Use of the dry angle isolation adjunct in general dentistry: a clinical approach

The dry angle is a thin, triangle-shaped piece of moisture-absorbing cellulose that is placed over the buccal mucosa. It absorbs parotid gland saliva and some mandibular saliva, and helps to maintain a dry working field. It is an adjunct to rubber dam isolation and can facilitate dry field isolation in ways that cotton rolls cannot. Its thinness allows it to be placed in the thin space between the maxillary second molars and the ramus aspect of the mandible and sometimes it may be the most practical tool for isolating second molars for bonding or cementation procedures. When slightly moistened with parotid saliva, the dry angle adheres to the surface of the buccal mucosa. It replaces the flabby surface of the buccal mucosa with the stif surface of the dry angle. This prevents suctioning of the mucosa by the high volume evacuator (HVE) suction tip, aids in retraction of the mucosa and increases the number of ways that instruments can be positioned intraorally without obstruction from the HVE suction tube. This article explains the clinical techniques and use of the dry angle in general dentistry.