The Vario soft 3 extra-coronal precision attachments are primarily selected when the retaining abutments are relatively small and intra coronal attachments would create over contouring. The VS3 also requires less tooth reduction and is designed to be a passive insertion rather than snap into place. It is ideal for patients who have limited manual dexterity, or the prosthesis has a difficult path of insertion and removal. Traditionally extra coronal attachments are easier for patients to insert and remove. Another criteria is that when a patient does not always wear the removable denture as in intra coronal females on the retaining crown, food debris will accumulate thus making seating of the removable denture difficult at best. The Vario Soft 3 extra coronal precision attachments are resilient due to the duroplast retention sleeves. This allows free movement of the prosthesis, to distribute potentially destructive forces or loads away from abutments to support tissue and bone. The fewer abutments remaining and the weaker the abutments are, the greater the need for resiliency or free movement to direct the forces away from the abutments, to the supportive bone and gingiva through the base of the removable denture. The Vario Soft 3 is  very cost effective and has been proven for many years in thousands of cases, and guarantees success with  every restoration for both mandible and maxillary bilateral removable partial dentures. In the case of uni-lateral free end removable partial dentures, they should be cross check stabilised. The dentist and patient benefit form the Vario Soft 3 as a low cost attachment that is resilient with a passive fit, and three retention choices. The duroplast female retention sleeve absorbs negative movements to protect weak abutments and provide patient comfort. The VS3 only need a full coverage abutment preparation and provides the patient with easy insertion and removal. The only service requirement is the quick and easy retention sleeve replacement at chairside. The dental lab benefits with the Vario Soft 3 since it features time saving and simple routine techniques, and requires no additional tools or instruments. The plastic male component burns out cleanly and it may be cast in any alloy to eliminate soldering and dissimilar alloys. The extra coronal design provides for a properly contoured abutment that will enhance aesthetics of the restoration. The Laboratory procedure can include either single or double abutments. After preparing the master model and dies, determine the path of insertion, then wax full coverage crown patterns. Place the males in a surveyor or paralleling instrument and position them on the model adjacent to the wax patterns. Males must be vertically parallel and should be positioned over the crest of the gingival ridge. The adjoining area of the attachment is concave, thus allowing the male to be placed in close proximity to the wax pattern, thus reducing the amount of leverage exerted on the attachment. A milled in lingual rest will act as a stress breaker. The male pattern has no sharp edges and can be adapted to the ridge, respectively it can be shortened up to 40% in cases with limited inter occlusal space. Once the male is fitted just cut off the parallel mandrel and cast the retaining crowns. Then finish the cast crown and male attachment. It is important to obtain a smooth surface without reducing the size and shape of the male. Caution must be exercised to prevent alterations to the dimensions of the male during finishing. Seat the finished casting on the master model and also the yellow female sleeve over the male adjusting it to conform to the dimensions of the male. The yellow female sleeve must be used when duplicating as this ensures that the interior dimensions of the housing sleeve are correct. Prepare the model for the casting. A wax housing sleeve is included in the VS3 assortment. Place it on the refractory model over the sleeve. The wax pattern guarantees that the housing is of uniform thickness, when cast in chrome. This prefabricated wax component is quickly fitted to the investment model. Fill the area contracting the ridge with wax so as to reproduce it fully in chrome cobalt. Next design and wax up the chrome cobalt casting according to the standards of practice. Place Bredent retention crystals over the attachment in order to provide the necessary mechanical retention for the acrylic. Trim and polish the chrome cobalt casting. Do not touch the inner surface of the cast housing, as this could adversely affect its fit over the female. Process the partial denture to the standards of practice, taking care to keep acrylic from getting into the housing for the female retentive sleeve. Insert the desired female using the insertion pin; red indicates high friction, yellow normal, and green, reduced friction. For easy insertion by the patient the occlusal of the male should be slightly beveled or rounded. To service and rebase the VS3, the female retention sleeve can be easily removed using a pointed instrument to slide it from the housing. The replacement retention sleeve be it high or reduced friction and can be inserted effortlessly with the special insertion pin provided in the kit. The relining is done using standards of practice and should be done routinely since failure to reline will place excessive loads upon the attachment and abutments causing potential fracture and failure. So a periodical recalls program is important. For more information on the Bredent attachments, contact us at  info@dent-line.com.

Diamond Instruments for porcelain, procera, in-ceram, empress and metals. The 5 piece assortment consists of three barrel shapes and two wheels. Knife edge and hollow cones are also available.

Recently at a Las Vegas Porcelain Training Session, a few Canadian dental technicians were impressed with a diamond grinder. The porcelain instructor was using. The Bredent Diagen Turbo are a diamond grinding instrument system with exceptional grinding performance. The Diagens are made using selected natural diamonds, in high concentrations, that are bonded to a Ceramic bonding material. This bonding process enables the diagen to grind porcelains without contaminating it while it is well suited for reducing wide areas of materials quickly. Ideally suited for all types of castible ceramics and porcelains, it  can also be used on composites, alloys and chrome. To achieve high grinding performance and abrasion on porcelain or metal you grind gently without exerting  pressure. A 5 piece assortment consists of three barrel shapes and two wheels. Knife edge and hollow cones are also available. The prolonged service life  in comparison to conventional bonded systems, provides for a wide range of applications and high efficiency. For information sheets on the Diagen, contact Dent-Line of Canada at 1-800-250-5111.