How To Fabricate a Screw-retained Implant Temporary Crown

This post will review a step-by-step technique to fabricate a screw-retained implant temporary crown.

An implant temporary crown can be fabricated by cold processing of the acrylic or by heat processing of the acrylic. While the cold processing requires less step, it generates an acrylic that is more likely to contain porosity, therefore limiting the polish of the final restoration. Heat processing provide a more densely packed acrylic that can be highly polished, for an optimal esthetic result.

In this post I want to show you the technique I use to fabricate implant-supported temporary fixed partial dentures. This technique can be used at any stage of implant restoration: immediately after implant placement, or after osseointegration of the dental implants. The images are pretty much self explanatory, however I will briefly present the step-by-step procedure:

Record an impression with the material of your choice (Polyvinyl siloxane– or Ether-based materials, not alginate).
Pour a soft tissue model.
Connect the temporary abutments. Trim and opaque as necessary.
Setup denture teeth and reproduce the missing soft tissue using wax.
Remove the temporary from the master cast and connect it to the implant analogs.
Place the temporary/analogs assembly in the flask and pour the stone.
Cover the buccal and incisal portion of the teeth with lab putty (this is optional but highly recommended). Pour the counter-flask.
Open the flask. Careful! Trim and polish the temporary as needed.
Verify fit of the temporary restoration on the master cast.
Enjoy.