Does using a rotary instrument to remove excess resin cement or composite ever make you nervous? Personally I find it particularly troubling around a margin of a porcelain restoration. Especially when I have excess material that needs to be removed from a location not easily or safely accessed by a rotary instrument.

If you've ever found yourself in this same predicament I would like to recommend an instrument I've found helpful.

A #12 surgical blade can often reach into areas, particularly interproximal areas, that a bur safely can't. As you can imagine you must be careful when using a #12 blade around soft tissue, as it is very sharp. However, as long as you pay attention, it's a safe instrument to use.

If this sounds like something you would like to try, keep in mind that while all #12 blades are similar in shape, there are small differences, such as a #12b is sharp on both sides. The particular one of choice for me is a regular 12b from Miltex.

John R. Carson, DDS, PC, Spear Visiting Faculty. [ www.johnrcarsondds.com ]


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Commenter's Profile Image Jim Orticelli
March 21st, 2013
The cement that gives me fits is the relatively new product from 3M...Ultimate. Don't get me wrong, It's great cement, but it is very difficult to clean up after it is cured. Spot light curing for any more than 3 seconds results in granite like boulders of cement if the restorations are even slightly overfilled...
Commenter's Profile Image John Carson
March 21st, 2013
Jim, I just spent some time with the 3M folks at thier Seefeld factory and we discussed the exact issue you are speaking of, they suggest you let the cement reach it's gel stage on it's own with no light curing before cleaning away the excess otherwise you risk the exact problem you are having. If you insist on tack curing it must be for just an instant (less than 1 second) however they really don't recommend even this. The other big thing they said was you must either wait for the full dark cure (around 6 or 6:30 minutes) or light cure for 20 seconds from all angles (MB, DB, ML, DL, and O) prior to any adjustments. I hope this helps and thanks for your comment, John