Beautiful temporary veneers can serve as the prototype for final restorations. Not only will they provide the patient with a preview of what they can expect their final new smile to look like, but they also help reassure the patient that they have selected the right dentist to provide them with their smile makeover.
The following case study will demonstrate a technique that will allow you to make beautiful temporaries that can be completed in a very short period of time.
Preoperative impressions are sent to the lab (YES Dental Laboratory) and a diagnostic wax up is fabricated for the esthetic enhancement of tooth #s 7-10 (Fig. 1). From this diagnostic wax up, a matrix can be fabricated.
Using the putty version of a polyvinylsiloxane impression material (Panasil Putty, Kettenbach), the putty is mixed and then press formed onto place on the diagnostic wax up (Fig. 2). The impression material is allowed to set for 4 to 5 minutes.
Once fully set, the putty impression is removed and then trimmed using a #12 scalpel blade. Excess material is removed, but the matrix should extend at least 5 mm onto the soft tissue. This will ensure a full and positive seating of the temporary matrix. Lastly at the midline and adjacent to the canines, black lines are placed to help with the orientation of seating the matrix (Fig. 3).
The matrix is now ready for the fabrication of the temporary veneers. Cheek retractors are placed on the patient. A small spot of phosphoric etch is placed in the middle 1/3 of each prepared tooth, allowed to sit for 15 seconds, then rinsed off with an air water spray and air dried.
The matrix is then loaded with the bisacryl temporary material (Visalys Temp, Kettenbach) (Fig. 4), seated to place, and allowed to set for 4 minutes (Fig. 5).
With this technique, the temporaries are not removed from the teeth and trimmed, but rather are locked into place and will be trimmed intraorally.
Using finishing carbides and composite polishing rotary instrumentation, the excess provisional material is trimmed away and the temporary material is polished to provide the patient with a beautiful provisional 
restoration that will give them an esthetically pleasing preview of their final smile makeover.
Written By Dr. Gary M. Radz, DDS