After doing block carving and vacuform plastic matrix acrylic for a while it has been nice using this material we have been introduced to called reprosil. It comes in many forms, the pictures here is the putty stuff, there is also light, medium and heavy bodied stuff that allows for greater detail, etc. We should be using it soon. This post is short, but I want to illustrate the difference it makes.
The material comes in two buckets. You mix equal parts from both buckets and get a Play-doh type of material. You squish it onto the teeth and let it set. After a few minutes it has turned into a stiff rubbery type of material. Here are some pictures:
When it sets you prepare the teeth like shown in previous articles and then you use this reprocil as a mold for the original tooth anatomy. Lets see if I can clarify this for you:
- Reprosil impression
- Prepare teeth
- Place acrylic into the reprosil mold and squish it onto prepared teeth
- The teeth that come out look like the old teeth and fit onto the prepared teeth.
- Time saved: 30 minutes
I have been told that not many dentists use this, and in fact you will rarely use it in the clinic on patients. There are even easier methods than this. Still, it is good to get your hands on everything possible. Here is the difference between the two teeth. Notice the teeth in the typodont are the ones I carved that you thought looked so sweet. i admit they are not my best performance, but this WAS my first one ever. Compare it to the reprosil model.
It is good that we are taught how to carve out of acrylic because sometimes you will be faced with a patient that comes into your office with a broken tooth and you will not have original tooth structure to go by. You will have to carve one and make sure it is of high quality to be used as a temporary. Many students at Temple in the clinics still block carve their temporary crowns.
