TIPS FROM OUR READERS

speed cutting instruments, the root canals opened, and 9. Excess composite resin is removed with finishing burs,
the teeth thoroughly washed and dried. The canals are the occlusion is adjusted, and the prosthesis polished.
sealed with composite resin. The prosthesis can be completed in approximately 30
5. The enamel of the extracted teeth is etched according to minutes (Fig. 4).
the instructions of the manufacturer.
Reprint requests to:
6. The teeth next to extracted site are acid-etched facially DR. ASHA SAMANT
and lingually and a bonding agent is applied. NEW JERSEY DENTAL SCHOOL
7. A small roll of composite resin, supported by a finger, is UNIVERSITY OF MEDICINE AND DENTISTRY OF NEW JERSEY
placed lingually in the edentulous area (Fig. 3). 110 BERGEN ST.
NEWARK, NJ 07103-2425
8. The prepared natural tooth crowns are placed facially
on the roll of composite resin and aligned to match the
dental arch. Additional composite resin is added inter-
proximally and cured with an appropriate light source.

An efficient method to make surgical templates for immediate

dentures
Gene Withrow, M.S., D.M.D.,* Edwin M. Crandall, D.D.S.,** and Timothy R. Clark***
U. S. Army Dental Activity, Fort Benning, Ga.

The standard laboratory procedure for making a surgi-

cal template for a patient who needsan immediate denture
requiresthat the altered mastercastbe duplicated after the
waxed denture has been flasked and the wax has been

The opinionsor assertions expressed hereinarethe viewsof the

authorsandarenot to beconstruedasreflectingthoseofthe U.S.
Army MedicalDepartmentor the U.S. Departmentof Defense.
Commercial materialsandequipmentareidentifiedin this re-
port to specifythe experimentalprocedure.Suchidentification
doesnot imply officialrecommendation or endorsementor that
the materialsandequipmentarenecessarily the bestavailable
for the purpose.
*Colonel,DC, U.S. Army; Chief,Mentor, Fixed Prosthodontics.
**LieutenantColonel,DC,U.S.Army; Chief,Mentor, Removable
Prosthodontics.
***SeniorDentalTechnician,RemovableProsthodontics. Fig. 2. Trimmed irreversible hydrocolloid impressionin
10/4/16013 vacuum apparatus.

Fig. 1. Making an irreversible hydrocolloid impressionof Fig. 3. Irreversible hydrocolloid impressionafter forming
intaglio surface of completed denture. template (left). Trimmed and polished template (right).

THE JOURNAL OF PROSTHETIC DENTISTRY 363

 TIPS FROM OUR READERS

boiled out. This procedure is generally accomplished with
an alginate (irreversible hydrocolloid~ impression of the
flasked master cast from which a duplicate stone cast is
produced. The stone must be allowed to harden sufficiently
before a surgical template can be made.’ This process re-
quires approximately 45 minutes.
Time and materials can be saved, however, by using the
method suggested in this article.
PROCEDURES
1. Make an irreversible hydrocolloid impression of the in-
taglio surface of the completed denture (Fig. 1).
2. Remove the impression, trim it, and place it in a vacu-
um-forming app~at~, such as the Biostar (Great Lakes
Orthodontics, Ltd., Tonawanda, N.Y.) or StaVac
(Dental Mfg. Co., Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y.) (Fig. 2).
3. Vacuum-form a sheet of 2.5 mm thick plastic splint ma-
terial over the irreversible hydrocolloid impression to
make a template. To prevent distortion during use, the
splint material should not be thinner than 2 mm.2
4. Trim and polish the template with pumice and an ap-
propriate polishing compound (Fig. 3).
There appears to be no significant distortion of the irre--
versible hydrocolloid during the vacuum-forming proce-
dure, and the splint can be made in less than 15 minutes.
REFERENCES
1. Morrow RM, Rudd KD, Eissmann HF. Dental laboratory procedure.
Vol I. St Louis: CV Mosby, 1980:392-4.
2. Young L, Gatewood RR, Moore DJ, Sakumura JS. Surgical templates
for immediate denture insertion. J PROSTHET DENT 1985;54:64-7.
Reprint requests to:
DR. GENE WITHROW
UNITED STATES ARMY DENTAL ACTIVITY
122 MED DET (DSD)
APO NEW YORK, NY 09710

Modification of a crown remover

David M. Gallin, D.D.S.*
New York University, College of Dentistry, New York, N.Y.

The Morel&type crown remover (Union Broach, Long
Island City, N.Y.) is an efficient instrument for removing
provisional and temporarily cemented crowns and fixed
partial dentures. However, the use of this instrument may
*Clinical Professor, Department of End~ontics.
cause discomfort to the patient. The metal-to-metal con-
tact that the sliding hammer makes with the base of the
instrument produces an unpleasant noise, as well as shock
and vibration to the teeth and jaw. A simple modification
of the instrument can reduce the shock and noise consid-
erably.

Fig. 1. Upper portion of More&type crown remover and

O-ring. A, Hammer; B, striker; C, O-ring. Fig. 2. O-ring in place on crown remover (arrow).

MARCH 1999 VOLUME 63 NUMERR 3