Ranking the Top 9 Teflon Tape Dental Clinical Pearls from Across the Internet
The MacGyver Wedge and an In-N-Out Crown cementation- A GIF-y review of the top 9 teflon tape clinical pearls we found from across the internet
The Final Rankings
9️⃣❌The Ditch the Paste Try-In
8️⃣🦸♂️Your Rubber-Dam Clamp Protector
7️⃣🌉The Anti-Cement Bridge Pontic
6️⃣🔪The Teflon-Insulated Operation File
4️⃣🍔The In-N-Out Crown Cementation
3️⃣🚫Forget-the-Flash Teflon Matrix
2️⃣📚The Literature Backed Canal Spacer
1️⃣🦈A Shark Tank Worthy Invention
A Father's Day Inspired Analogy...
Teflon Tape is to dentists as WD-40 and duct tape is to dad's: it always works and fixes everything (A Happy Early Father's Day to all the Dental Dads out there)
And with all the off-label uses for plummer's tape , it may be the greatest bang-for-your-buck tool in your armamentarium. Which is why we scrounged the internet...
For the Top 9 Best Teflon Tape Clinical Pearls.
But first a little background on the very cheap, do-it-all tool.
- 💤Polytetrafluoroethylene is the long, boring name for the tape. But we just prefer PTFE.
- 🔥Heat stable up to 550 degrees farenheit, the stuff can be sterilized
- 🧪Structurally speaking, it's relativily inert....so again in not boring terms...dental etchants and other materials won't mess with the stuff.
- 💪It can be stretched 400% of it's original length, perfect for adaption and packing.
So without futher adu, let's get to the ranking...
How did we come up with this ranking you might ask? Well we developed a very advanced system of AI technology, and a multi-factorial ranking system to delivery the best results based on psychology and clinical dentistry...
*Checks Notes*
Hah! Just kidding! We just ranked them on what we thought was PERSONALLY most useful...
So if you disagree with our rankings, we want to receive a rude, strong-worded email from you telling us why we're idiots (seriously, just respond to this e-mail)...
Or you can be even nicer and send us a teflon tape clinical pearl that we didn't find...and you could even get featured in future email (hint, hint)
Now Seriously, Let's Get to the Top 9👇
9️⃣The "Ditch the Paste" Try-in
You in the midst of a delivering some crowns, onlays, veneers, what-have-you...but the darned things just keeping moving around.
After checking your margins, place a little piece of teflon tape on the prep to get a bit of stick.
No messy try-in paste and gets the job done
8️⃣Your Rubber-Dam Clamp Protector...
...Which sounds like a line out of a dental-based Batman movie.
While this might be more of a pearl for our endodontic collegues out there, it's still good to know
If you are performing RCT on an anterior tooth (or really any crowned tooth for that matter)
- Place some teflon tape on the area where those sharp teeth of the clamp may scratch a nice, new esthetic crown.
Could save some serious headache and patient complaint...it's like you have a Dikembe Mutumbo sized protector in your back pocket.
7️⃣The Anti-Cement Bridge Pontic
If you have ever cemented a bridge to soon find out that there is set cement under the pontic (hand-up, that's me✋)...you will remember two things...
- 🥃The stiff old-fashioned you drank after work to help you recover and..
- ❌That you never want this to happen again.
Which is where this pearl helps, simply wrap a piece of teflon tape around the pontic. and BOOM. Easy clean-up.
6️⃣The Teflon-Insulated Operation File
Trying to get a good Apex locator reading with a coronal metal restoration is like playing Operation but way more frustrating...
Wrap a piece around near the end of the file to provide some insulation.
No more wacky readings and red lights from hitting the funny bone.
5️⃣The MacGyver Wedge
*Cue the 80s Theme Song Music*
Richard Dean Anderson would be proud of this one
Not quite getting that wedge to adapt to the band and seal the gingival box in your class II restorations?
Wrap some teflon tape around your wedge for an the sometimes termed "adaptive wedge" or as we like to call it...
😎The MacGyver Wedge
4️⃣The In-N-Out Crown Cementation
There is hot debate whether In-N-Out burgers are actually good...but there's zero debate that an In-N-Out crown cementation is recommended by 9/10 dentists.
And the other 1 dentist is vegan so that doesn't really count.
Thanks to Two Dentists for demonstrating this simple, but effective pearl.
- Take a long piece of teflon and roll
- Wrap around a soon-to-be-cemented crown prep.
- Pull the teflon cord out when the cement turns tacky
- Easy clean-up
3️⃣Forget-the-Flash Teflon Matrix
Simple. But, OH. SO. EFFECTIVE.
You spend a lot of money on very expsensive interproximal matrix systems….and sometimes they still just don't work.
Drives us freaking insane...
Of course, a <1 cent piece of teflon tape comes to the rescue.
Saves you time from removing the annoying flash and makes you look at your polished class II restorations with the thought, “Damn, I’m the best dentist out there.”
2️⃣The Literature Backed Canal Spacer
Whenever something is backed by the research- it's a damn good clinical pearl- which is exactly the case for #2 on our list.
Cotton is now only going to be used for making your t-shirts and coffee filters.
Don't believe us? You can see for yourself here and here.
1️⃣A Shark Tank Worthy Invention
We're seeking a $1.2 million dollar investment for 0.5% of our company.
Mr. Wonderful is going to hate our valuation...but we think it's valid. Here's why:
All of these pearls are super useful...but lets talk about the toughest part about using Teflon tape.
...actually getting it out from the roll. After all, you can't actually use these pearls if you want to throw the stuff through the window just trying to get it out of the box.
So, here's an idea that would make the rich people over at Shark Tank say, "I'll Make an Offer."
- Take a denture case (or any similar shaped container, really) and make a slit in the top and holes on the side
- Thread some rope through the two holes on the side of the box.
- Which gives you a perfect dispenser of teflon tape: easy to sterilize and use.
Lori Greiner selling it on QVC...we can see it already
