How Not to Cry Whilst Injection Moulding - Secrets to Reduce Excess and Clean Up - PDP280
Protrusive Dental PodcastShow Notes
Injection moulding is meant to save you time. Too often it hands you a mouthful of flash and a cleanup that swallows the chair time you thought you were saving. Dr Sandra Hulac is a Clinical Instructor at the Kois Center in Seattle and an Accredited Fellow of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry. She uses full-mouth injection moulding to road-test occlusions and stabilise breaking-down dentitions, and she teaches the technique hands-on. In this episode she works through where the mess actually comes from, and how design, matrix strategy, careful PTFE and a simple cleanup protocol keep a case clean from the first injection. This episode comes with an infographic: the whole no-mess workflow on one visual guide to keep beside you during design and cleanup. Download it at protrusive.co.uk/nomess. It is the fastest way to turn this episode into something you actually use at the chair.
What You’ll Take From This Episode
Most injection-moulding mess is prevented at the design stage, through thickness targets and clear lab communication, long before any cleanup.
The alternating matrix technique, injecting every other tooth, is the biggest single cleanup saver and cuts the PTFE you need.
Matrices cured in a pressure pot, with a spacer protocol, give even thickness and far fewer bubbles.
Thin, careful PTFE prevents distortion; bunching it interproximally creates the very excess you are trying to avoid.
An S-shaped motion with a Ceri-saw and several 12-plate blades clears resin while protecting the contact.
Good pre-treatment hygiene, using diluted hypochlorite or povidone-iodine rather than chlorhexidine, cuts bleeding and contamination.
Highlights of this episode: 00:00 Teaser 00:54 Introduction 02:17 Dental Pearl: Free Injection Moulding Infographic 03:17 Main Interview with Dr. Sandra Hulac 4:49 Innovations in Dental Education 07:26 The Mess Problem in Injection Moulding 15:38 Alternating Matrix Technique 18:18 Every-Other-Tooth Technique 27:54 Cleanup Instruments and Techniques 31:35 Handling Teflon and PTFE 36:41 Patient Oral Hygiene Tips 37:27 Dilution protocol: 39:24 Key Principles for Minimizing Mess 40:42 Matrix Fabrication and Spacer Protocol 43:55 Course Information and Conclusion 46:19 Outro
From the Guest
Master Full Mouth Injection Moulding in this exclusive two-day hands-on course!
📅 Dates: Feb. 26-27, 2027 📍 Location: Central London Venue (TBC) 🌐 Learn more & secure your spot: protrusive.co.uk/FMIM
Want more?
Learn to treat tooth wear with injectable composite in Injectable Composites in PDP081
Tags
#PDPMainEpisodes, #BreadandButterDentistry, #AdhesiveDentistry
Listen, subscribe, and earn CPD
Listen: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and inside Protrusive Guidance. Earn CPD: This episode is eligible for 0.75 CE credit via the quiz on Protrusive Guidance. Compliance: GDC Development Outcome C. AGD Subject Code 250 Operative (Restorative) Dentistry.
Aim & Learning Outcomes
Aim: To enable dental professionals to minimise cleanup during injection moulding by optimising design, matrix use, PTFE application, and interproximal finishing techniques. By the end of this episode, dentists will be able to:
Explain how proper design and lab communication can reduce composite flash and cleanup in injection moulding.
Demonstrate the alternating matrix technique and the correct use of PTFE in minimising mess.
Identify and use appropriate instruments and techniques for efficient interproximal cleanup after injection moulding.
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