PDF Version - Glidewell Dental Labs
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CASE OF THE WEEK: Episode 32<br />
A Disastrous Double-Arch Impression Tray<br />
– ARTICLE by Michael C. DiTolla, DDS, FAGD<br />
When dentists attend my lectures, they are often fascinated by the clinical cases I show of what other dentists<br />
are sending in to <strong>Glidewell</strong> Laboratories. “Chairside Live,” our weekly Web series, is a great opportunity for<br />
me to share these cases with dentists on an ongoing basis. Episodes can be viewed online and on demand at<br />
www.chairsidelive.com, or on YouTube and iTunes. If you aren’t already a viewer, I encourage you to start watching now<br />
for informative case examples from our lab and intriguing dentistry-related news stories.<br />
The video stills that follow highlight an interesting Case of the Week from Episode 32 that addresses what is probably<br />
my biggest dental pet peeve: when a double-arch tray is used for a bridge impression. While double-arch impressions<br />
can be suitable for one single-unit crown or two single-unit adjacent restorations, they should never be used for a bridge.<br />
A closer look at the case illustrates why.<br />
Figure 1: When walking through <strong>Glidewell</strong>’s crown & bridge department<br />
the other day, I stopped to ask a technician what one thing dentists do in<br />
cases they send to the lab that drives him crazy. “I’m glad you asked!” he<br />
said, and handed me this impression.<br />
Figure 2: Looking closer at this impression, we can see that it is for a 4-unit<br />
bridge, but it was taken in a double-arch tray. I learned from Dr. Gordon Christensen<br />
many years ago that this is a no-no, and now this technician wants me<br />
to know that he dislikes this technique just as much as Gordon does.<br />
A Disastrous Double-Arch Impression Tray39