Biometric comparison of bur and electrosurgical retraction methods

A biometric comparison of two retraction methods was made on 20 adult patients who received complete crowns. Free gingival tissue height was recorded after 4, 8, and 12 weeks. The conclusions were (1) the electrosurgical method showed more tissue loss at each time interval than the bur method, (2) electrosurgical retraction showed more subject variability than the bur method, (3) clinically, the tissue appearance of both groups was indiscernable at the time intervals tested, and (4) the electrosurgical method provided for a greater bulk of impression material at the margin than the bur method.