I totally agree

I remember struggling during dental dam day as well; these dentists and dental assistants make it look so easy! I'm still relatively new in the industry, and it really seems like a "practice makes perfect" situation. Luckily, many of my coworkers have had some great advice and tips that they've used to make things easier. If you're able, don't hesitate to ask around fellow practitioners for tips they've learned over the years! :)

I tried to put it on my patient today but since she can't open her mouth very well and i was working on her most posterior molar, I wasn't even able to insert it 😂.

😂😂😂😂 it makes me nervous too , but i usually control the situation after its done

3:13 dis big thing that dr. is inserting here giving me traumas. Imagine if it slips & hurt patient's eyes🥶.

It’s will become easy as you practice it ! Like a piece of cake

Glad to hear that!

Same here

Glad it helped!

For endodontics you would isolate the single tooth you are working on. For other clinical treatments you may need multiple teeth isolated such as: composite restorations, cementation of indirect restorations which require a dry working field etc etc

From what I've learned in the industry so far, the rule of thumb is to only punch one hole for a tooth if it's being endodontically treated, otherwise, punching one distal and three mesial is a safe bet for general restorations. That being said, I've seen folks who prefer to punch holes for the entire quadrant. I guess it mostly just depends on the dentist's preference.

Use it for your restorative work. It will make life a lot easier.

u can use lubricant gel :D

getting mixed messages here

You are not alone!

When I attended dental school beginning 44 years ago at Georgetown University they had strictly enforced rubber dam policy that basically required all operative procedures to be performed with rubber dam isolation and that isolation was graded before one could pick up a handpiece. If the rubber dam did not provide effective isolation the dam was removed and replaced until; it was properly placed. 44 years later I find placement of a rubber dam rather simple in most cases. I feel empathy for dentists that were not required to learn how to effectively place a rubber dam and have developed an aversion to it's use for zero good reasons. . When I am treating a patient with a rubber dam in place I relax and enjoy my task. Occasionally utilization of a rubber dam is not effective or easy to place. This is when I revert to using and Isodry or Garmers cotton roll holder.I am glad these options exist. I can treat patients for many hours without any stress if the operative field is well isolated and I am confident I can bond restorative materials without the distraction of being concerned that the surface of the teeth becomes contaminated with saliva or blood. If one is able to ignore the negative effects of contamination with blood or saliva during a resin bonded procedure I suppose good isolation is not a priority.

@@doctoredable wow 44 years ago, 😳 I wasn’t even born 21 years ago. Doc, time flies really fast huh..

How did it go? 🤭

yeah.. im having my tooth fixed atm and i really wish i could have opened my mouth wider. its the least i could have done for the dentist. 😥 it got really tiring for me after having my mouth opened for 3 hours tho 🤧

@@swordpupperoni6911 3 hours to have one tooth filled seems kind of long

@@Danny13243 Oh yes it was long. This was consecutively done within a couple of weeks, too. 3 sessions. It was to remove the nerve in my tooth because there was an infection and there were complications throughout the whole ordeal. :D

My answers, in case they help: 1. Not always, if the work is minimal and you ensure the clamp is not impinging the gingiva, you do not always need to anaesthetise the tooth on which the clamp will be placed. I find it useful to try in the clamp on the tooth before fitting the entire rubber dam to ensure a good and comfortable fit. 2. No, I prefer not to have anything underneath the clamp that could be a choking hazard. If the patient requests it or it is a long appointment, I may place a bite block with floss attached to it for easy retrieval. 3. I've never had a dam tear because a patient bit down. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever had a patient try to bite down with the rubber dam on. 4. Yes, the clamp can stop the head of the highspeed/slowspeed handpiece from reaching the ideal position. In these cases, you might have to alter your clamp choice, bur choice, or see if you can prepare the tooth from a different angle.

@@jotham97 thanks

I like to have the dull side facing me as the operator. Much better for photographs and easier to tell if it's dry and clean when it comes to restoring the tooth.

@@jotham97 thank you boss . :)

Yess..same doubt

I've noticed that some dentists don't bother; and it seems to vary from practitioner to practitioner. It's one of those things that I was taught to do in my course, but it seems to be executed differently in practice. That being said, *most* dentists I've worked with use floss for safety; but definitely not all. It makes me nervous not using the floss, but different folks, I guess.

How would you secure the clamp with "a floss"? This is unclear to me.

@@VancouverGranny12 sorry for the late response the idea is to use a dental floss inside the holes of the clamp and tie it around the clamp till the next hole then to tie it inside the next hole afterwards we just take the floss and but it to the side of the patient so if the patient choked on the clamp we could simply just pull it out by pulling the floss out.