ALTHOUGH MOBILE TEETH can be splinted in various ways, the methods fall into two main categories: "permanent" and "provisional." The techniques of permanent splinting are familiar to all, as are many of the provisional methods. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] One of the most widely used provisional types is the intracoronal wire-acrylic splint, or "A-splint." The basic concept is sound, but it has inherent shortcomings. The A-splint uses a wire placed in a prepared trough, which is then restored with acrylic. The net result is a continuous connection of a group of teeth. In essence, however, this is no more than a wire floating in a sea of acrylic, where the wire is a strengthener and together with the acrylic forms a rigid splint. However, it is the acrylic which must supply the needed retention and therefore is subject to early failure. This leads to a situation which is often too provisional.
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