Dental Tribune U.S. Edition

DENTAL TRIBUNE | July 2011 Industry Report 7A that is very viscous, such as Elieve from Centrix. Load the Oxford Temp toward the facial, making sure that the tip of the material is kept submerged in the material as it is extruded and not lifted until the teeth in the matrix have been entirely filled. This will help eliminate voids and bubbles. Seat the putty matrix on preparations and allow Oxford Temp to sit for four minutes, and do not remove until that time. Using a timer will help to make sure that you don’t pull the matrix too soon. After the timer has gone off, remove the putty matrix. The role of dental restorations used for provisional and indi- rect restorative procedures has changed dramatically in the past several years. These restorations are no longer regarded as tem- porary restorations but rather as provisional restorations with dis- tinct functions and purposes. Pro- visional restorations have become a vital diagnostic and assessment tool to evaluate function, color, shape, contour, occlusion, peri- odontal response, implant healing and overall esthetics. An accurate fit and margination is essential to ensure and maintain pulpal health. Material selection It has always been said that patients don’t know what they like until they see something they don’t like. Start by talking to patients about the steps during the restor- ative phase and give reassurance that the provisional restorations are a blueprint for the final resto- rations. We will need their help in the shade selection and functional aspect in this stage of the restora- tion. Choosing a provisional mate- rial that not only blends with the natural shade of the teeth is easy while choosing a material that mimics natural tooth structure, polishes well and has an appear- ance of translucency and vitality but performs with strength and outstanding elastic modulus is more difficult. Oxford Temp by Oxford Scientific Dental Products is a provisional crown and bridge material formulated with multi- functional methacrylic esters but without methylmethacrylate. Shades of material If a patient is looking for a stan- dard shade to blend with his or her natural teeth, the assistant can chose any standard shade for ante- rior or posterior provisionals. If the patient has chosen a whiter shade based on the Chromoscope Shade Guide (Ivoclar Vivadent) or the Vita 3D Bleach Shade Guide (Vident), Oxford Temp has shades that reflect on these choices by offering the Oxford Bleach shades for those patients that want whiter than A1. Fabrication of direct anterior provisional restorations Before fabricating the provisional, fabrication of the putty matrix is formed with Express Putty (3M ESPE) over the wax up. After removal of the putty matrix, reline the matrix with a light body wash (Imprint 2, 3M ESPE) and seat back on the wax-up to capture all the detail that was designed in the wax-up. Allow the impression material to set. Lubricate all gingival tissues facially and lingually along the gin- gival margins with a vitamin E oil AD g DT page 8A Oxford temp: a provisional crown and bridge material Fabrication of posterior provisional restorations The dentist finalizes preparations and now the patient is ready for the provisional restoration. In most cases, dentist are leery of fabrica- tion of a four-unit provisional. Oxford Temp’s superior proper- ties of compressive and diametric tensile strength with elastic modu- lus allow us to feel comfortable that we are fabricating a provision- al restoration that is going to last for the patient, without breaking for the duration of the final restor- Remove all material with an explorer or scaler off the margins and tissue. By using Oxford Temp, the material is released at the mar- gins, which allows the assistant to remove the excess without asking the dentist to come and remove the excess with a carbide bur. Make sure all material is removed off the tissue and occlusal surfaces. With Oxford Temp you’ll notice that the material is flexible and allows one to perform these steps with ease. In most cases, the Oxford Temp provisional is only polished with a Jiffy brush, by Ultradent, as the final step.