Dr. Hall,
\nI went to a dentist here in New Jersey to have a bridge to replace a missing molar. After the two adjacent teeth were prepared, the dentist took an impression of my lower teeth. After it set, he was unable to get the mold off my teeth. It took about a good half an hour of spraying all kinds of stuff in my mouth, rocking and pulling while i was thinking that all my teeth was going to be pulled out, or my jaw broken. My question: Have you seen this happen before and should I continue with this dentist or should I see another dentist.<\/p>\n
Thank you very much,
\nLen in New Jersey<\/p>\n
Dear Len,
\nI wouldn’t quit going to this dentist over this. I’ll bet many dentists have had something like this happen in their practice, especially if they use certain precise impression techniques.<\/p>\n
What happens is that there is a stiff putty that is used in certain impression techniques, and it is used with a lighter-body wash impression material. The putty pushes the wash into\u00a0fine crevices in order to pick up the tiniest details in the impression. If your teeth or your jaw have undercuts, or if you have another dental bridge<\/a> in your mouth somewhere,\u00a0it’s possible for\u00a0the putty\u00a0to get into the undercuts. If it does, it can be very hard to remove. It’s nothing the dentist did wrong, really. It’s just kind of embarrassing and it can really throw the schedule off. The impression may well need to be cut off.<\/p>\n If there is an existing bridge or another significant undercut where the putty impression material can get under and lock in place, the dentist should put something, such as a piece of soft wax, under the bridge or the undercut before taking the impression. That will keep the impression material from getting into that undercut and will make the impression easier to remove. Related links:
\n– Dr. Hall<\/p>\n
\nRead about dental crowns<\/a>\u00a0and porcelain crowns<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n
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