Preparing a wax rim and/or an existing denture for a 360° extraoral scan is an important step in accurately capturing and transferring the intraoral anatomy, VDO, and aesthetics.
This article and video (wax rim example) will outline the preparation steps required.
Impression
- Use a light body or a combination of light body and heavy body to border mold and capture an impression of the patient's edentulous arch.
- The wax rim and/or existing denture serve as the impression tray for border molding.
- Place the wax rim and/or denture in the patient’s mouth, have the patient move lips and tongue side to side, and gently push down on the denture.
- Let the denture sit while the impression material sets
Information Capture
If you are using a wax rim:
- Confirm the VDO proposed with the wax rim.
- Adjust the vertical height as needed before proceeding.
- Make the following carving patterns on the buccal surface of the wax rim to mark:
- The midline
- The high smile line
- The canine lines
- Carve notches into the occlusal surface of the wax rim. This creates space for bite registration material to record an accurate, repeatable bite.
- Create additional markings/carvings (i.e. X's, +'s, etc.) on the occlusal and buccal sides of the wax rim.
- These marks allow the scanner to understand its location when scanning. It also assists in stitching together data.
- These marks also allow us to align the patient's bite once we begin our scans
If you are using an existing denture:
- Remove and trim off any excess impression material, especially on the occlusal surface.
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Make any necessary adjustments to the existing denture to ensure fit and correct VDO.
- If teeth are significantly worn down, use blue mousse to fill the bite on the occlusal surface to verify that the VDO is correct.
Scanning
Now, the wax rim and/or existing denture is prepared to be scanned extraoral. Jump to our article on
Extraoral Denture Scan: 360° Scan Technique to learn more.