By Dr Bruno Lim, Cranbourne North Dental, VIC
When doing a filling or root canal on a molar tooth, I use the Hawe Soft Clamp to hold the rubber dam in place. They are as efficient as a metal clamp and hold the material firmly and securely.
What’s good about it
As the Hawe Soft Clamp is made of plastic, there’s a little bit of flex in them and I feel they adapt around a variety of molars better than the metal versions. They also have softer edges than metal clamps, making them much more comfortable for the patient. I exclusively use the Isodam, a non-latex, blue-coloured rubber dam and it works very well with the soft clamps.
They are very easy to get on and off. They’re softer than the traditional metal clamps so you don’t need as much force to crack them open. They are designed to work with all types of dental rubber dam forceps.
The Hawe soft clamps are a very good, simple tool. They grip the tooth and dam firmly so there is no slippage. They’re also comfortable for the patient with virtually no risk of harm to the tooth, soft tissue or restorations.
What’s not so good
As they’re made of plastic, repeated autoclave cycles will eventually see them break down. You don’t get the longevity out of them as you would with metal clamps. From a purely aesthetic viewpoint, I would also like to see them come in different colours. At the moment it’s only available in a beige colour that’s reminiscent of really old computers.
Re Hawe soft clamps –
Sad to see stainless steel clamps potentially being replaced by PLASTIC!
Is this the way we should be thinking in this day and age? NO!!
… and the comments in “What’s not so good” is that the plastic doesn’t last and he doesn’t like the colour!
Then use the well-recognised, long-lasting, strong stainless steel clamps!! And don’t add more plastic into the environment!!