| Inside This Issue |
| 1. Increase Your Attachment Business |
| 2. Introducing Bredent's New Microbur |
| 3. Revisiting the Hollow Pontic |
| 4. Next Scheduled Attachment Seminar |
| 5. Setting Goals For 1999 |

The research and development engineers at Bredent's facilities in Germany have developed a macro bur capable of extending service life up to three times the conventional cuts from Bredent's carbides. The micro bur is provided with relief on the blades in an additional manufacturing process. The wide relief supports the sharp edge to avoid wearing of the edges. This way the service life is extended. The optimized machining angle of the blades create an enhanced cutting performance by improving the control of the cutting edge when engaging dental materials. This improved control makes for chatter-free cutting, producing smooth surfaces while reducing overall vibration through the hand piece. Thus protecting the wrist from occupational damage. The diagrams will explain the new design feature of Rapidy Microbur. For a catalogue on the Bredent carbides contact Dent-line at 1-800-250-5111
Hollow Pontic Technique Revisited
The hollow pontic technique was developed in order
to combat the problems encountered in conventional crown and bridge fabrication.
Here are some that we have seen such as contraction cavities, stresses,
in homogeneity, cracked connectors, instability, differences in thermo
expansion during firing between crown and pontic and excessive weight when
using precious metals. The object of this technique is primarily to produce
crowns and pontics with balanced volumes
after casting. In order to achieve this, the pontics were designed to be
hollow. During solidification of solid pontics, a contraction process is
initiated which leads to metal being drawn away from the thin sectioned,
adjacent crown to the centers of the solid pontics. Therefore in cases
involving large pontic construction, surface defects such as porosity's
and contraction cavities can be caused around the sprue. What will occur
in any case is that the cast structure of the connectors between the separate
pontics will be inhomogeneous. This together with micro-fine or even visible
cracks, can lead to an awkward loss of stability. Another development to
offset porosity and improve grain structure of the metal is a
"Square" sided sprue
wax called quadro. Research confirms that round conventional sprues create
turbulence in the metal as it spins through the sprue channel. The square
sided quadro sprue prevents the circumferential spinning and forces the
metal to flow into the corners reducing turbulence in the sprue channel.
The result is a finer and condensed grain structure of the metal. Hollow
pontic wax units provide contraction and stress free metal sub structures.
As the volumes of the cast crowns and pontics are well-balanced thermo
expansion and many other problems disappear. Also ceramic occlusal surfaces
can be refined to provide good aesthetics as fissures can be carved much
deeper than with solid pontics, while reducing 58 % of the metal used for
pontics. Stefan Borenstein RDT says the best way to fill a hollow pontic
is to prebake little rods of varying sizes using opaque mixed with dentin.
Then insert these rods into the hollow pontic at the wax up stage and cast
your alloy directly onto them. This saves time for the ceramist to fill
the hollow and is very productive and cost effective. Thank You Stefan.
Another use for hollow pontics is implant related. When waxing up single
units or bridges over plastic cylinders like the UCLA abutment, just slip
a suitable sized hollow pontic over the cylinder and fill in any voids
between the wax pontic and the cylinder wall This will cut waxing time
considerably and is cost effective. The hollow pontics come in 1x4 blocks
or in single form. The Quadro wax sprues
and pontics are available from Bredent. For a free sample please contact
Dent-line
of Canada at 1-800-250-5111.
Seminar Date
Dent-line of Canada will sponsor a presentation on various attachments
and screw retained bridge work as well. The seminar will take place at
the 25 th Anniversary of Technorama 1999 to
be held Friday March 26,1999 and Saturday, March 27,1999 at The Inn On
The Park, 1100 Eglinton Ave. East, Toronto, Ontario, M3C 1H8. Continuing
education points would apply. Plan to attend a once a year opportunity
to participate in a two day program designed just for you! For additional
information call 1-800-250-5111
Goal Setting for 1999
Write down those goals - Dreamers fantasize; achievers plan. Be Specific,
Make
them Measurable, Take Action,
Make them Realistic, Develop a Time
Plan. If you follow the above, you will be S-M-A-R-T.
Write down your personal, family and business goals, and do your best to
get there. Nothing feels better than achieving those goals.
Source: Toastmaster, Voice of Muskoka Newsletter; District 60 - Club #1940
Volume 2 Issue 4, December 1997
The Dent-liner; Vol. 2, No. 4
Publisher: Peter T. Pontsa RDT
Editor: A. Van Breemen BA
E-Mail: info@dent-line.com