Implant Level Impression and Bite Registration

This video will demonstrate the proper technique for the making of an implant level impression and bite registration. After uncovering the implants and removing the black healing plugs, or if it were a one stage surgery, the healing abutments, impression posts are placed into the well of the implants with finger pressure, prior to the plastic impression sleeves being snapped onto the impression posts. A light bodied impression material is injected over the impression posts and sleeves and the impression is made. It is paramount that the impression posts stay in the well of the implant and only the sleeves are captured in the impression material. If a post were to come out during the making of the impression, you must remake the impression, for you may not have accurately recorded the axial position of the implant. Next, we shall record the bite registration. With the three impression posts still in place, the patient is asked to close. Any interfering impression post is either removed or modified. There is neither sufficient clearance to use the plastic compression sleeves nor unmodified impression posts. Therefore, in this case, one impression post is removed, while the mesial impression post is modified with a bur to allow for clearance. The modified impression post is then placed back into the well of the implant and a polyvinyl siloxane or resin bite registration material is applied to the posts. The patient then closes into the material and if necessary, more material is applied. Once the material has set, the bite registration is removed.