Blog

As a periodontist, you are on the forefront of fighting gum disease. Since gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss, you more than any other type of dentist, fight to save your patients’ beautiful smiles. In cases where saving teeth isn’t possible, you use your knowledge and skill to place implants so a patient can smile with confidence.

Part of building your new practice includes stocking up on the right supplies so you’ll always be ready no matter what patient walks through your door or what unforeseen complication arises. At Space Maintainers Laboratories, we want to be your periodontal appliance provider. Our worldwide network of dental laboratories means you can get the supplies you need quickly and…

If you find that you need to move a patient’s tooth labially, your first thought might be to use a micro-screw.  Not your only option!

The Recurved Finger Spring is a great alternative to a micro-screw. It can be designed to help push a tooth forward so that it lines up evenly with the rest of the teeth – and can also be fabricated to correct minor rotations.

You can easily activate the springs. Just use a pair of 139 Bird-Beak pliers to pull forward on the spring’s arm.  If the tooth in question is decidedly vertical, you’ll want to leave the acrylic over the top of the finger spring. If the lingual incline of the tooth is shallow, then you can place the composite ledge on the…

Let’s say that you have a young patient who requires a stainless steel crown  – and needs to maintain arch length after the premature loss of a primary tooth. How do you address both issues? The easiest solution is to use a fixed crown and loop appliance offered by SML dental labs.

Our appliance consists of a crown fused to a space maintainer loop. To prevent the molar from tipping, the space maintainer generally has a rest that seats on the adjacent tooth.

At SML, we offer a network of high quality, highly reliable dental labs across the world – all ready to deliver the custom-made crown and loop appliances your patients need. You can choose to provide a prepared crown (our recommended method) or we can fit…

According to the National Sleep Foundation, over 18 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, a condition that causes interrupted breathing during sleep. Those with sleep apnea may wake up hundreds of times a night when their airway becomes obstructed. As a result, they spend little time in deep, restorative sleep and often feel tired and drained during the day.

Most doctors first suggest continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) for sleep apnea patients, but this treatment requires the patient to strap a sleep pressure mask over their nose before sleep. Many patients have trouble sleeping with the mask or don’t like the feel of the straps on their face. A second and well-regarded…

You can give your patients an option of different types of crowns.  l different types to choose from -- including ceramic, porcelain, gold, and stainless steel crowns.  

On the surface, you may be turned off by the idea of stainless steel crowns. While not as aesthetically attractive as ceramic and porcelain crowns, they do have their advantages. 

Stainless steel crowns are ideal for back teeth. Stainless steel crowns are strong and highly resistant to wear and tear. Many people appreciate the fact that they require the least amount of tooth removal install. And stainless steel crowns are also the least expensive option. If you need more than one, that can make a big…