The "Message in a Bottle Mailbag" is a monthly feature of the e-newsletter, Pearls for Your Practice: The Product Navigator. Each month, Editorial Director Joshua Austin, DDS, FAGD, answers reader-submitted questions to help you navigate your dental product decisions (and more!). This month, he responds to a question about using the Jiffy Universal kits while delivering crowns, gives some tips on what to look for in a sectional matrix system, and consoles a reader about the Oklahoma City Thunder's loss of Kevin Durant.
ANSWER:
Good question, Sam. Thanks for writing in. No, I don’t use both kits when I deliver a crown—just the extraoral kit. When I am delivering a crown, I find it much easier to do adjustments outside of the mouth. I only use the intraoral kit when I need to adjust a crown that has already been cemented. The intraoral points are really small, so you will burn through them much faster if you are using them full-time, whereas the extraoral points and wheels are much larger. They should be your workhorses when it comes to adjusting and polishing high-strength ceramics before delivery. If you need to do more aggressive occlusal adjustments on zirconia, you may need one of the football-shaped diamonds that come with the intraoral kits. I ordered a couple of those and put them in my extraoral kit for that sole purpose. I have found that works really well for me. I hope it will work well for you too!
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QUESTION:
Randy from Tampa, Florida, asked: What should I look for in a sectional matrix system?
ANSWER:
That is a very, very good question, Randy. Sectional matrix systems are vital if you are placing a lot of posterior composite—so basically, they're vital for everyone. I just don’t think it's easy or predictable to get an interproximal contact without a sectional matrix system. There are two that I have found to stand above the others: One is the Triodent V3 System from Ultradent, and the other is the Composi-Tight 3D XR system from Garrison Dental Solutions. These systems offer similar advantages that you just can’t get with a band. One is an anatomical matrix—a matrix with curves—since teeth aren’t straight and flat, but bands are . . . or at least bands flatten when applied. An anatomical matrix helps us recreate these curves to yield the embrasures we want to achieve. Both kits come with a bunch of different sizes of matrices, so you can pick the right one for the job. The next important thing is using an anatomic wedge. Both kits come with really nice wedges, although the Garrison 3D Fusion Wedge, which is amazing, has a slight edge. The last piece of the puzzle is the ring. Both sets come with tight rings that stay tight but don’t go shooting off across the room. There is a bit of a learning curve to using a sectional matrix system, but for me, it is an absolute must for practicing restorative dentistry. I could not live without one.
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ANSWER:
Well, Jim, I do feel for you. I can’t imagine having a guy like Durant leave. It's such a shame. Those guys should have won multiple titles. They are the team that should have "been" but never "was" (just like the Orlando Magic in the '90s). But you have to put yourself in Durant’s shoes. He was being wooed and courted, which has to be intoxicating. Here comes this fun, upbeat team with this innovative, world-beating, up-and-down offense that wants him. With Durant, the Golden State Warriors automatically became one of the greatest teams of all time—at least on paper. That's alluring. Factor in San Francisco as a city for a rich 27-year-old to live in, compared to Oklahoma City, and I'm sure you can see how it would be hard not to jump.
You will survive. Sam Presti has Spurs blood in him. This isn’t the end for the franchise or anything. When you are at your darkest, and you can’t imagine a deeper pit of despair, think of Seattle. You are lucky to have a team. Soldier on, Jim . . . your season tickets probably just got a little cheaper!
Editor's Note: Do you have a question for Dr. Austin? Is there a product you'd like to see him review? Or would you like to submit your own "Pearl"? Send an email to [email protected]. You might just see it in the e-newsletter, Pearls for Your Practice: The Product Navigator! If you're not a Product Navigator subscriber, click here to sign up.
MORE MAILBAGS:
July 2016 | Loupes, patient education app, a trip to Spain
June 2016 | Lip and cheek retractors, temporary cement, writing
May 2016 | Using a stump shade guide, transitioning to digital impressions, TV shows
