A Kaitlyn Loop is used here on a cosmetic dental crown to prevent accidental aspiration (being swallowed) if it is dropped in the back of the mouth during insertion.  Dental floss is seen knotted around it.  The Kaitlyn Loop, which is located on the disto-lingual part of the crown, is cut off with a dental drill after cementation.  It will not be seen by the patient.

A Kaitlyn Loop on a cosmetic dental crown.

The crown preparation was done without the administration of local anesthesia. A supragingival shoulder margin was made. Patient was informed about the supragingival shoulder margin, as this being the back tooth, supragingival margin does not compromise the esthetics and the patient can also maintain good oral hygiene. As the tooth had a short clinical crown, two grooves on buccal and lingual surfaces were made for extra retention. The tooth has a very small mesial fracture line. The fracture line was eliminated completely. Temporary crown was fabricated, final impression was taken and the temporary crown was cemented. The patient felt very comfortable and was fully satisfied and happy with the treatment.

S.S., NYU College of Dentistry<–>

This afternoon I continued the treatment of a patient’s #3 PFM crown. The crown came back from the lab with a Kaitlyn Loop on the lingual side of it for floss to keep a better hold of the crown. The crown was tried in, margins and contacts were checked, and occlusion was adjusted. The patient was satisfied with the esthetics and fit of the crown and signed a consent form for final cementation. The crown was cemented in with RelyX cement and the Kaitlyn Loop was removed.

The patient then complained of a chipped filling on the lower left. The patient is not currently in any pain. Tooth #19 was examined and the restoration was chipped on the buccal portion of the occlusal surface. A periapical and bitewing radiograph was taken of tooth #19. A periapical pathology was seen on the mesial root as well as a widening of the periodontal ligament on the distal root. Caries was found on the distal portion of the tooth. There is a possible fracture on the mesial root. The patient was given the information and treatment options and will return at the next visit to further explore the treatment options for this tooth.

N.S., New York University College of Dentistry

Female patient presented to the dental office for #14 crown cementation. I learned that the crown that was fabricated from the lab was a butt margin porcelain crown which meant that the margins were covered in porcelain so that the metal didn’t show on the buccal or the lingual margins of the crown. Also, the crown had a kaitlyn loop on it with a dental floss attached to it so that it’s easier to handle/remove the crown when modifications are needed. I learned how to remove the temp crown with a crown removal forcep without placing so much force. In addition, once the temp crown was removed, the temp cement was removed from the tooth and the permanent crown was tried in with a piece of articulating paper on the sides to check for interproximal contact on both mesial and distal sides. A slight adjustment was made interproximally and then a bitewing x-ray was taken to check for the marginal fit. After the x-ray was analyzed and confirmed to be adequate, the kaitlyn loop was removed with a bur. I learned that if you put Vaseline on the interproximal surfaces of the crown especially on the middle and occlusal third, then it will be easier to remove the excess cement around the embrasure of the crown. The assistant mixed the cement mixture and I observed the cementation of the #14 crown. The excess cement was removed with floss and the patient was biting on the cotton rod for 12 minutes for the cement to set. After that, an extra-oral picture was taken to show the patient how it looks in her mouth.

G.Y., New York University College of Dentistry, Observation 2