“One night, after a particularly challenging day in the operatory, I woke up in the middle of the night thinking there has to be a better way to restore Class IIs,” recalls Dr. Burton, “I couldn’t go back to sleep, so I went downstairs to the kitchen, sketched some ideas on paper, and headed to my office to begin working on a new wedge design.” Months of sleepless nights and dozens of prototypes later, Dr. Burton perfected his new split-wedge design.
“I discovered I could simplify the matrix system by attaching a smaller matrix to a modified wedge that was split down the middle,” emphasizes Dr. Burton, “The flexible split wedge allows for proper contour and a tight gingival seal, as the two legs of the wedge splay out to effectively hold the matrix in place, creating a system that is fully compatible with all major ring systems. The unique split-wedge design simplifies ring placement, helps stabilize the ring and allows the ring to squeeze the gingival margin closed without impacting matrix contour.”
Through the discovery and implementation of what Dr. Burton describes as “wedge physics”, the unique split-wedge design of VursaWedge provides several distinct advantages compared to traditional wedges. VursaWedge allows the wedge to be inserted without being influenced by the upward forces of the patient’s papilla, thereby preventing deformation inherent to traditional wedge and band systems, such as open contacts and poor gingival margin seals. This eliminates flash, thereby reducing time spent finishing and polishing the restoration particularly in the hard-to-reach interproximal area.
Dr. Burton continues to treat patients at his solo practice in Frankfort, Illinois while also continuing to enhance and improve BurtonBands and VursaWedge product lines with an anticipated July 2021 launch of additional VursaWedge shapes and sizes, including an anatomical wedge specifically designed for difficult furcation cases.
For more information, visit: https://www.youngspecialties.com/product-category/plak-smacker/matrix-systems/
About Dr. Matthew Burton
Founder of Burton Dental Innovations, LLC (www.BurtonBands.com), Matthew Burton, DDS, developed the BurtonBands and VursaWedge matrix system to help dentists achieve more predictable and favorable Class II composite results with improved efficiency and optimal outcomes. Dr. Burton specializes in Class II composite restorations at his private practice in Frankfort, Illinois and has leveraged his insights to develop and market new solutions for dentists who face the same challenges in their own practice.
About Young Specialties
Young Specialties, a division of Young Innovations, LLC, has strategically partnered with some of the most influential brands in the dental specialty market, bringing more than a century of collective experience under one roof. Our mission is to help dental professionals achieve the outcomes they expect in a skilled, compassionate and effective manner. Young Specialties provides clinicians with custom product solutions expertly designed to fit their practices, along with leading-edge technology and best-in-class clinical training programs, all designed to help practices thrive.
