ThermoPlasticBeads protocol

Place a tablespoon of beads into recently boiled water.  (microwaving water in a 1/3 full coffee mug works well).

Pour a tablespoon of beads into the water, wait for them to turn clear.

The clear beads will coalesce and be sticking to each other.  The hotter the material is, the stickier it is.  As soon as the beads turn clear, pour the water out, and remove with gloved fingers.  The hotter the clear putty is, the stickier it is.  It will stick to your gloves if allowed to get too hot (use latex gloves... the putty will bond to nitrile gloves).

Insert a portion of the putty into an NTI device to fill it to it's borders.

DO NOT place any lubricant (vasoline for example) on the teeth or gloves.  It will prevent the putty from sticking to anything. 

You do not have to deliver the device to the mouth immediately...you can delay 30 seconds if you think the putty needs to "cool" a little bit.  Do not wait so long that the putty begins to opacify. 

Upon delivering into the mouth and onto the selected arch, seat the device and adapt the extruded putty.  Adapt the putty laterally onto the incisors that are not included within the device.  This enhances retention. You can extend the putty as far as necessary to acquire the desired necessity of retention.

Let sit for another minute or two, then tease off to release the seal and re-seat, repeating a couple of times.   As the putty will be holding it's shape, any "through and through" putty in embrasures will have been disrupted.   

Place the device-with-putty into a cup of cool/cold water and allow the putty to fully harden into it's opaque white state.

Re-deliver onto the patient's teeth.  If there is any binding or sensation of pressure or tightness to the patient, place the device on the bench and while using an alcohol torch, quickly "flame brush" the internals (two passes will be plenty) to gently soften the inner lining and immediately place device back onto patient's teeth.  It will most likely "glide" back on.  Confirm with the patient that the tight/binding sensation is gone.  Let it sit for another 30 seconds, remove and replace, then back into the cold water for a few seconds.

TRIMMING

The initial amount of putty placed into the device will dictate whether any trimming is required or not.  To remove any excess putty, use an safety razor blade to shave away and sculpt the excess material.  Upon completion, "flame brush" the sculpted surface, creating a slightly softened surface and place back in the mouth to be smoothed by direct contact with labial mucosa.   

A rotary instrument can be used, but with high speed and gentle brushing strokes to avoid "gumming up".

ADDING ON

To extend the device and enhance retention, "flame brush" the external surface at the distal ends of the device, to creating a sticky surface.  Place a new small blob of clear, sticky putty onto the sticky surface of the device.  Place device back into mouth and adapt the new blob onto and around the teeth distal to the device and let sit for another minute or two, then remove/replace twice, then into cold water. 

If the finish device binds upon redelivery, use the internal flame-brush technique described above to make ideal.