Dental dam

A dental dam or rubber dam (sometimes termed "Kofferdam"—from German), designed in the U.S. in 1864 by Sanford Christie Barnum, is a thin, 6" square sheet usually latex or nitrile, used in dentistry to isolate the operative site (one or more teeth) from the rest of the mouth. It is used mainly in endodontic, fixed prosthodontic (crowns, bridges) and general restorative treatments. Its purpose is both to prevent saliva interfering with the dental work (e.g. contamination of oral micro-organisms during root canal therapy, or to keep filling materials such as composite dry during placement and curing), and to prevent instruments and materials from being inhaled, swallowed or damaging the mouth. In dentistry, use of a rubber dam is sometimes referred to as isolation.

Dental dams may also be used as a safe sex technique to reduce the risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) during cunnilingus and other sexual activities.

Background

The dam is held over individual teeth or groups of teeth by appropriate rubber dam clamps over the anchor tooth. The tooth crown stands out from the rubber dam through individual holes made by a hole punch, isolating the tooth to be treated from the rest of the person's mouth which keeps the tooth dry and reduces risk of exposure to oral micro-organisms. An ink stamp is available to guide placement of the holes prior to application of the dam.

Advantages:

Disadvantages:

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