One of the most intriguing aspects of restorative dentistry is the way different dentists approach concept of temporaries. Going back to dental school – the purpose of a temporary was to cover the tooth for comfort until the permanent restoration was ready, and to keep the teeth in the same position as when the impression was taken so that the restoration fit correctly. This is still true today when we do restorations that will basically place the tooth back to its original position. If you are making a simple temporary for a tooth going into the same position, a preop impression works nicely.
However, we now have another animal – dentistry for esthetics or tooth wear – and the focus is on looking better, so we often want to change the position of the teeth. One of the things to consider is that when changing position of teeth, temporaries become the primary way to test the new position for esthetics and bite. When we do large cosmetic cases, we do it 4 times: in our mind, in the diagnostic waxup, in properly contoured temporaries, then in the final. The properly contoured provisional restoration becomes the primary way we as dentists can test the all-important functional and esthetic parameters.
Particularly for anterior teeth and esthetics cases, don’t rush. Send a second impression of the properly contoured provisional restoration to the lab; it is the blueprint for success. In other words, get the provisional right, and expect predictable results!