Tabs in dentistry

Dental tab is an artificial restoration that eliminates a tooth defect formed during the carious process. In other words, a tab is a seal that is made not in the oral cavity, but in a special laboratory.

Restoration of teeth with inlays is carried out for restoring large cavities in posterior teeth. It is proved that the use of tabs is more efficient and reliable than traditional fillings.

Advantages of tabs. What is the difference between a tooth tab and a filling?
Today in dentistry composite materials of light curing are used to restore cavities

1. Preparing to install the ceramic tab
   Before filling the carious cavity, the dentist removes the affected tissue. Then the walls of the cavity are treated with a special adhesive substance (adhesive). The composite is connected to the tooth machines by a large force. During photopolymerization, the seal shrinks and shrinks by 0.8-1.8%. When the filling is large, it pulls the tooth walls towards the center during shrinkage.

Polymerization shrinkage can cause tension in the seal itself, which will lead to the formation of cracks on the tooth. When the seal shrinks, it breaks off from the walls of the tooth, which leads to the risk of secondary caries.

The tab does not have any of the described disadvantages, it is prepared in the laboratory and has already passed all the stages of polymerization.

1. Wear resistance of the tab on the tooth.
   Materials for filling are quite wear-resistant. But during polymerization in the oral cavity, the filling does not go through this process completely. And this significantly affects its strength. The tab also polymerizes at a high temperature, which increases its wear resistance.
2. The accuracy of the reconstruction.
   It is quite difficult to put a seal immediately taking into account the bite, especially with a large carious cavity. During the manufacture of tabs, all the features of the patient’s bite can be taken into account.

As a result, the tab will accurately match the individual features of the bite.

The process of making tabs
During a visit to the dentist going on tooth preparation, impression, color matching tab and the time tab. On the second session, the tab itself is installed directly. There are usually 1-2 weeks between these sessions. During this time, a tab is made in the dental laboratory.

First visiting

To make the tab, a cast is taken not only from the tooth damaged by caries, but also from the opposite jaw, which gives the technique to take into account all the features of the bite when making it. The impression is made from a special paste that is placed on the teeth to harden. Then it is removed from the teeth.

Then the resulting casts are transferred to the dental laboratory. They are used by a dental technician to cast a plaster model – an exact copy of the patient’s teeth. This is how the tab is made.

Selecting the tab color

The color of the tab is selected as similar as possible to the shade of neighboring teeth using a special color table.

Making a temporary tab for a tooth

During the production of the dental tab, the dentist makes a temporary tab using a special splint. The splint is filled with liquid plastic and put on the damaged tooth. After that, the splint is removed from the teeth and ground. IT is fixed on the tooth.

Second visit. Installing a tab on a tooth

Before installing a tab, dentists check its shape and color. The bite must be checked. After the specialist makes sure that the tab is correct, you can start cementing.

To do this, pre-clean the tab and the tooth. After that, the mouth is etched with a special gel. This makes the oral cavity rough, increases the strength of the attachment of the tab to the tooth.

As a result, cement is applied to the tooth cavity and the tab. The tab is glued to the tooth and is illuminated by a special lamp.