A dental auxiliary instrument is called a confection tray. The tray is used to take impressions of the upper and lower jaws.
What is the confection tray?
By using a confection tray, dental impressions can be positioned accurately. A confection tray is a special instrument used by the dentist to take impressions of the upper jaw as well as the lower jaw. It is also called an impression tray or impression tray. By using the instrument, dental impressions can be positioned precisely. A distinction must be made between customized and ready-made impression trays. In contrast to custom trays, ready-made trays do not adapt precisely to the patient’s jaw. Instead, templates are used which are prefabricated and made of plastic or metal. They can be inserted once or several times. In the case of confection trays, it is also possible to adapt them precisely to the patient’s individual anatomical structures using distal plastic damming or palatal stop with silicone before an impression is made.
Shapes, types and styles
Confection or impression trays are available in different sizes. The different jaw sizes are taken into account. The design also differs for upper and lower jaws, a fully toothed, partially toothed or edentulous jaw. The various retention elements also play an important role. Dentists also differentiate between a ready-made and an individual impression tray. While the ready-made impression tray is already prefabricated, the customized impression tray is specially manufactured by a dental technician based on the individual specifications of the jaw. For this purpose, a preliminary impression is first made with a ready-made tray so that the dental technician can obtain a rough overview of the patient’s jaw. He then uses this to fabricate the individual impression tray. In doing so, he can also take into account the patient’s dental peculiarities.
Structure and mode of operation
Confection trays are made of different materials. Most of them are confection spoons made of stainless steel. Such a one can be used permanently and is easy to clean. Other confection spoons are made of plastic. The use of an impression tray gives the impression material a balanced thickness. In this way, the accuracy of the impressions can be ensured. For its use, the special tray is provided with plastic impression material. The dentist places the confection tray in the patient’s mouth and presses it against the patient’s teeth to obtain an impression of the jaw or dentition. The retention elements in the tray ensure that the impression material remains inside the tray when it is removed. For this purpose, the impression tray is often equipped with perforations. The impression material passes through these during the plastic phase. The presence of a retentive rim is also possible, through which the impression material can be held in the finishing tray. Confection trays are not suitable for impressions of difficult jaw conditions. In such cases, they are used to make an individual impression tray. This has the advantage of being able to follow the shape of the jaw. Even if an exact precision of the impression is required, the ready-made trays reach their limits. Individualized trays must also be used for this purpose, as the impression material is applied in even layers. If there is an uneven layer thickness, there are differences in the setting behavior, resulting in inaccuracies. Confection trays are primarily used to create situation models. These record the patient’s dentition in a plaster model prior to therapy. Even if there is a time constraint, the use of an individualized impression tray is often dispensed with. This may involve, for example, repairing dentures that can be removed. The same applies to the fabrication of dental projects of a smaller scale, such as individual crowns.
Medical and health benefits
The benefit to human dental health of a fabrication tray is the taking of an impression.In this way, the tray carries the impression material or the impression compound so that the jaw and teeth can receive an impression from the dentist or orthodontist. Impression taking is a dental procedure. With the help of an impression, it is possible to make a negative mold of a specific area of the body. This includes the alveolar processes of the upper and lower jaws or an amputation stump. A positive mold of the area is then created by casting with certain materials such as plaster. This copy is also called a model. The use of an impression tray is primarily useful for the fabrication of dentures or a defect prosthesis. Other useful applications include diagnostics and treatment planning. The impression tray can also be used to make an impression of the dentition so that dental crowns can find the correct bite. The instrument can also be helpful for making larger dental fillings. After the impression is made, the result is recorded on plastic. For the dental technician, the replica of the dentition serves as a model. Dentists divide the impressions made with the special tray into three forms. These are the elastic-reversible impression, the elastic-irreversible impression and the rigid-irreversible impression. The elastic-reversible impression exhibits unstable behavior. Its shape also changes with heat. The elastic-irreversible impression has mobility even after the material has set. There are no further changes to its shape. The rigid-irreversible impression has no elasticity and can no longer be changed. Once an appropriate model has been made thanks to the impression tray, the dentist can also view the dentition himself and make any necessary adjustments for dental crowns. The orthodontist also uses the impression tray. He uses the instrument to identify and treat possible jaw malpositions.
