Common Impression Mistakes to Avoid

Putty mixed unevenly

❌Left: Putty not mixed completely. White putty patches can be seen. 
✔️Right: Putty is mixed completely. It is one uniform blue color with no white patches. 
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Roof of mouth not imprinted

❌Left: Roof of mouth did not imprint. Putty was not pushed into roof of mouth completely leaving an air gap. 
✔️Right: Roof of mouth imprinted completely. Roof of mouth shape and details are seen clearly. 
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Shallow impression

❌Left: Impression is shallow and "puffy." Putty was mixed too long/dried out before insertion. 
✔️Right: Impression is deep and concave. Putty was soft when inserted. 
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Putty was divided/not distributed evenly

❌Left: Putty was divided (not enough coverage) and not enough putty distributed in the front. As a result, front gums and teeth were not imprinted. 
✔️Right: All gum imprinted with no tray wall visible. 
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Teeth scraping

Teeth scraping occurs when putty was removed before setting or removed, then re-inserted while putty was still soft. For retainers and valplast partials, severe teeth scraping might require redos.
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Valplast Partials

In valplast partials, the clasps rest on the gums AND teeth next to the missing teeth. It is important to imprint as much front outer gum as possible to have enough space to rest the clasps. Teeth holes should also have well defined borders.