Taking Care of Your Temporaries

Temporaries: Today's Natural-Looking Provisional Restorations

Today's natural-looking temporaries, also called "temps" or provisional restorations, have undergone radical changes. Provisionals now enable you to "preview" the final result of your smile design or reconstructive treatment. They allow you to make a more informed decision about the size, shape, feel, function and color of your final restorations.

Purpose of Dental Temporaries

Temporaries have become an important and necessary part of any smile or bite reconstruction. They serve several other important functions, including:

• Protecting teeth that have been prepared for a final restoration.
• Covering exposed dentin to prevent tooth sensitivity, plaque buildup, cavities and pulp problems.
• Preventing unwanted tooth movement.
• Enabling patients to eat and speak normally.
• Maintaining the health and contours of the gum tissue.
• Allowing patients to "test drive" the fit, look, comfort and function of the anticipated smile makeover or restoration(s).
• Serving as a discussion point for addressing cosmetic or functional concerns during the interim period they are worn.
• Saving time and money by providing an accurate blueprint of what the final restoration(s) will look and feel like, thereby reducing the need for additional procedures, adjustments and remakes.

When Temporaries Are Necessary

If you choose to have treatment, a temporary restoration placed on your prepared teeth offers protection, comfort and esthetics while you wait for your final restoration to be made and placed. Temporary restorations are used while you have crowns, bridges, inlays, onlays and porcelian veneers made for you and sometimes even for removable partial dentures, complete dentures and implant treatment.

Temporaries are especially important when multiple teeth are to be prepared, or when occlusal (bite) or cosmetic changes are anticipated. It is easier to adjust temporary acrylic resin restorations than to modify final, permanent restorations fabricated from metal, ceramic or metal-ceramic materials.

The length of time temporary restorations need to be worn varies from ten days (short-term) for simple cases, such as a single crown, to several weeks (medium-term) for cases such as inlays, onlays and veneers. Provisionals are required for several months (long-term) for complex cases such as full-mouth reconstruction.  

How Temporaries Are Made

Temporaries can be made using a direct or indirect technique. A direct technique is performed chairside (in your mouth) by Dr. Mark Davis. An indirect technique requires making impressions of your mouth and having your temporaries made outside of your mouth and/or at an outside laboratory.

When temporaries are to be worn long-term or used as diagnostic tools, laboratory-fabricated provisionals are generally best because their materials provide greater strength and higher resistance to wear and discoloration. Since they more closely resemble the final treatment outcome, laboratory-fabricated provisionals also give you and Dr. Mark Davis a more accurate idea of whether you'll be able – or want – to live with the permanent restorations in that shape, design and fit.

If your permanent restorations are to be fabricated at an off-site dental laboratory, Dr. Mark Davis will make an impression of the teeth to be restored. Impressions and, in some cases, digital images of your smile, are sent to the laboratory where a three-dimensional wax-up is made of your desired smile makeover or restoration(s). The wax-up is returned to Dr. Mark Davis so that you can approve the shape, contours and look of the proposed treatment.

Following treatment approval, your teeth are prepared for their final restorations. At this time, Dr. Mark Davis will make temporaries from the waxed model and attach them to your teeth using a provisional (temporary) cement. Alternatively, instead of having your teeth prepared, your dentist could return the approved wax-up to the laboratory and have indirect temporaries made. If changes are necessary, they also can be made at that time.

Placement and Removal of Temporaries

It is very important that your temporaries stay in place. If temporaries come out, the teeth and preparations could shift position, and this could cause a change in how your final, permanent restorations will fit. If the temporaries come out, try pushing them back into place. If they won't stay in place or you have a problem, call Dr. Mark Davis as soon as possible to schedule a quick appointment to have them re-cemented or replaced; you do not have to “get numb” to have temporaries re-cemented.

Provisionals are typically attached using provisional cement. The temporary cements that Dr. Mark Davis uses have a soft, creamy consistency and come with a modifier that is used to loosen the cement when it is time for them to be removed. Once the temporaries are sufficiently loose, Dr. Mark Davis will use finger pressure or an instrument to carefully remove them.

Using Temporaries to Preview Smile Makeovers

In addition to serving a functional purpose, temporary restorations also offer you a preview of your final treatment outcome. If necessary, you can ask Dr. Mark Davis for adjustments to provide the best possible lip support, teeth length, shape, color and esthetics. He will evaluate your temporaries for optimal comfort and functionality, as well as test phonetics and your ability to speak naturally.

Once both you and Dr. Mark Davis are satisfied, a new impression will be made of the approved temporary restoration(s). The recovered cast model of your approved temporaries is sent to the dental laboratory, where your final restoration(s) or smile makeover will be fabricated according to this "blueprint".

In certain clinical situations, temporary restorations can be used to preview the final results without preparing the teeth. If you decide the proposed treatment is not right for you, neither you nor Dr. Mark Davis is committed to additional work. In other situations (such as removing tooth decay), your teeth must be prepared before fabricating the temporaries, committing you to restorative treatment.

Temporaries: Concerns, Care and Travel Considerations

Temporaries are designed to restore your teeth for a provisional or interim period of time. Although today's temporaries are significantly more lifelike and durable than those used previously, it is not uncommon for some people to experience problems with their temporaries. Common concerns with temporaries include:

• Temporaries may have a rough feeling that can be irritating to your tongue.
• They occasionally, if rarely, fall out.
• The teeth with the temporaries may be more sensitive to hot and cold.
• It may be harder to chew.
• You may not be pleased with how the temporaries look.
• Temporaries can cause bad breath if not properly cleaned.

Temporary Care

To experience as few problems as possible with your temporaries, adhering to the following care instructions can be helpful:

• Do not eat or drink anything hot for at least an hour after your temporaries are placed.
• If you experience tenderness in the gum tissue and teeth, take a mild pain reliever and anti-inflammatory according to the directions. Call Dr. Mark Davis if the discomfort does not subside or worsens.
• Rinse with warm salt water (1/2 teaspoon of salt in a four-ounce glass) for a couple of days after placement of the temporary to help lessen gum sensitivity.
• Avoid sticky foods, such as caramel, taffy or gum, since these can dislodge the temporary.
• When brushing your teeth, use a soft bristle brush to gently massage gum tissue.
• Floss daily, but pull the floss through the sides of your teeth instead of pulling up.  Dr. Mark Davis will demonstrate this simple technique for you when he places the temporaries on your teeth.
• To avoid breaks, do not chew on hard substances, such as nuts, ice, or pencils. If possible, chew on the opposite side of your mouth.

Traveling and Your Temporaries

Since cosmetic dentistry often can be expensive, many patients comparison shop for the best deals and most qualified dentists. This may involve traveling domestically or even internationally.

Depending on the length of time that you are wearing your temporaries, you may need to travel for work or pleasure while your final restorations are being fabricated. Be sure to discuss this with Dr. Mark Davis before you start any procedure so he can incorporate the fabrication of your temporaries into your treatment and travel schedule.

Satisfactory temporaries are especially important when traveling during dental treatment, since it may be harder to schedule an appointment with Dr. Mark Davis if any fit, function or re-cementing concerns arise during the interim.

Additionally, if you are planning to travel for an extended vacation or business trip, have any necessary dental work finished before you leave. If this is not possible and you will need to wear temporaries, let Dr. Mark Davis know your travel plans as far ahead of time as possible.  He will then choose the correct materials and temporary cements to best accommodate your travel plans. Before your departure, schedule a precautionary checkup of your temporaries to minimize the possibility of dental emergencies while you are away.