The rubber dam

What is the rubber dam?

The rubber dam includes a square rubber blanket that shields one or more teeth from the oral cavity. This rubber does not let liquids or saliva through. It also protects the patient from swallowing or inhaling foreign bodies.

Through small holes or recesses in the rubber, the teeth can protrude from the rubber down to the gums. The rubber is held in place by clasps that clamp onto the tooth and by a rubber dam frame that holds the rubber in place on three sides. In addition, small wooden wedges, dental floss, or small rubber bands can be used to fix the rubber dam even closer to the tooth. The clamping rubber is made of latex. There are also latex-free rubbers for allergy sufferers.

Indications

The general function of the rubber dam is to shield one or more teeth from the moist oral cavity and to keep the area in which one works as dry as possible. When working with plastic, a rubber dam is indicated, since plastic cannot tolerate moisture. When placing a plastic filling, no liquid or saliva may enter the hole, otherwise the plastic will not stick to the tooth.

In addition, saliva also contains bacteria that would be trapped under the filling and could lead to caries. You can find more details about this under: When a ceramic crown with adhesive plastic is used, a rubber dam is also helpful because the entire tooth must be dry during this work. A rubber dam is also often used during a root canal treatment.

The purpose is to prevent germs from saliva or gum fluid from entering the root canal. The goal of root canal treatment is to keep the canal free of bacteria. An additional problem with root canal treatment is that the canal is rinsed with aggressive substances that are harmful to the oral mucosa and taste unpleasant.

During this treatment there is also the risk that a root canal file may be swallowed or inhaled. A clamping rubber would catch the instruments. You can find additional information about root canal treatment here.

When working with plastic, high-percentage alcohol is used for disinfection, which should not necessarily get onto the oral mucosa. However, a rubber dam cannot be placed for every tooth or every treatment. If the defect on the tooth goes under the gum, a rubber dam cannot shield this area dry.

The same is true if the preparation border of a filling is below the gum line. Sometimes the tooth is shaped in such a way that the rubber dam clamp does not hold on the tooth and the rubber dam is not tight. In these cases it is annoying to apply a clamping rubber.