I clinical technique _ direct splinting Figs. 11–14_The near zero memory property of the rope quartz splint demonstrated by distortion into various shapes; the material maintains its distorted position without any polymerisation. Fig. 11 Fig. 12 Fig. 13 Fig. 14 Of the above, the last property is a critical one. Because of the difficult handling properties of the fibre splint, splinting has been a very technique-sensitive procedure thus far. Unless the clinician was extremely conversant with all the requisite steps and also extremely skilful and dexterous in the handling of the fibre and composite, the likelihood of a long-term success would be reduced. Many splint materials have a tendency to a memory, that is the property of returning to original shape if deformed under load. This memory of a material makes it resistant to being shaped around curves, especially curves that doubleback, for example the interproximal areas around the linguals of lower anterior teeth or around the curvature of a maxillary premolar. If the material can be fabricated in such a way that it bends and adapts around curves without bouncing back, it Fig. 15_Buccal view of a patient with mobile lower central incisors. Fig. 16_Lingual view of the same patient with mobile lower central incisors. makes adapting and placing the splint in the oral cavity a far simpler and more accurate task. Glass-based fibres have an inherent tendency to maintain their longitudinal direction. This can easily be observed in any unidirectional fibre splint material. The only way to negate this property of the fibre is to interweave the fibres in a cross-stitch pattern. This creates a kind of mesh framework, thereby making the material almost free of memory. The term zero memory can then be applied to such a material, which will only minimally maintain any form to which it is subjected (Figs. 7–10). Although the material does possess a certain amount of memory, it becomes practically insignificant as regards clinical application. For all practical purposes, the material would then have zero memory. My best experience thus far has been with a very new entry in the splinting fibre market: Quartz Fig. 15 Fig. 16 24 I cosmetic dentistry 4_ 2009