As a busy dentist, you spend most of your time in your practice seeing patients and performing procedures. Thus, the idea of learning how to make dental putty at home can be compelling. You can take the DIY dental impression putty route to save time and make sure your time in office is spent on what matters most.
But as you’ll discover below, making your own teeth impression material is not a good idea for a number of reasons - most importantly, patient outcomes.
We’ll explain why you’re better off investing in peace of mind and ordering dental putty here at My DDS Supply instead. You gain access to high-quality material at an affordable price. Most importantly, our putty is incredibly easy to work with and maximizes patient comfort during the process.
So, stock up today and streamline your operation, or learn more about DIY dental putty below to see why this is not the appropriate approach.
Step-by-Step Guide to DIY Dental Impression Putty
We’ll start by walking you through the DIY dental putty process since that’s what you came here for - and because showing you all that goes into it will reveal that you’re actually not going to save much time.
The truth is, gathering your own materials to create teeth impression putty is a hassle when you can just order pre-made dental impression putty, mix it together, and take the impression. Nevertheless, here’s how to make dental putty at home.
Gathering Materials
You'll need a few key ingredients to begin making your own dental impression putty at home. Start with silicone - it’s imperative that it’s either dental grade or food grade, depending on availability and your specific needs.
You'll also need a catalyst. We recommend a hardening agent that reacts with the silicone to set the putty. The most commonly used catalysts include tin or platinum, which tend to be available in specialized chemical supply stores or online.
Ensure you have precise measuring tools, such as a digital scale or measuring spoons, to maintain accurate ratios that affect the putty's final consistency and performance. We cannot stress this enough - precision is paramount!
Mixing the Putty
Once you have your materials on hand you can actually get to work making DIY dental impression putty.
First, calculate the necessary amounts of silicone and catalyst based on the manufacturer's recommendations, which is usually a 10:1 ratio of silicone to catalyst by weight.
Mix these components in a clean, dry container. Use a wooden or plastic spatula to blend them thoroughly until the mixture achieves a uniform color without streaks. We also have dental mixing tips here at My DDS Supply that you can use.
This step is incredibly important for ensuring favorable patient outcomes. Uneven mixing can lead to a putty that sets incorrectly or unevenly, compromising its ability to take an accurate impression.
Taking the Impression
With your putty mixed you’ll want to immediately begin the impression process before the material starts to set.
This is another reason why learning how to make dental putty at home doesn’t make sense for professionals - are you seeing patients in your kitchen or living room? We certainly hope not.
You can’t just prepare your material at home the night before taking impressions, as it will become too hard to actually use the next day - even with our advice on how to soften dental putty.
Regardless, you’ll need to roll the putty into a ball and flatten it slightly to fit into a dental impression tray. If you don't have a dental tray, a clean, appropriately sized container can substitute.
Press the putty into the mouth over the area you need to mold. It’s important that the patient bites down gently but firmly to ensure the putty spreads evenly around the teeth, capturing all necessary details. Hold still for about 3-5 minutes, depending on the setting time of your mix.
After the putty has set, carefully remove it from the mouth, avoiding any twisting or pulling motions that might distort the impression. Inspect the mold for any bubbles or gaps that could affect the quality of the final product.
And that’s it - you can ship off the impression to your orthodontist to create the provisional or mouth guard for your patient at this point.
Why Consider DIY Dental Putty?
There you have it - how to make dental putty at home. It’s not a question of can you, but rather, should you.
Our stance, if it wasn’t already crystal clear, is that dental procedures should always be conducted in a controlled environment and this includes the materials used in these procedures.
Still, we do understand that for some dentists, DIY dental impression putty can be a compelling consideration for cost-effectiveness and customization. Here are some of the reasons dental professionals and even those trying to take their own impressions may consider this route:
- Cost-Effectiveness: DIY projects generally appear to offer a way to save money that would otherwise be spent on professional products for those looking to reduce expenses. As we mentioned earlier, though, you’re still buying the raw materials that go into dental putty, which means you’re not saving nearly as much as you may anticipate in the end.
- Immediate Solutions: In instances where immediate access to dental impression materials is needed, and there's no quick way to obtain professional-grade products, the DIY approach might seem like a viable temporary solution. Still, this doesn’t make much sense - in what world would you have access to raw materials and not dental putty itself?
- Customization: There's a belief that DIY methods could allow for a more personalized approach to dental care, letting individuals feel more in control of their dental treatments. Conversely, though, it’s unrealistic to think that you can make a better product than a professional manufacturer.
While these reasons may validate the interest in homemade dental putties, dental professionals and patients alike have to understand that dental care - particularly procedures like taking impressions - relies heavily on precision and reliability, which DIY mixtures often cannot guarantee.
The Challenges of DIY Dental Impression Putty
Ultimately, the challenges of DIY dental putty do not outweigh the potential benefits. These include concerns of accuracy or safety, which are two things that you cannot overlook in taking impressions.
Accuracy Concerns
Creating dental impression putty at home will never achieve the high degree of accuracy required for effective dental applications.
Commercial dental impressions are engineered to strict standards, ensuring that they capture detailed and precise imprints of the dental structure.
DIY putty, however, often lacks this precision, potentially leading to impressions that are not accurate enough for quality dental work. This can result in poorly fitting dental appliances like crowns or guards, ultimately compromising patient care and requiring costly adjustments.
You’ll end up dealing with more headaches in the long run, while potentially tarnishing your reputation as a professional in your area. It’s simply not worth the risk.
Material Handling
The process of mixing and setting dental putty is finely tuned in professional settings. Each component of the putty has specific properties that need to be balanced correctly to function as intended.
Replicating these conditions in the DIY context can be next to impossible. Incorrect ratios or improper mixing can lead to a final product that either doesn't set properly or sets too quickly, both of which render the putty useless for its intended purpose.
Moreover, managing the cleanliness and sterility of the materials at home is difficult, which is crucial to prevent contamination. This leads to the third and final reason we do not condone at-home dental impressions…
Safety Considerations
Professional dental putties are subject to rigorous health and safety standards to ensure they are safe to use inside the mouth. These standards address issues like toxicity and allergenicity.
Homemade putties might inadvertently use materials that are harmful when in contact with mucous membranes or ingested in small quantities.
The lack of a controlled environment can also increase the risk of introducing bacteria or other contaminants into the mouth, potentially leading to infections or other adverse reactions.
It’s clear that DIY dental impression putty is not an option for discerning dental professionals who aren’t willing to risk their reputation, or worse - legal implications.
So, where can you turn for high-quality dental impression putty online that arrives at your practice fast? Your search ends at My DDS Supply.
Save Yourself Time and Stress and Ensure Favorable Outcomes With My DDS Supply!
Whether you’re preparing for restoration work or trying to configure a retainer for your patient, you can’t afford to leave anything up to chance.
Despite the appeal of learning how to make dental putty at home, it’s clear this is not a feasible solution. The good news? The quality putty you need is just a few clicks away at My DDS Supply!
We’re your one-stop shop for all things dental supplies with a carefully curated selection of high-quality products at competitive prices that empower you to stay within budget.
You’ll also enjoy the most seamless sourcing possible through our intuitive online shopping process. And, we back up the entire experience with world-class customer service every step of the way.
You gain access to two different solutions here in our catalog - our regular set or fast set putties. Both are silicon-based putties made in Germany under the highest standards to offer you peace of mind knowing you're getting quality you can count on.
You can also find all the other supplies you need for accurate, efficient impressions like our VPS impression material, dental alginate impression material, dental micro brushes, and more.
So, take a look around and explore all the solutions we have in store for you at My DDS Supply. It’s time to transform your dental sourcing standards for the better!
Parting Thoughts on How to Make Dental Putty at Home
While the idea of making DIY dental putty at home might seem cost-effective and convenient, the complexities and potential risks associated with DIY methods highlight the importance of relying on professional-grade products.
Accuracy, safety, and material quality are essential for effective dental treatments, which home-made mixtures cannot consistently provide. This is why professionals everywhere rely on My DDS Supply instead, and you should too.
Our blog has additional resources on topics like what is dental putty, how to use dental putty, how long does dental cement last, types of suction in dentistry, alginate impression errors, dental suctioning techniques, and more.
Otherwise, it’s time to put the stress of sourcing high-quality, easy-to-use dental putty in the past at My DDS Supply. Set yourself up for success and ensure favorable patient outcomes every time with the finest dental materials on the market!