The "Liquid Dam" Technique
Quick and predictable provisionalization for zero retention preparations.
Clinicians tend to have varying levels of trust for adhesive dentistry. Some clinicians still cut retention slots or grooves in their preps to mechanically retain composite restorations or build-ups. Others create tall build-ups to establish retention and resistance form for their full coverage crowns. And the outlier biomimetic restorative dentists create flat-top biobases trusting nothing but adhesion to retain the partial or full coverage crown come delivery day.
In the case of non-retentive preps, what you do between prep day and delivery can time-consuming and disruptive or quick and predictable. Traditional temporary crowns on non-retentive preps are difficult to keep retained and often result in multiple return visits by the patient when they fall off. In fact, creation of the non-retentive biobase via immediate dentin sealing, deep margin elevation, and/or any necessary “build-up,” can be viewed as the provisionalization step.
Temporary crowns do not just aid in function; they also help maintain the tooth position mesial-distally and occlusally. When traditional temporary crowns aren’t indicated, as with non-retentive preps, another method is necessary to maintain tooth position. When properly sealed with a solid biobase and positionally stable in all dimensions, the 2-3 week provisionalization period can be stress-free for both the patient and doctor. This is why clinicians favor the “liquid dam” technique.
OpalDam is a passively adhesive (sealing) methacrylate-based light-cured resin barrier. It is used primarily to protect the gingiva or adjacent teeth during whitening procedures but can also be used to protect the gingiva around a tooth during air-particle abrasion procedures, stabilize sectional matrices, or seal a leaky rubberdam. Since OpalDam was originally developed as a gingival barrier, the material is ideal for provisionalizing non-retentive preps as it is friendly to the soft tissue for hours up to 2-3 weeks. Let’s review a case to see this technique in practice.