Class II Composites

Patent No. US DA 439,667 S

Class II Composites

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Achieving predictable tight contacts for Class II Composites is tough. Particularly for these situations:

Short Teeth.
MOD restorations.
Wide open spaces. The buccal and/or lingual walls are deficient.
Composite needs to travel across a space of 1 mm or more.

The Contour wedge works because.

It eliminates the need for any wedging whether light or excessive.
There is no matrix thickness to overcome.
There is no matrix memory to fight.
There is increased visibility and access to the cavity prep.

The Contour Wedge works because there is nothing to get in the way. All composite restorations are built directly against the neighboring tooth and the wedge itself. Everything is much simpler.

Class II Composite on an Upper First Molar.

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	A	Note how the Contour Wedge fills in and seals the mesial concavity. This is not easily done with a matrix system
	B	Composite is placed directly against the Contour Wedge and the adjacent tooth. There is nothing to get in the way. Restoration is ready to be finished out.
	C	Contact has depth buccal-lingual as well as cervical-occlusal. Excellent contact because there is nothing to get in the way. No matrix thickness to overcome.

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	A	Back to back Class II composites will be placed into teeth #'s 13 & 14.
	B	Teeth have been prepared. Ready to restore.
	C	#14 is restored with a traditional matrix and Flexi Wedge.
	D	Contour Wedge in place. ( This is a mirror image photo. Note how the Contour Wedge rides on top of a wood wedge within the picture to the left. This is often done when the teeth are tall or have periodontal recession.) Note: No matrix band! The restoration is built directly against the Contour Wedge and the adjacent tooth.
	E	Completed composite restorations of teeth #'s 13 & 14. Contact has depth as well as width.

Wide open contact on a Bicuspid.

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	A	The separating loop of a sectional matrix may provide sufficient separation between the teeth, but there is a good possibility the tine of the separating loop may indent the matrix into the distal lingual of the tooth. There is no remaining lingual enamel to support the separating tine.
	B	Note how the Contour Wedge follows the curvature of the bicuspid. Note also how well the gingiva is displaced. The tooth is ready to be restored once the wedge is burnished against the neighboring tooth. (No need for Teflon tape. The neighboring tooth is a porcelain fused to metal crown.)
	C	Composite built directly against the Contour Wedge and the neighboring crown. Composite is ready for shaping.
	D	Note: Rounded contours in the final restoration. Would be hard to achieve utilizing a sectional matrix. Tight broad contact. Composite had to travel a distance of 1 mm on a rotated tooth. Hard to do with other existing systems!