I am taking an impression of my teeth, using a home impression kit, which has a two-part putty for mixing together.
I also have a Maryland bridge replacing one incisor.
If I use the putty, what is the risk of pulling the bridge out?
My understanding* comes from the '80s - might be worth waiting for someone more up to date - however:
'Putty' impression materials were (are?) used mainly over a stainless steel frame, acting as a mouldable base for so-called light body impression material. The putty had a high fill loading resulting in a relatively high elastic modulus but low resolution. The light body material had little filler, giving better dimensional resolution but at the expense of elastic modulus / structural strength. The combination allowed a high resolution impression to be made which could be removed once set, deforming to pass over undercut regions in a way that more rigid material would not. It was generally better than medium or heavy body impression materials, which featured in a number of reports of 'accidental extractions'...
If your kit only has putty, it might be ok on it's own, but the dimensional resolution and stability are likely to be limited. I wouldn't risk it.
If the kit includes an armature to increase rigidity, I definitely wouldn't risk it.
The advantage of having someone else take the impression is that they should be liable for making good any damage caused during the process - and any (usually expensive) prosthetic made from the impression should also fit properly when they have finished.
In case of tl:dr, I wouldn't risk it.
Not a dentist but "The rheology of silicone rubber impression materials" (Journal of Dentistry, 1989; 17: 171-176) is one of mine.
My understanding* comes from the '80s - might be worth waiting for someone more up to date - however:
'Putty' impression materials were (are?) used mainly over a stainless steel frame, acting as a mouldable base for so-called light body impression material. The putty had a high fill loading resulting in a relatively high elastic modulus but low resolution. The light body material had little filler, giving better dimensional resolution but at the expense of elastic modulus / structural strength. The combination allowed a high resolution impression to be made which could be removed once set, deforming to pass over undercut regions in a way that more rigid material would not. It was generally better than medium or heavy body impression materials, which featured in a number of reports of 'accidental extractions'...
If your kit only has putty, it might be ok on it's own, but the dimensional resolution and stability are likely to be limited. I wouldn't risk it.
If the kit includes an armature to increase rigidity, I definitely wouldn't risk it.
The advantage of having someone else take the impression is that they should be liable for making good any damage caused during the process - and any (usually expensive) prosthetic made from the impression should also fit properly when they have finished.
In case of tl:dr, I wouldn't risk it.