Rich Rosenblatt I love doing crowns on implants with my CEREC machine.
One of the annoying aspects of the procedure is what to cover up the screw hole with when imaging the abutment. I have the same issue when I take conventional impressions for larger cases that need to go to the lab. I have used wax, impression material, cavit, IRM, uncured composite. They all had their drawbacks for me.
I was reading the other day about just this thing and got a great tip that I wanted to share on how to deal with this exact issue. The answer? Plumbers tape. You heard me ... plumbers tape.
I have no use for plumber’s tape at home since I can't fix anything. We have a rule in my house: don't ask me to fix anything in the house unless you want the final product to look like a tooth!
I know nothing about fixing things, especially plumbing, but I do use the plumbers tape for anterior composites all the time as a separating medium from the adjacent contact. I tried it out today on a case and it was perfect. Plumbers tape is almost rubbery. You can condense it into the opening of the abutment or the transfer coping and take your impression. When you are done, just take an explorer and pull it right out. No mess, nothing getting stuck in the access opening or over the screw. It’s fantastic. Give it a try.
