Rubber Dam Clamps
BusinessMed® Rubber Dam Clamps are spring-steel retainers — a bow joining two jaws — that seat on the neck of a tooth and hold the rubber dam in place during endodontic and restorative treatment. Also sold as dental dam clamps, they come winged or wingless for molars, premolars and anterior teeth, as single-number clamps, multi-tooth clamps, a set of 10 and an organizing board.
Types of rubber dam clamps
Winged rubber dam clamps
Winged clamps have projections at the jaws. The dam is stretched over the wings so that dam, clamp and frame go onto the tooth together; once the clamp is seated, the dam is slipped under the wings. Example: the #14A winged rubber dam clamp for large molars.
Wingless rubber dam clamps
Wingless clamps have no projections at the jaws and sit low around the crown. A "W" before the number marks the wingless version of the same pattern, as in the #W8A wingless rubber dam clamp for molars.
Anterior and labial clamps
Clamps such as #6, #9 and #212 are listed by makers for labial (cervical) cavities on anterior teeth. See the #212 wingless rubber dam clamp for anteriors.
Multi-tooth clamps
Multi-tooth clamps are winged clamps for molars that span more than one tooth, such as Multi-Tooth Clamp 2.
Clamp set and organizing board
The set of 10 rubber dam clamps groups ten common numbers from anterior to molar clamps, and the clamp organizing board holds eight clamps in view on the tray.
How to choose a rubber dam clamp
- Start from the tooth, not the number. Each clamp page states the tooth group and arch. Clamp numbers are maker conventions and differ between makers — #201, for example, is an upper-molar clamp for some makers and a lower-molar clamp for others — so a practice switching suppliers should match by tooth description.
- Read the number. A "W" before the number means wingless; an "A" after it means a slightly larger version of the same pattern (#12A, #14A).
- Winged or wingless. Winged clamps let the dam, clamp and frame be placed in one step; wingless clamps keep a lower profile around the crown.
- Single tooth or multi-tooth. Single-tooth clamps cover one molar, premolar or anterior tooth; multi-tooth clamps cover a molar region.
What are rubber dam clamps used for?
A rubber dam clamp anchors the dam for rubber dam isolation: in root canal treatment, in caries access and in restorations, including labial cavity restorations on anterior teeth. Dental clamps are placed and removed with rubber dam clamp forceps.
How BusinessMed rubber dam clamps are made
The clamps are made of German stainless steel with a satin, non-reflective finish. They are reusable, autoclavable and covered by a 5-year warranty.