rubber dam in dental use

A rubber dam or dental dam is a rectangular sheet of latex used by dentists, especially for root canal treatment, but also for things like tooth-coloured fillings. If you are allergic to latex, there are non-latex versions available. In dentist-speak, the rubber dam is also referred to as “a special raincoat for teeth”.

Dental dams come in lots of different colours (green and blue are very popular options). Your dentist uses a hole puncher (similar to the one you use for paper) to make a hole in the sheet for the tooth to be treated. Most commonly, the rubber dam is used for root canal treatment, and only one hole is punched. 

Your dentist then puts the sheet onto a metal frame to make it easier to place it. A tiny clamp is placed around the tooth itself to prevent the rubber dam from slipping, and then the sheet with the hole in it is slipped around the clamp.


Why is rubber damn important???

• It stops bacteria in your saliva (spit) from splashing onto the tooth. This is very important for successful root canal treatment, because the bacteria in saliva can re-contaminate the tooth.

• You don’t have to worry about your tongue getting in the way
• You don’t get water (or, during root canal treatment, bleach) into your throat
• It protects your throat from little bits of tooth debris
• If you are prone to gagging, it helps to protect your gag reflex area from being triggered
• It protects the lips and cheeks by keeping them out of the way
• It keeps the tooth dry – very important nowadays because many materials need a dry clean environment for tooth-coloured fillings to bond properly
• It gives you peace of mind that the dentist cannot accidentally drop the tiny files used to clean out the tooth (during root canal treatment) into your mouth
• It can create a distance between yourself and the treatment: “Think of it as a ‘raincoat’ which you hide under while ‘your tooth’ not ‘you’ is being treated.”

Is it discomfortable with a dental dam on??

Slight discomfort may be felt. 

Many people have a fear of the rubber dam because they are worried that they won’t be able to breathe and/or swallow. In the normal way (with the usual rubber dam design, where the sheet is put on a frame), there is lots of room around the sides, so you will be able to breathe through your mouth.

There is another kind of dental dam called a quickdam. This design doesn’t have the metal frame, and it’s not so easy to breathe with that in place. However, the quickdam design is far less common.

With both designs, you can breathe through your nose. But if you have trouble breathing through your nose for any reason (e. g. having a cold, allergies, generally being a mouth breather, or feeling claustrophobic when breathing through your nose only), the quickdam design is not a great idea!

What if Gagging occurs??

• Let your dentist know about your concern. S/he can then make sure that the dental dam is set up in such a way that you can breathe comfortably.
• Use a little suction tube which you can hold yourself to suck up any saliva as it builds up. You won’t feel as if you’re constantly having to swallow because you’re drowning in your saliva.
• You may also want to practice breathing and swallowing with the dam on first, before any actual treatment. This practice can be done without using the little clamp, so you don’t need local anaesthetic first.
• You can practice using the little suction tube during this rehearsal.
• It can also help if you use a handheld mirror during the rehearsal (to see what is going on), while taking some deep breaths.

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Milan Tomic

Hi. I’m Designer of Blog Magic. I’m CEO/Founder of ThemeXpose. I’m Creative Art Director, Web Designer, UI/UX Designer, Interaction Designer, Industrial Designer, Web Developer, Business Enthusiast, StartUp Enthusiast, Speaker, Writer and Photographer. Inspired to make things looks better.

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