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Introduction

All of us want a shining, radiant smile. It is the first thing people notice, indicating our mood and temperament. Nothing beats a beautiful smile to brighten other people’s days and lives. Things could be better if you start every meet-up or conversation with a smile. Having a wonderful smile gives us confidence, a sign that we are amicable.

That is why we must take good care of our teeth. But no matter how we try, things do happen. An accident, sickness, or previous unhealthy habits could affect our dental health. Good thing, though, significant advances in dentistry allow us to have and maintain that lovely smile, no matter what. In particular, the science of making dental impressions benefits significantly from those advancements. From the materials to the techniques used in making them, it has become far more reliable, more comfortable, significantly cheaper, and less hassle. Before, you needed to make the impressions in the clinic, but now you can make one in the comfort of your home.

Dental health is always a must. What are dental impressions? 

A dental impression is an imprint you can make of your teeth and mouth—those imprints or impressions of your teeth, gums, and oral tissues are the medium used to make teeth devices.

The usual material used in making dental impressions is alginate, and it is a hydrocolloid, jelly-like substance usually found in brown seaweeds. They are organic, and their properties make them ideal for use in medicine.

You put the substance in impression trays.

These impression trays, shaped like a horseshoe, come in all stock and sizes, from which a dentist will choose the appropriate one for the client. Specialized or custom-made trays are also available to meet a particular individual’s specificities. 

Before, they could only make dental impressions in clinics and with the assistance of a dental professional. But now, it is entirely possible to have a dental impression done at home. You have to order a dental impression kit, and you can make your dental impression for your needed particular teeth device.

How does a DIY dental impression kit work?

Dental impressions work by making impressions of your teeth and oral tissues, putting them in a tray full of jelly-like material. This material would be the imprint used to make the needed teeth device. A dental professional will assist you in making one if done in the clinic. But how do you do it on your own? Here is a practical, step-by-step guide in making your dental impressions. 

1. Have a timer ready.

You have to count the minutes and the seconds once you put your teeth into the impression tray, so be sure you one in there to measure time.

2. Wash and clean your hands thoroughly.

You need to have your hands clean before you handle the material.

3. Brush your teeth thoroughly.

You need to remove all the deposits and possible impurities in your teeth, and they might get in the way when you make the impression. You have to make a clean, neat, accurate dental impression.

4. Check the dental impression kit.

Some health procedures could be done at home, maknig dental impressions is one.

Check the package if everything you need is there. It usually contains an instruction manual, medical gloves, an impression tray for your upper and lower teeth, and the white and purple impression material, what we call putty. Depending on the provider, you can have several
trays and putty.

5. Check the trays if they fit into your upper and lower teeth without putting anything.  

To do this, insert the tray into your mouth. Hold the center of the tray and try to fit the teeth into the tray. The teeth must fit nicely to the tray, not too tight or too loose. All teeth must be covered, back molars included.

If it is too loose or too tight, if it is almost scraping your teeth as you put the tray, it means you have the wrong size. You will not get an accurate impression, and you need to return it to the vendor. If it fits nicely, though, you can proceed.

6. Have your timer, and prepare the impression.

There are two putties, the colored and the white one. Mixed the two, make sure that they have blended well and are already of one color. Depending on the vendor, it takes 30 seconds to a minute to mix the white and colored putties perfectly.

7. Make an elongated, sausage-like material out of the mixed putty.

Ensure that it is long enough to reach those spaces intended for molars. Then put the material into the tray, ensuring that you have everything covered, even the edges. Putting the material into the tray should be done between 15-20 seconds.

Creating impression materials could be as easy as molding clay.

8. Creating the impression.

For upper teeth, put the tray in your mouth, aim at the center of your upper teeth, then press the tray to your teeth, do it gently. Ensure that your teeth are deep in the material, with the material touching your gums. Typically, it takes four to five minutes before you can remove the tray from your teeth. Repeat the method of preparing the tray and the mixed putty, then repeat the procedure for the lower teeth.

You can do it in front of a mirror in making the impression, and it is to ensure that you have the impression right at the center of your teeth.

9. Put them in an envelope and ship them back.

Instructional manuals do carry specific instructions. Photos, for instance, are required, and some ask the client to take a photo every step of the way; others do not. Specific instructions about emailing and the like are usually there. In essence, though, we have covered everything about how to use a dental impression kit, the preparations, how to use them, and how to make a dental impression.

Teeth Devices

Dentists and dental professionals allow the usage of DIY dental impression kits for a wide array of teeth devices. But some dental appliances benefit from dental impression kits for the patient need not be present in the clinic to be performed upon or to install a particular teeth device.

Here are some of the teeth devices for clients, of which having a do-it-yourself dental impression kit would be highly beneficial.

Want to make dental impressions for your mouthguard? You can do it at home.

Dentures 

Dentures are exact replicas of teeth, so you need an accurate measurement of the whole dental impression to ensure that what you have is what you need to replace teeth.

Mouthguards

If dentures are exact replicas of teeth, mouthguards are almost exact replicas of dental impressions. They put into the mouth as often as needed. Talking about shape, those in teeth are exact copies of trays. They are nearly alike; you can easily understand dental impressions by simply looking at mouthguards.

Nightguards

Like mouthguards, nightguards are for teeth protection but protection from grinding and clenching, especially when asleep. People diagnosed with bruxism exhibits these tendencies and would benefit the most from having a nightguard.

Flippers

These are prosthetic teeth or teeth serving as partial dentures. Inexpensive compared to dentures and implants, they could serve as a replacement to fill in the gaps or gaps to missing teeth.

Available Impression Materials 

Alginate is the most common material used in dental impressions, and it is also the widely used material for DIY dental impression kits. It is cheap, easy to use, very elastic, and could be prepared easier and quicker. It is handy and suitable for the use of non-professionals.

Agar is also available for making dental impressions, but there are some issues. The extended setting time that it tears easily and is more challenging to prepare makes it not ideal as a DIY dental impression kit material. However, some dentists and dental professionals adept at handling this material use agar.

What Is a good impression?

It is possible now to create a dental impression on your own.

A good impression is when you have an accurate, quality imprint of your teeth, gums, oral tissues, and all the gaps or deformities in your teeth. You need to have a good impression so that the dental professional can make the most accurate teeth device for you. Failure to do so, you have to make a new impression again.

Errors are ever a possibility in any do-it-yourself. Even minor miscalculations or errors in measurements could be crucial and could spell the difference between whether the teeth device is a perfect fit. That is why we elaborate on all the steps in making an impression.

The wrong and right way 

The wrong way is anything that will result in errors in material handling, preparation, and measurement. All this could impact making an exact imprint of your teeth.

In handling and preparing impression materials, errors are possible in making the mixture. Quality could suffer; as a result, the impression might not give the most exact imprint you needed.  You do it the right way if you follow the exact time you need to mix as indicated in the manual and if you have the single color of the mixture.

Putting the impression material on the tray, you need to spread all the material equally and cover all spaces from front to back. You need to spread the putty over the tray in equal proportions.

Failure to do so might risk inaccuracies that might impact the final impression material. But you do it the right way if you see everything is covered and material spread evenly in the tray. Much like in science and art, there is a right way of doing it. Most commit errors in pushing the tray to the teeth. Again, you must push it far enough for the tray to touch the gums. Not pushing it far enough could lead to wrong calculations and measurements, and you need to do the procedure again.

The right way is to push the tray to the entire teeth and gums, ensuring that all of them will make their imprint on the material. Timing, as we said earlier, is critical. Pulling your teeth out of the tray, too early or too late, could alter the impression material, and the result would be a poor imprint of teeth or impression materials suddenly removed from the tray.

The right way is to follow proper instructions on the manual regarding when to remove the tray from your mouth, avoiding compromising the quality of the impression.

Why need dental impressions?

People need dental impressions for teeth devices. One who also wants to have his dental records preserved accurately, or undergoing dental treatment, can also have a dental impression.  

Finally, one can use dental impressions for dental and scientific studies. In this case, having dental impression kits is indeed suitable. A research institution need not take in their facility so many people. Instead, the institution could send dental impression kits to their participants and have those kits shipped back.  

Is there discomfort?

There is no discomfort or hassle in making dental impressions, whether in a clinic or home. One thing you need to worry about is probably the taste of the impression material, which, for some people, are indeed unpalatable. The taste is primarily due to alginate. Taste of impression material is the only complaint people have. With some people, the gag reflex is triggered when inserting a tray into their mouth. It should not be a cause for concern. It only takes a few minutes to make dental impressions. Some said they experienced pain or burning sensation in the mouth, but these are primarily anecdotal.

Who needs them?

Anyone who needs a teeth device, or will undergo dental treatment, is a prime candidate. They need it for various purposes, ranging from preserving and maintaining oral health to having that lovely smile courtesy of a particular teeth device.

Athletes who need protection for their mouthand teeth, like boxers and others engaged in full-contact sports, might need them. Mouthguards are mostly personalized, and due to their commitments, they might not have the time to visit a dental clinic. A DIY dental impression kit would be indeed advisable.

Benefits of dental impression kit

A DIY dental impression kit is advisable for those who lack time to go to the dental clinic. It saves time and money, and you need not travel. You also do not need to have an appointment with your dentist — no waiting and queueing. You can do it anytime, anywhere, comfortably. Athletes busy in training can have their DIY dental impression tool kit right at their doorstep.

Conclusion

The advancement in science allows consultations and specific health procedures at home, and dental procedures are no exception. With a DIY dental impression kit, you can make impressions of your teeth without the assistance of dental professionals.

The materials pass the health and safety standards, and so do the procedures. It is easy to do and saves you time, money, and effort, and there is no need why you will not take advantage of it.

References 

https://poponveneers.com/pages/at-home-impression-kit

https://www.colgate.com/en-us/oral-health/bridges-and-crowns/dental-impressions-what-to-expect

https://www.alignerco.com/how-to-make-dental-impressions-at-home-a-comprehensive-guide/#keep-track

https://www.upsmiles.com/products/impression-kit

https://www.verywellhealth.com/understanding-dental-impressions-1059424

https://www.straightteethdirect.com/teeth-impression-kit-unboxing

https://www.stpetedentist.com/blog/5-reasons-wear-night-guard/

https://pocketdentistry.com/11-dental-impression-materials/

https://mydentaltechnologynotes.wordpress.com/2018/07/04/impression-materials-agar/