An Investigation of the Effect of Modifying and Reusing Impression Copings on Transfer of Implant Analog Position and Angulation.

AIM: The aim of this research was to determine whether sterilization and reutilization of impression copings had an impact on the accuracy of casts made for multiimplant restorations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four master casts embedded with five implant analogs were fabricated. Polyvinyl siloxane (PVS) impressions of the master cast with copings attached to the analogs were made and poured in dental stone. The impression copings were subjected to cleaning and sterilization. These processes were repeated 30 cycles for each of the two groups of five impression copings: one without modification and one with modification that included air abrasion and PVS adhesive. A coordinate measuring machine (CMM) was used to measure relative angles and distances between the reference analog and analogs. The relative angles and distances measured on the stone casts were compared to the master resin cast to obtain positional and angular displacements. RESULTS: For impression copings that were not modified, a significant difference was detected for both positional and angular displacements. For impression copings that were modified, a significant change was observed only for positional displacement. The maximum discrepancies measured for positional and angular displacements after 30 cycles of reuse were only 81 µm and 0.46°, respectively, regardless of the modification. CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of this study, unmodified impression copings that have undergone 30 cycles of cleaning and sterilization appeared to incur more impression inaccuracy than those impression copings that were modified by airborne-particle abrasion and PVS adhesive. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Impression copings used in this study can likely be recycled up to 30 times without reducing the accuracy of the impression to a level that may be considered clinically significant.

Treatment options for the replacement of missing mandibular incisors.

The replacement of a mandibular incisor is a dental treatment warranting special consideration. Some of the challenges associated with the anterior mandible are limited space, challenging surrounding anatomy, and tough esthetic requirements. Proper diagnosis and treatment planning may require a multidisciplinary approach to successfully meet the demands of replacing a missing tooth in this sextant. Several treatment options currently exist for mandibular incisor replacement. These options include (1) resin-bonded fixed dental prostheses (RBFDPs), (2) orthodontic treatment, (3) full-veneer fixed dental prostheses (FDPs), (4) dental implants for single-tooth replacement, (5) possible extraction of one or more incisors and restoration with implant-supported FDPs, (6) possible extraction of one or more teeth and restoration with FDPs from #22 to 27, (7) possible extraction of one or more teeth and restoration with removable dental prostheses (RDPs). This manuscript outlines the various treatment options for the replacement of mandibular incisors and discusses benefits and drawbacks of each.