A Safe Holder for Adjusting Indirect Prostheses: the Silicone Cube Technique.

Small ceramic and interim restorations may be difficult to hold to adjust or polish, especially when wet. This technique uses polyvinyl siloxane to hold dental restorations securely during extraoral adjustments with rotary instruments. A temporarily cemented maxillary 3-unit fixed partial denture with a zirconia framework and layered porcelain (Fig. 1A) required removal and adjustment in the course of implant placement in the pontic site. After fabrication of the silicone cube, the pontic area was reduced, and the margins were adjusted after coronally repositioned flap procedures. The modified prosthesis was adjusted1Işeri U. Ozkurt Z. Yalnız A. Kazazoğlu E. Comparison of different grinding procedures on the flexural strength of zirconia.J Prosthet Dent. 2012; 107: 309-315Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (51) Google Scholar, 2Hatanaka G.R. Polli G.S. Fais L.M. Reis J.M. Pinelli L.A. Zirconia changes after grinding and regeneration firing.J Prosthet Dent. 2017; 118: 61-68Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (30) Google Scholar, 3Bartolo D. Cassar G. Al-Haj Husain N. Özcan M. Camilleri J. Effect of polishing procedures and hydrothermal aging on wear characteristics and phase transformation of zirconium dioxide.J Prosthet Dent. 2017; 117: 545-551Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (14) Google Scholar, 4Mundhe K. Jain V. Pruthi G. Shah N. Clinical study to evaluate the wear of natural enamel antagonist to zirconia and metal ceramic crowns.J Prosthet Dent. 2015; 114: 358-363Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (111) Google Scholar, 5Mohammadi-Bassir M. Jamshidian M. Rezvani M.B. Babasafari M. Effect of coarse grinding, overglazing, and 2 polishing systems on the flexural strength, surface roughness, and phase transformation of yttrium-stabilized tetragonal zirconia.J Prosthet Dent. 2017; 118: 658-665Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (55) Google Scholar, 6Park C. Vang M.S. Park S.W. Lim H.P. Effect of various polishing systems on the surface roughness and phase transformation of zirconia and the durability of the polishing systems.J Prosthet Dent. 2017; 117: 430-437Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (32) Google Scholar, 7Clayton J.A. Green E. Roughness of pontic materials and dental plaque.J Prosthet Dent. 1970; 23: 407-411Abstract Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (66) Google Scholar and temporarily seated immediately after the planned surgical procedures. The second example is a maxillary PMMA (polymethylmetacrylate) interim prosthesis that lacked a well-polished facial surface (Fig. 2A). A silicone cube holder was fabricated for finishing and polishing this area with pumice and diamond polishing paste.8Guler A.U. Kurt S. Kulunk T. Effects of various finishing procedures on the staining of provisional restorative materials.J Prosthet Dent. 2005; 93: 453-458Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (65) Google Scholar 1.Mix the polyvinyl siloxane (Sil-Tech Super; Ivoclar Vivadent AG, President Putty; Coltène) homogeneously according to the manufacturer’s instructions; form a cube; and embed the restoration (Fig. 1B).2.Ensure that the silicone material wraps around the restoration and exposes only the surface to be adjusted.3.When the material has polymerized, cut and trim the polyvinyl siloxane excess with a scalpel (carbon steel scalpel blade #15; B. Braun Melsungen AG).4.Upon completion of the adjustments (Figs. 1C, 2C), use the scalpel to gently remove the restoration from the silicone cube if necessary (Figs. 1D, 2D). Dr Afrashtehfar thanks Prof Dr UC Belser, Guest Professor, Department of Reconstructive Dentistry and Gerodontology and Prof Dr D Buser, Chairman of the Department of Oral Surgery and Stomatology, ZMK Bern, for their mentorship during the International Team for Implantology Scholar year; and Prof Dr U Braegger, Chairman, Department of Reconstructive Dentistry and Gerodontology, ZMK Bern, and the International Team for Implantology, Basel, Switzerland, for their educational support.