How to Take Impressions With Flexitime

Flexitime is an impression material created by the company Heraeus Kulzer. The material is made of polyvinyl siloxane and offers advantages over traditional impression materials in that it sets in just two minutes instead of four minutes. This quick-setting feature makes taking dental impressions more efficient for the dental staff. In addition, the working time is sufficient for a dental professional to mix the material without having to rush. Impressions are necessary to create a replica of teeth and tissues for later developing orthodontic appliances, or braces, as well as dental study models.

Things You'll Need

• Dental impression tray
• Flexitime impression putty, both base and accelerator
• Putty scoops
• Light body material cartridge
• Gauze squares
• Clock

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Instructions

• 1

  Select an appropriately sized impression tray for the patient. Make sure the tray is comfortable for the patient and stretches slightly beyond the teeth's front surfaces. Choose a tray that also goes 2 to 3 mm beyond the wisdom teeth in the far back area of the patient's mouth.

• 2

  Mix the impression putty. Scoop out the accelerator putty and the base putty separately, making sure the combined scoops will be able to fill the impression tray to about 2/3 full. Mix the putty scoops while wearing vinyl gloves until the putty mix appears uniform in color.

• 3

  Push the mass of putty mix into your impression tray so that it fills the entire interior area of the tray. Squeeze the light body cartridge so that the light body substance covers the area of the impression putty on which you are focusing. For example, if taking an impression of an entire arch for orthodontic purposes, squeeze the light body on the entire putty area. But if taking an impression to form a restorative crown for just one tooth, apply the light body only to the area in which this single tooth will be captured.

• 4

  Wipe the chewing surfaces of the patient's teeth using a gauze square to remove excess moisture from these areas. Also dry off the surfaces of the teeth that face the cheek or lip. Squeeze the light body onto your finger and apply it to the chewing surfaces of the teeth and the teeth surfaces facing the tongue.

• 5

  Retract the patient's cheek using your index finger, turn the impression tray sideways and place the tray in the patient's mouth. Reposition the tray so that it is appropriately positioned to cover the arch on which you are taking an impression and press the tray over the arch of teeth. Press the tray down first in the back of the mouth and work your way forward.

• 6

  Allow the tray to remain in the patient's mouth for two minutes. Lift gently on the tray's handle to break the seal between the impression material and the teeth to remove it.