The Umbrella is made of a flexible, disposable material with a spring-like feature, allowing clinicians to press the placement tabs together for comfortable placement, then “springing” into the desired position when the tabs are released. An innovative tongue retraction feature keeps the tongue back and away from the working area. The labial component has bumpers that, when properly placed, provide ample separation within the vestibules. The device is designed so that the patient can remain still while the bite is checked.

The Umbrella was tremendously easy to use. Almost all clinical personnel in our offices had a chance to use the product and were surprised at how simple it was to slide into the patient’s mouth, often using 1 hand, and to achieve the desired retraction upon releasing the product and let- ting it pop into position. After the pop, no effort is required to main- tain position, making the Umbrella one of the easiest, most convenient products among those listed above.

In contrast to several retraction/ isolation alternatives, the Umbrella is very comfortable for the patient. Bumpers near the labial vestibule have been designed so that little discomfort was reported, even when clinicians put excessive pressure on those areas as a fulcrum. Although there is a tongue retraction feature, which could gag the patient, very few Catapult product review clini- cians said gagging prevented them from using the Umbrella.