Traxodent: fast, predictable retraction & hemostasis without Compromise
While adequate gingival retraction is essential to obtaining a quality impression, clinicians should be aware of potential procedural risks and how to avoid them.
First and foremost, the health of patient gingiva and supporting structures should be assessed before attempting retraction. There should be no bleeding upon probing of the gingiva and radiographs should be used to determine if there is sufficient bone supporting soft tissue.1 If either is compromised, the forces of gingival retraction can further damage tissues, so impression-taking should be postponed until tissues are rehabilitated.
The use of gingival retraction cords is by far the most popular method of tissue management, but these materials pose several significant drawbacks. In addition to being highly technique-sensitive and often time-consuming, using retraction cords can lead to gingival bleeding, patient discomfort and root sensitivity. Likewise, when cords are inappropriately manipulated and/or patients possess thin gingival biotype, further tissue trauma may result, including epithelial attachment damage, exacerbated marginal recession, bleeding and bone resorption.2
Chemicals, either impregnated into gingival retraction cords or in the form of a liquid, gel or paste, can also be utilized to facilitate retraction and hemostasis.
However, like the cords themselves, these agents sometimes produce unintentional, negative outcomes. When placed within the sulcus for under ten minutes, commonly-used hemostatic agents like aluminum chloride and ferric sulfate cause mild tissue trauma. Ferric sulfate, however, has been known to interfere with surface detail of impression materials and discolor patient dentin. Likewise, cords impregnated with racemic epinephrine run the risk of inducing elevated blood pressure and tachycardia, particularly in cases where gingival tissues are lacerated.1 Lastly, each of the aforementioned agents is acidic and therefore may result in postoperative sensitivity.
Gingival retraction pastes, like Premier Dental’s award-winning Traxodent®, offer a more patient- and user-friendly alternative to retraction cords. Traxodent contains 15% aluminum chloride and provides excellent retraction and fluid absorption while remaining gentle on oral tissues. Additionally, the soft, clay-based paste only requires two minutes of contact time, does not necessitate the use of local anesthesia and rinses away easily and cleanly. As a result, Traxodent promotes enhanced ease-of-use and clinical efficiency.
While all methods of retraction, including paste systems, can produce some temporary gingival inflammation, multiple studies show that less traumatic injury to soft tissues occurs when gingival pastes are used as opposed to cord techniques.2,3 This allows Traxodent to achieve fast, predictable retraction and hemostasis without compromising patient health and comfort.
To learn more and purchase Traxodent and other tissue management products for your practice, visit Premier’s website.
References:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324680463_Gingival_Retraction_Techniques_A_Review
https://periodontics-prosthodontics.imedpub.com/the-effect-of-gingival-retraction-cord-on-periodontal-health-compared-to-other-gingival-retraction-proceduresa-systematic-review.php?aid=17686
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26378615