title: A technique to replicate soft tissues around fixed restoration pontics on working casts.
abstract: When missing maxillary incisors are replaced, the patient's primary concern is usually esthetics. Depending on the patient's smile line and the display of the incisors, the esthetic zone may extend to the entire clinical crown and include the surrounding soft tissue. For these patients, the appearance and form of the soft tissue at the base of the pontics is as critical as the esthetics of the incisal edges of the restoration. A technique is presented to precisely transfer the soft tissue morphology of the pontic area to the working cast. This modified master cast allows the laboratory technician to fabricate restorations that will harmonize precisely with the soft tissues of the patient.
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California School of Dentistry, Los Angeles 90089-0641, USA. wchee@hsc.usc.edu
authors.forename: W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Chee
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Ikoma
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arcidiacono
mesh_terms: D003761:Dental Impression Technique; D003830:Denture, Partial, Fixed; D004955:Esthetics, Dental; D005881:Gingiva; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor; D008437:Maxilla; D003765:Models, Dental