Essentials of Clinical Practice
We went down to the third-year clinic and practiced taking impressions on fellow students. They turned out alright, though some practice is definitely needed. The best learning experience today was learning how to modify the stock trays in order to accommodate the size and shape of a patient's mouth. One way which worked well was to use rope wax which could be fitted to the back of the tray in order to extend it a bit farther to capture the gingival areas posterior to the molars. Also, a desktop torch can be used to re-shape the plastic trays so that they fit better.
Part of the impression requirement was also to catch the buccal vestibule by injecting alginate into the area using a syringe. This can be a bit difficult on the maxillary, as you are working against gravity. Doing this also requires having an assistant (or in our case, the other student-patient) mixing up a second bowl of alginate for the syringe at the same time you are packing the tray with another. Recall, that the alginate in the vestibular area and in the tray needs to be setting at roughly the same pace in order to get bondage between them.
Finally, if you are unable to pour up the impression immediately after, it's best to wrap it up in a moist towel and put it in a sealable bag. This will help keep the form of the hydrocolloidal impression material.
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