Dental dam patch: an effective intraoral repair technique using cyanoacrylate

Secondary dental dam retention is a critical component of successful dental dam isolation and relates to the provision of an effective seal at the dam/tooth junction. Restorative success can be compromised if this seal is inadvertently interrupted during the operative effort. One such periodic mishap is entanglement of the bur and the interdental dam strip during caries or restorative removal. This invariably results in a gaping interproximal defect in the dam. This article discusses the importance of optimum isolation as it relates to current "wet bonding" adhesive procedures, and introduces a repair technique using a patch of dental dam and cyanoacrylate.