[This article, originally published 7/12/12, is one of our most widely read regarding techniques.]

In my practice, there are times when I don't need impression material to go into certain places. I have found red rope wax to be a quick, cheap and easy solution to the following clinical situations:

  1. Taking closed tray impressions of implant posts: Putting a little red rope wax into the hex of the retention screw right before taking your impression affords your lab to quickly and easily place the implant impression post without issues of aligning the screw head in the final impression.
  2. Broken teeth and/or lost fillings: If you have missing tooth structure or filling and need to take a pre-op impression, you can place red rope wax. Have the patient bite into it and quickly adapt it and then take a quick impression. It will stay in place long enough to get this done often times.
  3. Undercuts and/or open embrasures: You can easily adapt red rope wax in undercuts and embrasures to help heavy body impression material from locking into these areas and making removal difficulty for you and the patient.

These are just a few situations where red rope wax has proved useful for me. Please leave a comment if you know of any other uses below.

Jeff Lineberry DDS, Visiting Faculty, Spear Education. [ www.jefflineberrydds.com ]


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Comments

Commenter's Profile Image Cindy Folsom
July 22nd, 2013
I've used red wax under bridges and all kinds of undercut situations. But, I love your #2 on getting the occlusal surface of broken teeth in order to make a custom temporary. Brilliant!
Commenter's Profile Image David Slaughter
July 24th, 2013
if you don't have any sort of clearance gauge, you can have the patient bite on a ball of rope wax on your prep and see the exact amount of reduction present.