Rubber Dam

Rubber dam clamps are hard to keep organized. Are there any tricks to help?

Dental offices produce up to 200 services with hundreds of components. Without good organization, clinical teams end up flustered and inefficient. Rubber dam clamps often end up in a box interlocked together and difficult to identify.

The Hygenic Fiesta Color-Coded Camp Organizer provides an innovative solution that makes everyone’s job easier. The stainless steel organizer holds nine individually color-coded clamps that rest on matching pegs.

Are there alternatives to a rubber dam?

Rubber dams provide an unmatched resource, combining airway protection and an isolated dry field. In some procedures, like endodontics, a rubber dam is the standard of care and should always be used. The Hygenic Flexi Dam eliminates the time-consuming fitting of a separate frame with its ultra-convenient, built-in-frame! The dam offers an ideal working size of 100 mm x 105 mm to ensure easy placement, and the smooth surface of the plastic frame helps to maximize patient comfort.

Consider Airway Armor from Zirc to assist with orthodontic procedures, pediatric procedures, tooth extractions, try-in and cementation of inlays, onlays, crowns, bridges, and veneers. The flexible material protects the airway from debris and offers general isolation of the working field.

Are there ways to prevent moisture seepage around a rubber dam?

A rubber dam with properly-spaced holes prevents most seepage into the working field. When assistants place the dam, they should invert the material’s edges around the teeth using a hand instrument.  A heavy material, like Elasti-Dam Heavy, provides excellent retraction when used this way.

A simple trick that some clinicians use includes placement of a light-cured resin around the tooth’s base.  While Dam Cool is primarily used on its own to protect gingiva during bleaching or air abrasion procedures, it may be placed over the rubber dam margin to provide a better seal.