Dear Colleague,
In my dental practice, I choose products whenever possible from manufacturers that have a reputation and a track record of integrity, high quality, and innovation. Three such companies are presented here, with examples of their products that help me practice at the highest level to provide excellent clinical care and ensure patient satisfaction.
By showing what I use in my practice and what advantages each product has, I hope this column continues to be a valuable resource.
For questions or comments about any of the products I discuss in my column, please email me at rmargeas@aegiscomm.com.
Best,
Bob Margeas, DDS
TrollFoil Articulating Foil
Figure 1 | The thing I like about TrollFoil is that it will mark very accurately for my final occlusal equilibration. It can be used on wet or dry surfaces and is only 8 microns thick. I usually do my initial equilibration using a 200-micron articulating paper and then I finish it up with a TrollFoil—it gives me the most accurate markings of someone’s occlusion. It won’t smudge or give you a false reading when checking a bite. I also like that you don’t have to use hemostatic forceps or special equipment to use the paper. It comes in its own frame; there’s a little tab that you tear off and what’s left will actually be your holder of the paper. But the best thing about it is the thinness. For my final equilibration or if I’m checking a crown that may be high, it marks very accurately, even if it’s a highly polished restoration.
Serrated Saw Blade
Figure 2 | These serrated stainless steel sawblade strips from Brasseler come in packs of 10, and I use them interproximally in several different ways. If I cement a crown on, and I can’t get my floss through the contact, I use this metal strip because it’s effective but it won’t open a contact. I also use it if I have to etch a tooth, and I can’t get a clear matrix strip in between the teeth. In that case, I can cut one of these strips and use it as a little sectional matrix. The metal strips keep the etch from getting on the adjacent teeth. In addition, if I have porcelain veneers that are stuck together, I can use these and it won’t open the contact.
TempOff
Figure 3 | TempOff is a unique instrument that I use for taking off temporary crowns, a permanent crown that I’ve temporarily cemented, or a crown that fits really tightly. It has green spongy foam grips that you can put over the tips of the forceps so when you grab a porcelain crown, it won’t scratch the porcelain. If I have a temporary that’s hard to get off, it has little points that engage the crown and it works extremely well to help me remove it. TempOff grips so well, and it won’t slip off the crown. If the crown is porcelain or glass, you want to use the foam grips, but if you’re working with a bis-acryl, you can just use the instrument without the grips. If you are using a hemostat, you can catch the patient’s lip when trying to remove a crown, and that doesn’t happen with TempOff.
