1998 Judson C. Hickey Scientific Writing Award. Use of a flexible cast for the indirect fabrication of provisional restorations.

Efficient fabrication of a clinically acceptable provisional restoration for a fixed partial denture is an important part of treatment success. Fabrication of provisional restorations that uses the indirect technique produces accurate fitting provisional restorations without the chemical and thermal irritation associated with direct fabrication. With a typodont model, an indirect method is presented that uses an elastic cast for fabrication of multiple unit provisional restorations for fixed partial dentures. The cast is available within 6 minutes of impression making, can be trimmed with a sharp scalpel, and provides flexibility that allows easy separation of the acrylic provisional from the cast. The cast can also be used to evaluate the clinical acceptability of the preparations before impression making. This method has also been successfully used for the fabrication of acrylic provisional restorations for onlay preparations.