CDA Essentials 2017 • Volume 4 • Issue 7

37 Issue 7 | 2017 | S upporting Y our P ractice When performing coronally repositioned sliding flaps, Dr. Ziv Simon usually opts for an interrupted sling suture. CDA asked him to walk us through the procedure he follows. When to use the sling suture The sling suture is very useful for soft tissue grafting. Difficulty level “It’s a relatively simple technique once you understand the exact entry points and how the suture wraps around the teeth,” Dr. Simon explains. “The teeth are actually the anchors allowing the flap to be more positioned coronally.” Step-by-step procedure ➀ Pass the suture through the mesial entry point (entry point no. 1). The suture passes through the buccal flap. ➁ Go underneath the contact point without engaging the papilla. ➂ Wrap the suture around the tooth and go underneath the distal contact point. ➃ Engage entry point no. 2, which is the distal part of the flap. ➄ Following your steps backwards, pass the suture underneath the distal contact point. ➅ Wrap the suture around the tooth in a mesial direction. ➆ Go underneath the mesial contact point. ➇ Tie the knot. The flap is now being pulled coronally and toward the tooth, which acts as an anchor. You can mobilize the flap coronally and stabilize it. a Surgical Talk: The Interrupted Sling Suture Technique Theviewsexpressedarethoseoftheauthorand donotnecessarilyreflecttheopinionsorofficialpolicies oftheCanadianDentalAssociation. Sign up to receive Dr. Simon’s weekly SurgicalMaster™ training videos by email: surgicalmaster.com Watch a video presentation by Dr. Simon about the sling suture technique: youtube.com/ watch?v=w- SR6FoOhMY A B