Product Evaluation

No one ever dreams of needing a crown or bridge, and it’s certainly not something you would find on any patient’s bucket list. But sometimes, life throws a curveball, and a dental restoration is an unplanned but necessary addition to a patient’s future agenda. Whether it’s a crown, bridge, or veneers, the entire process can take a few weeks and several dental appointments—an unexpected hassle for the patient, to say the least.

To make an expertly crafted provisional restoration, a reliable temporary material is the unsung hero that can make the process smoother, offering reassurance during the wait for a permanent restoration. For Drs. Jodi Lampert and Kapish Goyal, Henry Schein’s MaxiTemp Temporary Crown and Bridge Material delivers that coveted reliability and confidence.

“I absolutely love MaxiTemp,” shared Dr. Lampert after trying it for a few weeks in her Colorado practice. An automix material, MaxiTemp delivers fast, esthetic results that are durable. “It works great for me, and it gives me more confidence with my temporaries,” she added.

On a mission to find a temporary material that combined “stability, durability, and polishability,” Dr. Goyal found that MaxiTemp met all those criteria and more. “I like that it’s a rigid material with many shade varieties and is highly polishable. It sets up quicker and is stronger [than my previous material], and the durability is wonderful,” he noted. “It definitely fills a void that other temp materials do not address.”

Mixing, Handling, and Setting

Ideal for creating temporary crowns, bridges, in-lays, onlays, and veneers, MaxiTemp is available in 3 mixing ratios (4:1, 10:1, and 1:1) in 50-mL cartridges. Six mixing tips are included with each cartridge.

MaxiTemp is “very easy to use” and has a “fantastic texture,” shared Dr. Yu-Chi Chung. “We did 6-unit splinted temp veneers that were easy, and the patient was happy.” Also praising the ease of use, Dr. Donald Roman liked that the “surface was far less sticky” than his previous material. Naming “the easy handling” as her favorite feature, dental assistant Heather Richardson described MaxiTemp as “easy to place, remove, and trim.”

With an intraoral setting time of 1 to 2.5 minutes, MaxiTemp is a welcome time-saver for Dr. Roman, who said, “It sets in good time,” while Dr. Goyal shared, “The reduced setting time is an added advantage that reduced chair time.” While Dr. Tanya Orr and Dr. Muriel Law felt it took too long to set, Dr. Aliisha Choucair appreciated the “predictable setting time and reliable results.”

Several dentists suggested that more mixing tips should be included in each box. Dr. Lampert noted, “I especially like that I can add more [material] after it has set.”

Final Esthetics and Trimming

Available in 6 shade options (A1, A2, A3, A3.5, B1, Bleach), MaxiTemp produces natural-looking resto-rations that are easy to trim, finish, and polish. In fact, Dr. Anthony Glorioso named “color stability and ease of trimming” as his favorite features, and Dr. Law also liked the “ease of trimming” best.

When using MaxiTemp to create and place 6 temporary veneers on a patient, Dr. Alfred dela Cruz said he spot bonded with a 4th-generation bonding agent and placed a composite glaze after finishing. “It eliminated the final polishing step, and the B1 shade looked excellent,” he shared. “The patient was pleased with the esthetics during the provisionalization, and the temps looked fantastic even after 2 weeks.”

Dr. Elizabeth Spindel said her patients’ temporary restorations “looked nice and natural,” and Dr. Chung noted, “MaxiTemp polishes nicely and is easy to trim.” When using MaxiTemp on maxillary anterior incisors, Dr. Roman said, “The material set well and polishes to a nice finish.” Dr. Choucair suggested improved polishability for anterior cases.

Strength and Durability

MaxiTemp is a long-lasting and durable provisional material with high flexural and compressive strength that minimizes the risk of fractures, according to the manufacturer. Low water sorption helps achieve color stability and avoid failure.

“It makes a strong temporary that looks nice and works just as well as my other temp materials,” shared Dr. Spindel. Dr. Glorioso said, “It makes a durable temp quickly that is easy to trim.”

Dr. Goyal called MaxiTemp a “durable, rigid material” that retained its “strength without breakage until we were able to deliver the permanent crown on a nonretentive prep.” Dr. Orr would like to see the material’s strength improved.

Overall Satisfaction

“We absolutely love MaxiTemp due to its durability as a temp material in function, especially for bruxers and patients with hard bite,” concluded Dr. Goyal, who will be using and recommending the temporary material to his colleagues in the future.

In terms of the overall value of the material, Dr. Marla Wilson pointed out that MaxiTemp “is more economical than other temporary materials,” while Dr. Spindel said, “I would use it if it is less costly [than other materials].”

Concluding that “MaxiTemp works well” and that she will recommend it to other dentists, Dr. Choucair said it allows her to “fabricate temporary crowns in an efficient and predictable manner.”