When a Dentist Says Dam to the Dental Assistant

Calm down if you hear your dentist say, "Dam" to a dental assistant.  The fact is; you now know he's doing a superior job.  The dam, dental dam, rubber dam or in German, Kofferdam is a square sheet of latex used to

"Dam" says a Dentist

reduce contamination during dental procedures, producing superior dentistry.  The dam is placed before treatment and after a patient is numbed.  Most people adapt to it well, and prefer it's use.  Not only does the usage of the dam mean superior dentistry, there is another significant benefit.  Debris created from drilling, dental water syringe, and dental materials are kept from the oral cavity and swallowing.  This too is an added benefit.

According to a study on rubber dam's by the NIH in Sept-Oct 2010, documented a low prevalence of usage by dentists during operative dentistry.  The information was from actual clinical procedures, rather than a questionnaires.  However, usage varied with certain dentist, restorations, and patient-level characteristics.

+Verde Pointe Dental Associates and +Kirk Kimmerling DDS believe in using the dental dam for every procedure possible.  Root canals, dental fillings, crowns, bridges and more are always performed with the use of the dam.   So, if you hear the word dam from a dentist, it's probably a good thing!