Class II Composites WITHOUT a Wedge + Contact Opening Technique – PDP188

Class II’s are only easy when they are small (but not too small), supragingival, easily accessible with straight-forward anatomy. In other words, about 1% of the Class IIs we encounter - because the vast majority I see are subgingival, wide, with awkward root concavities and tricky access. I went from using sectional matrices 97% of the time to now just using them 30% of the time - this is thanks to a circumferential matrix I started to use last year which is a game changer. I now do not need to use a wedge in most scenarios (something I used to think was a crime!) and have been using the ‘contact opening technique’. Meet Dr Sunny Sadana, who has brought the Greater Curve system to the UK and taught me a lot about efficiency with direct restorations. We also discuss fee-setting and patient communication - this part of the video is only available for those on our Protrusive Guidance network. https://youtu.be/QF3b8V_29Vw Watch PDP188 on Youtube Protrusive Dental Pearl  Pre-wedging; use this technique before beginning any restorative work on the tooth you are working on, this will allow a greater field of view to work in. It also helps suppress the papilla to get better access to the caries. This can all be achieved by numbing the area first and wedging with adequate enough pressure for there to be separation. It also reduced iatrogenic damage and is also worthwhile considering using a wedge-guard/fender wedge. Check out the DRE Composite Course Need to Read it? Check out the Full Episode Transcript below! Access the CPD quiz through our app on https://www.protrusive.app, either on your browser or by downloading our mobile app. For the full educational experience, our Ultimate Education Plan gives you access to all our courses, webinars, and exclusive monthly content. Join us on Protrusive Guidance, our own platform for dental professionals. No need for Facebook anymore! 😉 If you liked this episode, you will also like PDP104 Back to Back Class II Secrets (Sectional Matrix Troubleshooting) Click below for full episode transcript: Jaz's Introduction: The humble wedge gives us so many benefits when it comes to class II. Like, going back to basics, you put a wedge in for your class II, and it ensures that the matrix is right up against that cavity margin. So, wedging is important. Jaz’s Introduction:The other benefit, of course, is that it gives you some separation. And this helps to accommodate for the actual width of the matrix span, so that once you finish your restoration, you remove the wedge and hopefully the teeth will rebound and you'll have a contact. Another benefit of wedges is actually suppressing or depressing that papilla. It allows you to manage those deeper cavities with much more ease. So as you can see, I'm a fan of wedging and I even invest in all sorts of different types of wedges and those low profile diamond wedges for those trickier and deeper scenarios. So why is this episode on doing your class two restorations without a wedge? Isn't that a little bit crazy? Hello Protruserati, I'm Jaz Gulati and welcome back to your favorite dental podcast. So let me tell you, it was like a paradigm shift. It was a big shift in my thinking when I started to use this technique without a wedge because the wedge has so many benefits, but how many times have you introduced the wedge and seen that your matrix band has completely now moved away from your contact? You have an open contact now. And sometimes a bit like the ring, the wedge can distort your matrix. So if there is a way to do good quality class three restorations and get a contact and get a seal without needing to use a wedge, then that is worth exploring. And that's exactly what we're doing today. My guest, Dr. Sunny Sadana is a major fan of the greater curve matrix band. He's a distributor in the UK. Now, many of you in the States watching, listening to this.