Consultants’ Comments

• “Nice product for gaggers.”
• “Great niche product.”
• “Better than bordering the tray with wax.”
• “I took two impressions on one patient. He gagged without Dam It!, but was fine with it.”
• “It didn’t stick consistently.”

Description

Dam It! is a posterior dam and periphery extension for use on impression trays. The dam is a self-adhesive membrane packaged in a tape-style dispenser. The main use for Dam It! is along the posterior border of an upper tray to prevent excess impression material from flowing out of that area, thereby capturing greater detail on the distal surface of second molars and providing patient comfort by reducing gagging. It is indicated for use on full-arch and quadrant trays. To use Dam It, the membrane is pulled from the dispenser and the cutter is pushed down to tear off the appropriate amount to accommodate both sides of the tray. The membrane is marked along its length with a dotted line for alignment with the edge of the impression tray. After the membrane is adhered around the back of the tray, slits can be cut where needed to allow some flexibility to the dam. The impression tray is then filled with the impression material of choice. Twenty-five consultants used Dam It! with over 400 impressions. This product received an 86% clinical rating.

Product Features

Dam It! is packaged in a handy tape dispenser with a retractable cutter. Consultants found that scissors were more efficient at cutting the material than the built-in cutter. Dam It! comes with easy-to-read, illustrated instructions. Consultants found the membrane adhered well to both metal and plastic trays and was equally effective with alginate and elastomeric impression materials. It very useful in capturing second molar detail, and it also reduced patients’ gagging. Eighty percent of consultants rated Dam It! equivalent to or better than products they were currently using for posterior dam and periphery extension, 44% said they would switch to Dam It, and 60% would recommend it.

Clinical Tips

• Dispense and apply Dam It! before donning gloves. Once the backing is peeled off of the membrane, it sticks to gloves.
• Cut three vertical slits in the membrane to help Dam It! conform to the curve of the palate.