A user report by Dr. Farina Blattner, M.Sc.

First publication: ZWP Zahnarzt Wirtschaft Praxis [German business magazine for dentists] – 7+8/2021, p. 100-101

Dr. Farina Blattner, M.Sc. is a dental multi-talent. She is not only the co-owner of a dental practice in Remscheid, Germany, but also a trained dental technician and dentist working in the fields of orthodontics with a focus on functional diagnostics. So, she appreciates instruments which work in a broad variety of clinical situations, very much as she thinks and acts herself.

Dr. Farina Blattner, M.Sc., is a dental technician and dentist working in the fields of orthodontics in the dental practice Dr. Blattner in Remscheid. As a co-owner, she understands the importance of a good team and good dental auxiliaries.

My passion for dental functional diagnosis and therapy led me to orthodontics. Immediately after graduation, I began specializing in functional diagnosis and therapy. My patient cases were frequently related to orthodontics, as my patients needed an orthodontic treatment after the successful functional therapy. When I then referred the patients to an orthodontic colleague, the communication and definition of the treatment objective was extremely difficult. At that time, I was convinced that my understanding of the orthodontics was completely different from that of my colleagues’. Consequently, I wanted to understand how my colleagues thought.

I started the M.Sc. programme at the University of Krems, Austria. After the first day I already knew that my knowledge about function and orthodontics would be a perfect combination, although it was difficult to reconcile my understanding of function, with classical orthodontics.

Interdisciplinary Treatment

The various dental tasks and requirements of our daily patient therapies are so closely interrelated that it is a real challenge to perfectly combine the specific clinical specializations whether these are implantology combined with functional therapy and orthodontics, or pre-prosthetic orthodontics in combination with aesthetic dentistry. When different clinical specialties combine, it is ideal if all of them are performed in one practice, to make communication easy, and to plan the treatment within one unified concept. This ensures seamless interfaces. While the clinicians in our practice have different treatment focuses, they all work as a team always in favor of the patient's well-being.

Comfortable in Every Situation

For us it is important that the patient feels completely comfortable in our practice. Therefore, we really like little helpers which make this possible. We have been using the Umbrella™ tongue, lip, and cheek retractor in our practice for around two months now, e.g., when bonding multibracket appliances and for tooth whitening. In the past, we tried to achieve an ideal treatment situation with many types of "mouth openers". We need good visibility of all tooth surfaces and the ability to keep them dry. Most of the time, comfort had to give way to the functionality of the mouth opener.

The new Umbrella tongue, lip, and cheek retractor provides reliable comfort for both users and patients plus a versatile use in dentistry.

Once we had created a convenient working environment, the mouth opener slipped out of the mouth, or the patients complained because it pressed somewhere or even hurt. The more comfortable mouth openers only allowed us to create a dry working environment uncomfortably by using several saliva ejectors and our patients are mostly children and adolescents with non-standard mouth sizes.

It's all different with the Umbrella tongue, lip, and cheek retractor. Thanks to its soft silicone, its flexibility, and its ideal shape, it exposes all the areas which allow us to work conveniently. Our patients report that they even forgot the mouth opener as it fits the mouth so comfortably. The Umbrella tongue, lip, and cheek retractor remains reliably in the mouth, holds the tongue back securely and pleasantly, and thus comfortably assists when bonding retainers on the inner tooth surfaces.

Advantages from an Orthodontic Perspective

I bond all brackets indirectly, e.g., all the brackets of an arch are positioned at the same time with one splint. It is particularly important that all bracket bonding surfaces are dry and that I have enough space to insert the splint without interference.

And that's where the Umbrella tongue, lip, and cheek retractor really convinced me. It stretches the tissue like an umbrella, expands the treatment area and thus creates ideal visibility for a comfortable working situation. It can be inserted into the mouth easily without tension on the corners of the mouth. It is easy to place, and neither slips nor leaves traces of pressure. Similarly, the patients do not feel any pain in case I touch the Umbrella tongue, lip, and cheek retractor during treatment.

Indirect bracket bonding is made significantly easier with the Umbrella tongue, lip, and cheek retractor.

These above-mentioned advantages automatically result in a shorter and more comfortable treatment experience. The treatment does not have to be interrupted due to pain or a badly fitting mouth opener but can proceed smoothly and in the time scheduled. This makes both the patient and the treatment team happier and as a result, efficiency can be maximized.

More Information at: https://infoneeu.ultradent.com/eu/umbrella