Several impression materials are available and choosing which one to use depends on various factors such as the nature of the procedure, the ease of handling, patient acceptability, the accuracy of the impression and the economic viability of the material. They are also used for dentures.
Qualities to Examine:
• They should be non-irritating and free from toxicity.
• They should be capable of providing accurate impressions concerning dimensional stability.
• They should show reasonable compatibility with the material used for making the model.
• They should have a taste, texture and set time that renders them acceptable to the patient.
• They should be easy to handle, allowing the dentist to rapidly prepare the mix and use it, besides having an adequate setting time to allow the dentist to get an accurate impression without compromising patient comfort.
• They should be inexpensive and have a long shelf life.
Types of Dental Impression Materials:
When choosing a dental impression material, the dentist has to strike a balance between the ability of the material for accurate reproduction and the ease with which it can be handled. A few common materials used in creating dental impressions include alginate, polyethers and vinyl polysiloxane material or VPS. If a correct fit is not achieved, bacteria can invade the patient's mouth.
Different characteristics:
-Body (light, medium, heavy, monophase or putty)
-Viscosity (regular set, fast set)
-Color
-Work time
-Set time
-Total set time
There are different flavors to make patients experience more manageable. Some popular flavors include berry, mint chocolate chip, and vanilla. There are also unflavored or odor neutral impression materials. It is important to follow the manufacturer's specifications and to ask questions if needed. Dentists can also read reviews and clinical studies that have been performed by other dental professionals. Some helpful resources include Dental Product Shopper, Hygiene Product Shopper, and The Dental Advisor.
Bite Registration Material:
Used by dental professionals to ensure proper occlusion, a bite registration is used for the upper and lower teeth. Many dentists prefer minimal dispensing effort.
Related Accessories:
There are a variety of accessories used with impression material systems.
Impression Trays - used to fill the impression materials. There are upper and lower trays in different sizes to accommodate the patient's mouth. This helps with the generation of consistent, distortion-free impressions.
Mixing Tips - used with different cartridges. These tips can come in different colors to make it more distinguishable for the dentist.
Intra-Oral Tips - used to dispense low viscosity impression material around specific areas where fine details are needed.
Dispensing Gun - for delivering impression material and bite registration. It can be used with high performance or other types of cartridges.