Composite restorative dentistry in your practice (Proceedings)

The use of dental composites

Dental materials and their applications are the most rapidly evolving developments in both human and veterinary dentistry. The varied applications of dental composites in veterinary dentistry beyond their use in human dentistry are cutting edge innovations.

Composites are either chemically cured or light cured. Currently light cured composites are used most frequently in dentistry for cosmetic bonding and tooth restoration.

Chemically cured composites have recently been employed in human and Veterinary dentistry for a variety of procedures. The new chemically cured composites are mixed and delivered out of a syringe type gun called a Garant. This delivery system functions similar to caulking guns used by carpenters. The difference being that the composite base and catalyst are mixed as they art delivered through a mixing tube rather that premixed before delivery.

One of the first such composites called Protemp Garant (ESPY inc. Fig) was first introduced to my human dental practice. I had been using dental acrylics to construct stabilizing occlusal splints for non-invasive mandibular fracture reduction, avulsion, luxation and symphyseal fractures With a small amount of experimentation, I found a great advantage in the use of Protemp over acrylics for splint construction. It is stronger, simpler and faster to use. A bilateral mandibular fracture can be reduced in less than one hour. Symphyseal fractures in cats can be stabilized in ten minutes without the use of invasive cerclage wires.

Other applications of Protemp became evident - one of the most practical being the creation of a simple incline plane to correct base narrow lower canines in dogs.

The construction of an incline plane for base narrow canine teeth is made with the dog in dorsal recumbence. Protemp is dispensed around the upper canine, between the canine and the lateral incisor, and around the intermediate incisor. The composite must extend medially. This allows the lower canine tooth to engage the incline plane deflecting it into normal alignment.

After the composite has polymerized, it is shaped with a diamond burr or an acrylic bur to create the incline plane. The base narrow lower canine tooth must strike the incline when the dog closes. This forces the canine tooth laterally into proper occlusion.

Conclusion

There are so many dental developments occurring so rapidly, that tomorrow will always bring a new and better way to do what we do today.

Chemically cured composites have many and varied applications, such as turtle shell repair, bird beak fractures or beak alignment or occlusion correction. It is possible with selected research that chemically cured composites may someday be used for general orthopedics; possibly incorporating chemically cured composites with orthopedic pins to produce exact bony alignment that is often difficult to achieve with bone plating techniques.