Grind away part of the plastic facing using an amalgam drill, or a round diamond if the facing is ceramic. Drill perpendicular to the bar since it is the nut that will then pull the bar tight against the tooth.

When drilling through the gold it is easiest to use a completely new round drill, size 1 or 2 for FG fitment. The bar is offered into place and hand-held whilst drilling (Fig.4). Enlarge the holes independently using a fissure drill from a hand-piece, or a narrow tip diamond. Hole size = screw diameter = 1.4 mm. When ready, the screw can be inserted temporarily (Fig.5). This locates the bar and continued hole-drilling is simplified. Note that my method eliminates tapping into the gold.

As Fig.1 shows on the previous page, the screws are fitted lingual and the nuts buccal.

To achieve the best results, both screw-heads and nuts should be countersunk. This is best done using the countersink drill in the Stig von Elern Bridge Repair Kit (Fig.6 & 7).

When hole-drilling is finished, check that each screw turns easily in its nut. Tighten the nuts using a screw-post turnkey, preferably with an extension. Should the screw try to rotate, hold it using a wax knife in the groove.

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Fig. 4c. Use new FG round drills.

Fig.5. Trial fitting of the screws.

Fig.6. Countersinking the nut.

Fig.7. Countersinking the screw-heads.