serrations to be able to comfortably grip the teeth with variations in anatomy while the wings help give me slightly more retraction when working... I then create a custom rubber dam template. The prefabricated templates are incredibly helpful but i find that making a custom template helps with people that have teeth that aren’t aligned in a perfect arch. I start this process by attaching the rubber dam to the frame. This allows me to stretch the rubber dam while my assistant marks the teeth. This is done after giving local anesthesia so that our patients have some time to get profoundly numb. . . All we have to do now is deliver the clamp to the tooth & place the rubber dam! When placing the clamp, I make sure to slowly maneuver the ridges over the height of contour and to be extra careful of the gums. Patients will feel no pain if the clamp is placed entirely over the tooth surface. After placing the clamp, I make sure it is stable & in the correct position. The floss gives me the ability to retrieve the clamp at any time. As you can see here there is no bleeding, the clamp is very stable & the patient is comfortable... The last step involves placing the dam over each individual tooth. I prefer to start with anterior teeth and work my way towards the back one tooth at a time. I find that this technique makes makes this process more predictable & secure. If i get caught up on any tooth, my assistant helps with floss to lock it into place. Once the dam is secure, I use a flat instrument to help invert the rubber dam and prevent any salivary leakage. As you can see, we have achieved an awesome barrier that helps protect the throat & isolate the teeth. Alright so isolating the upper anterior teeth is actually a bit easier. We have the same setup as before but typically I don’t use any clamps.... instead, I cut the edges of the rubber dam and use those pieces to wedge the rubber dam into place. This will definitely helps secure the rubber dam but if you have teeth with gaps in between, you may need a premolar clamp for that extra stability. If the decay extends under the gums, i use a floss ligation to retract the rubber dam further cervically. This exposes the entire tooth so that I can visualize those hard to reach areas! My last setup involves the lower posterior quadrant & it follows the same exact protocol as the upper posteriors. However, I use a different clamp which I find fits comfortably over most molars. As you can see, the rubber dam fits snugly on each tooth and has no leakage whatsoever! Well I hope this video help those of you out there that are struggling to put the rubber dam on. at the beginning it takes some time, but with practice the rubber dam should slip on with ease. If y’all have any questions or video ideas please comment below! Don’t forget to subscribe and like if you enjoyed the content and I’ll see you for my next one

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