A D1 with some questions for the experienced

[Lopyswine]

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okay,
so we just had our first graded wax up. We turned in our teeth a week ago. Our teeth were then graded in front of us so that we understood our deductions.

I did very well, however I can SWEAR that my wax shrunk over the week. The wax looked a little undercontoured. The height of contour seemed "lower" than it was when I turned my tooth in.

1) Does wax shrink? I am guessing the school is providing us with cheap wax. Is there a better wax that you guys would recommend purchasing? where would I purchase it?

2) are there any other waxing instruments that I should look into?

3) final important question: we have weekly 50 question tooth ID practicals. do any of you know of website or something that would show images of teeth to practice IDing?

any other general waxing tips would be appreciated.

 

[Brownstain]

Ok, here we go, don't get offended

1. Yes, if you remember anything from chemistry class all substances in the universe shrink as they get colder other than H20. Is that what really happened? NO! It's not going to be something that drastic in which your contours changed. People swear they have contacts and after a practical don't. They tend to blame this on their wax "shrinking" or "crappy wax," I call it a "crappy wax job." This is theoretically possible, but you have no excuse. If you look up the coefficient of expansion it would be minimal. What you can do to prevent "shrinking" and or just having a malleable blob of a wax job is to simply dip in in water has you go to cool it down. That way you have no excuse that your was supposedly shrunk. I honestly think that you didn't have it in the first place. Eye whitness credibility has been proven worthless in court. I think you're just mistaken.

2. Sure, you can spend money on wax melters that labs use which keep a molten pool of wax. For an experienced lab tech then can save them some time, for someone who just leanred to wax 2 weeks ago, it couldn't possibly make a difference. Believe it or not the greatest lab techs in the world use the same 6 instruments you have in your kit. It's the same set of instruments people have been using for the last 100yrs or so. Just learn to use them better. Get some help from instructors or older students. They are all specifically designed for functions, if you use them properly you enhance your efficiency and accuracy.

3. Yeah, I would have to look it up but you can google them. OSU has a nice sight that doesn't require a password. I think that Minnisota has one too (I know their radiology stuff is great). Some other people may pop up with better ones, my school doesnt have crap. The 3d tooth atlast cd is always a plus if you can afford it or get it for free. The Ash and Wheeler text has lots of real tooth pics which can help show variation and features. And then there is just flat out memorization, which is about the only way to really get it all down.

 

[Lopyswine]

Ok, here we go, don't get offended

1. Yes, if you remember anything from chemistry class all substances in the universe shrink as they get colder other than H20. Is that what really happened? NO! It's not going to be something that drastic in which your contours changed. People swear they have contacts and after a practical don't. They tend to blame this on their wax "shrinking" or "crappy wax," I call it a "crappy wax job." This is theoretically possible, but you have no excuse. If you look up the coefficient of expansion it would be minimal. What you can do to prevent "shrinking" and or just having a malleable blob of a wax job is to simply dip in in water has you go to cool it down. That way you have no excuse that your was supposedly shrunk. I honestly think that you didn't have it in the first place. Eye whitness credibility has been proven worthless in court. I think you're just mistaken.

2. Sure, you can spend money on wax melters that labs use which keep a molten pool of wax. For an experienced lab tech then can save them some time, for someone who just leanred to wax 2 weeks ago, it couldn't possibly make a difference. Believe it or not the greatest lab techs in the world use the same 6 instruments you have in your kit. It's the same set of instruments people have been using for the last 100yrs or so. Just learn to use them better. Get some help from instructors or older students. They are all specifically designed for functions, if you use them properly you enhance your efficiency and accuracy.

3. Yeah, I would have to look it up but you can google them. OSU has a nice sight that doesn't require a password. I think that Minnisota has one too (I know their radiology stuff is great). Some other people may pop up with better ones, my school doesnt have crap. The 3d tooth atlast cd is always a plus if you can afford it or get it for free. The Ash and Wheeler text has lots of real tooth pics which can help show variation and features. And then there is just flat out memorization, which is about the only way to really get it all down.

hmm points taken, however I do feel you could have been a little more polite. I still received an A on the wax up. One of only 8 As our class received.

Ok, for the tooth websites... Where can I find these? I have been googling for like a half an hour and I can't find the OSU or Minnesota websites...

 

[Brownstain]

http://www.dent.ohio-state.edu/scheid/



get used to criticism

 

[armorshell]

It might be worth looking into an electric waxer. I've been using the traditional method for a bit now because I broke mine and it's being fixed, but it's much easier, faster and better in my opinion

 

[PChemGrad]

get used to criticism

you'll never get through dental school without criticism.

about wax shrinkage look it up in your dental materials book (Craig's Restorative Dental Materials, is a great book). Wax has a tendency to distort after your are done waxing, its due to the wax relieving the internal stresses... this is why you must invest your wax patter after you are done waxing. Otherwise your margins wont fit after casting.
but it wont shrink or distort as much as you are claiming it did, unless they stored it in a hot environment. you mostlikely just did a bad wax job.

 

[Lopyswine]

thank you all for the advice and website. I will look into an electronic waxer, however the price might be out of my range.

As for the criticism. Did I not mention that I received an A, one for few given. So obviously it was not a "bad" wax job. Before I turned it in I showed it to the professor, he said it was basically perfect. Then a week later he tells me its undercontoured and the height of contour is low. Either he did not look close enough when I asked the first time and/or the wax distorted some....

in the end, no big deal.

The purpose of the thread was to ask for some advice, which I have received.

Thank you again for the website.

 

[Dukie]

thank you all for the advice and website. I will look into an electronic waxer, however the price might be out of my range.

As for the criticism. Did I not mention that I received an A, one for few given. So obviously it was not a "bad" wax job. Before I turned it in I showed it to the professor, he said it was basically perfect. Then a week later he tells me its undercontoured and the height of contour is low. Either he did not look close enough when I asked the first time and/or the wax distorted some....

in the end, no big deal.

The purpose of the thread was to ask for some advice, which I have received.

Thank you again for the website.

Not to be rude, but if you earned an "A", be happy with it and move on. If you were "perfect", as you said, you don't need dental school at all. You need to get used to criticism and not always being perfect or you will have a real tough time with dental school. That being said, congrats on your A.

 

[Lopyswine]

Not to be rude, but if you earned an "A", be happy with it and move on. If you were "perfect", as you said, you don't need dental school at all. You need to get used to criticism and not always being perfect or you will have a real tough time with dental school. That being said, congrats on your A.

you are definitely correct. thanks for putting it in perspective.

 

[dynein]

does anyone know a place that sells electric waxers for less than $200?

 

[mamelons]

You might want to make sure it is okay to use an electric waxer. My school did not allow it.

 

[tinker bell]

I use electric waxer, and has been using many different types of wax over the years. None of them have noticeable shrinkage. You will become good at it. Congrats on your A. Do not worry about it so much. Move on to the next exam. Dental school has countless of other things to worry about.

 

[ktcook83]

Here is my 2 cents.

There is 2 ways to make a contact with wax... one usually works and one does not.

Overbulking it, heating and putting the tooth in seemingly would get you an "exact" contact, but b/c of the shrinkage mentioned previously, it will shrink away and you will lose your contact.

The way to get around this is to overbulk the contact and then cool it with water or time. Then carve it back to the perfect size so you won't get shrinkage b/c the wax is already cooled.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

 

[Dr2BSoon]

I have a brand new, never use electric waxer that I will sell for less than $200

 

[ou_jay]

No professor will ever tell you that a graded project is perfect. They will always find something to complain about. They will give you a 9 out of 10 and say good job. You will say why just a 9. They will say, my work is only a 9.1. It's just the way it works. You will get good grades on some things and bad grades on others. In a lot of classes the professor who grades you will affect the number a lot more than the quality of your work. Get used to it, and whatever you do, do not tie your self-esteem up to your grades.

 

[Cyclysm]

Here is my 2 cents.

There is 2 ways to make a contact with wax... one usually works and one does not.

Overbulking it, heating and putting the tooth in seemingly would get you an "exact" contact, but b/c of the shrinkage mentioned previously, it will shrink away and you will lose your contact.

The way to get around this is to overbulk the contact and then cool it with water or time. Then carve it back to the perfect size so you won't get shrinkage b/c the wax is already cooled.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

such wise words ktcook83...either you are going into prosthodontics or you spend your evenings reading dental textbooks and watching malamed DVDs....what did he say, seriously...

 

[ktcook83]

such wise words ktcook83...either you are going into prosthodontics or you spend your evenings reading dental textbooks and watching malamed DVDs....what did he say, seriously...

You couldn't resist could you... 😉 And get it right... it's grad op.. haha

 

[Streetwolf]

We got fake teeth for the tooth ID quizzes. The quizzes had a mixture of real and fake teeth. If you can't get a hold of fake teeth then you need to find some good 'ideal' pictures. Try to come up with 2 or 3 things per tooth that makes it distinct from any look-alikes.

For example you can CLEARLY distinguish a mandibular central incisor from a maxillary first molar. But how about a mandibular central from a mandibular lateral? What makes them different? How can you tell the right mandibular lateral from the left? Is there something on the distal to look for? On the mesial?

That should be your line of thinking.

1. What type of tooth? (incisor, canine, PM, molar)
2. Mandibular or maxillary?
3. All but canine: which specific tooth? (1st/2nd PM, etc)
4. What side of the mouth?

 

[Lopyswine]

We got fake teeth for the tooth ID quizzes. The quizzes had a mixture of real and fake teeth. If you can't get a hold of fake teeth then you need to find some good 'ideal' pictures. Try to come up with 2 or 3 things per tooth that makes it distinct from any look-alikes.

For example you can CLEARLY distinguish a mandibular central incisor from a maxillary first molar. But how about a mandibular central from a mandibular lateral? What makes them different? How can you tell the right mandibular lateral from the left? Is there something on the distal to look for? On the mesial?

That should be your line of thinking.

1. What type of tooth? (incisor, canine, PM, molar)
2. Mandibular or maxillary?
3. All but canine: which specific tooth? (1st/2nd PM, etc)
4. What side of the mouth?

well I did very well on the tooth ID test. So my method worked. It was basically the same as your list.

My question is, is there somewhere to get more high quality images of real teeth?

All the teeth on our test were real, some full, some broke, some with fillings, etc... So models won't be as helpful as real images.

 

[D.D.S.]

They have an electric waxer???? LOL ccmon how lazy can you get!!

 

[DSpagnoli]

They have an electric waxer???? LOL ccmon how lazy can you get!!

It's not crazy. I have an electric waxer that I use to do my labwork at home, you know...where I don't want to have a bunson burner going 24/7.

It comes in VERY handy, it has a digital temp gauge and foot pedal control - so makes waxing a snap. I go back and forth between using a bunson burner in pre clinic, and my electric waxer at home - and it is far quicker for me to wax using the electric waxer. For us where we do our own lab work, it is a good investment.

Also, another point to note is that if you heat your wax too much (if you are getting black deposits on your instruments) then you are basically screwing yourself in the long run if you are ultimately going to be investing the wax pattern. The electric waxer allows me to keep the temperature at a consistent 200 degrees.

Wax shrinks by nature (look into Craig's restorative materials text), this is ALSO the reason you actually want slight thermal expansion of your investment gypsum when casting crowns. The idea is that the gypsum will expand at about the same rate as the wax shrinks.

For tooth I.D. I suggest studying Woelfel's Dental Anatomy text, and also get yourself a set of models to look at while studying the text. After studying this book and knowing the material you will know every nook and cranny of each tooth.

 

[PChemGrad]

Where is a good place to pick up a electric waxer?
I assume e-bay, but Im not sure of the brands, quality, and what not.
If you can give me an idea that would be great. It would help out a lot with all of my labwork.

thanks

It's not crazy. I have an electric waxer that I use to do my labwork at home, you know...where I don't want to have a bunson burner going 24/7.

It comes in VERY handy, it has a digital temp gauge and foot pedal control - so makes waxing a snap. I go back and forth between using a bunson burner in pre clinic, and my electric waxer at home - and it is far quicker for me to wax using the electric waxer. For us where we do our own lab work, it is a good investment.

Also, another point to note is that if you heat your wax too much (if you are getting black deposits on your instruments) then you are basically screwing yourself in the long run if you are ultimately going to be investing the wax pattern. The electric waxer allows me to keep the temperature at a consistent 200 degrees.

Wax shrinks by nature (look into Craig's restorative materials text), this is ALSO the reason you actually want slight thermal expansion of your investment gypsum when casting crowns. The idea is that the gypsum will expand at about the same rate as the wax shrinks.

For tooth I.D. I suggest studying Woelfel's Dental Anatomy text, and also get yourself a set of models to look at while studying the text. After studying this book and knowing the material you will know every nook and cranny of each tooth.

 

[DSpagnoli]

Where is a good place to pick up a electric waxer?
I assume e-bay, but Im not sure of the brands, quality, and what not.
If you can give me an idea that would be great. It would help out a lot with all of my labwork.

thanks

The one I got is a Kerr Ultra-waxer with foot control. I had mine ordered through Patterson Dental (but you can probably get it from Henry Schein-- maybe you can order it from the 4th floor). They are pricey, but you can also find used ones on ebay from time to time.