How to reline a major connector in minutes

The new RPD fits the model like a glove, but when you go to the mouth you discover the anterior teeth have drifted and a gap exists beneath the lingual plate. Here’s a fast, chairside solution ...

by Kim Henry, DMD
Morrow, GA

I construct a fair number of partials where the remaining lower anteriors have lost periodontal support and are unstable.

It takes a considerable time to fabricate a quality partial ... often 2 1/2 weeks just to get the bare framework back from the lab.

Though I use a meticulous final impression technique, I occasionally discover that during the interval between the impression appointment and the final insertion, the anteriors have shifted. When this happens, a gap may open beneath the lingual plating (the connector design I use most often) allowing food impaction and negating any bracing effect the plate might provide.

Traditionally, my only solution has been a remake. However, I recently discovered an alternative that’s simpler, more economical, and much, much faster: an adhesive reline of the metal connector.

At the insertion appointment, I lubricate the lingual of the offending teeth with Vaseline^®. I carefully sandblast a narrow width on the tooth-side of the lingual plate. I make a thick mix of C&B-Metabond^® using the clear powder and paint it onto the sandblasted portions of the metal. (The clear powder seems to blend in better than the tooth-colored powder.)

Then I insert the partial in the mouth and hold it stable until the C&B-Metabond sets. After 15 minutes, I carefully trim the excess cement from the partial and polish it smooth.

Result? A partial that’s perfectly adapted to the unstable teeth .... next to no food impaction ... and a subtle splinting effect on the weak teeth.

Not bad for a 30-minute procedure.

For more information on C&B Metabond Click here.

Click here for all C&B Metabond MSDS Sheets.