Powdering : tongue management
Tongue management is essential for effective powdering and taking of the optical image.
It is one thing to powder the tooth preparation and neighbor teeth, but is another to be able to protect this powdered area from being wiped away by an unmanaged tongue.
The Isolite Dryfield Illuminator (www.isolitesystems.com) is one of the most effective methods of powdering and taking the optical image while keeping the tongue and cheek out of the way. This clever device is both mouth prop and cheek and tongue retractor. In addition it is illuminated to increase visibility.
It is sometimes helpful to use a cotton roll in conjunction with the Isolite.
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This mirror shot shows a well powdered correlation image for this hard to reach second molar.
The crown preparation on this same second molar was easily powdered using the Isolite.
Note the well exposed margins typical of those that can be accessed with the Ivoclar diode laser.
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Dry tips are a great way to achieve tongue retraction in some situations.
The Svedopter can aid in tongue retraction.
One of the most comfortable and simple tongue retractors is the Linguaflex. Its high degree of flexibility allows for significant patient comfort.
Because it is so comfortable for patients, the Linguaflex is good to use for correlation images while waiting for anesthesia to take effect.
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Don't forget the obvious! Sometimes a bite block is extremely helpful for those patients that have a difficult time opening for the CEREC camera. These handy devices can also help stabilize the jaw to avoid movement during capturing the optical image.