What to Expect with Temporaries

Dr. Boulden: Dr. Creasman, we spend a lot of time on our temporaries.
Dr. Creasman: Yes.
Dr. Boulden: And I get a lot of feedback from patients who are going through that. No one really loves the temporary process because of the way they feel.
Dr. Creasman: Sure.
Dr. Boulden: And you agree with that?
Dr. Creasman: Absolutely.
Dr. Boulden: They don't actually feel like the permanents are going to feel. I can remember when I actually had temporaries in my mouth. The first thing I thought was "Oh my gosh, is this what veneers are going to feel like?" And it really almost freaked me out for a while. Luckily, when I got my permanent veneers, they felt super smooth and actually better than my natural teeth when I finally got my veneers put on, the veneers that you did for me, as matter of fact. Thank you.
Dr. Creasman: You're welcome.
Dr. Boulden: But let's talk about the temporaries, and this is one of the questions we might have regarding that. Number one, how do they feel?
Dr. Creasman: Well, dental temporaries, like you've just said, they don't feel like the final result, but they are a good representation of what the final teeth are going to feel and look like.
Dr. Boulden: So they're made of a base acrylic which is really just an acrylic. An acrylic is more porous versus porcelain is more shiny, so they look really good. Our temporaries look awesome, they look really good, but they don't feel...
Dr. Creasman: They're going to feel a little more rough.
Dr. Boulden: Right.
Dr. Creasman: They're going to feel a little more rough.
Dr. Boulden: Right.
Dr. Creasman: And that's just a temporary thing, it's a short term thing, but given the material that we have to make it out of, it's just not going to be quite smooth. So when the final restorations go on, everything's going to feel like crystal smooth glass.
Dr. Boulden: I know one question that I get and people ask is why do I have to wait so long in these temporaries? And a good explanation for that is that high-end elite level dentistry takes a long time to make. There's a lot of process from the day that we do the first procedure, which is actually preparing the teeth for veneers, and then actually sending that off to our master ceramists. There's a lot of work that goes into creating your artwork. Do you get that question a lot? Why so long?.
Dr. Creasman: Well, sure, let's face it. No one wants to be in that phase. The temporaries are a short process, but when you're in it, it can seem like an eternity. We understand that. It's really not. The reason it takes so long is there's two things that happen. First of all, behind the scenes, the ceramist is creating beautiful porcelain veneers that are going to just knock your socks off. But it's also the ability for us to create and communicate what your desires are. We can look at pictures and photos and things like that, but until you actually have them in your mouth and see them and let us look at them, we can't really communicate length and shape as well on a picture as we can in your mouth.
So sometimes we get pictures or sometimes we have people who think they want really square teeth, and when they have them in their mouth, they don't like them. Well, those temporaries allow us to work through those nuances and change the things that you want. Because in your mind, you know exactly what you want your smile to look like, and that's what we do. We create that using the temporaries.
Dr. Boulden: I think that's a good point though. What you sometimes think is going to look good, like people bring me photos and this that, "I want this smile," and then we kind of say, "Okay, we go that direction." But then we actually transpose that onto them.
Dr. Creasman: Right.
Dr. Boulden: We find that sometimes it's not the best fit.
Dr. Creasman: Right.
Dr. Boulden: And we have to go back and say, "Now we made a little too square, or too round, or too long, or too short, let's tweak that now before we get to the final stage," which is why we have a bunch of raving reviews and everyone loves our smiles that we create. It's because we spend so much time in the preparation phase getting to that final stage.
Dr. Creasman: Right. Invariably, consultation after consultation, I have people bring in photos from magazines, ripped out magazines of smiles that they thought were beautiful, and they are beautiful smiles on that model, but not necessarily on them. And so that what those temporaries allow us to do. They allow us to show the patient, "Hey, you may think this is a really great smile but it's not just a really great smile for you."

[ien]

The temp causes these pressure on your gum constantly. It feels like you have food stuck in your teeth 24/7. I'm on my 3rd day and it's annoying.

[kiylehughey]

Perfection should never be rushed. It IS artwork. Temporaries are uncomfortable, but they are a prototype. If you don’t like something, decide right away and tell the dentist or prosthodontists as soon as possible. Look at your teeth all the time, make sure you like the shape and size, the rotation, and choose your prosthodontist or dentist carefully. Make sure you like there before and after work. Look at there work ten years prior and look at how unchanged the teeth and smile are. Figure out what you like and what you don’t like and don’t be afraid to communicate that. These are going to be your teeth for a very long time, and in most cases they will only do it once. So, really think about it, every variable. Tell your Doc your concerns, and then trust your Doc. If you have more questions, ask. Ask as much as you can, whatever the question may be. This is a huge investment in you, and you want to be happy and the Doc get’s their happiness from you, and then trust your Doc and what they prescribe or recommend. They’ve been doing this for a long time, day in and day out, they know what will look good. Especially, if they are good at what they do.

[NaturalMystic]

It's been three days in my temporaries and two have fell off twice. Ugh. I can't wait to be out of these things!

[jlovee]

my temps came out crooked af, i cant fully closed my jaw wit out the 2 temps touching

[SotoPhotoDir]

Is it normal to feel a mild pain in the tooth with the temporary crown?

[christopherlewis]

For some reason this my second day with the temps and I haven’t experienced no pain HELL I don’t even take the meds it’s pointless
I DO RINSE MY MOUTH WITH WARM SALTY WATER THO
After every meal
Only downfall I feel is it’s sensitive to chew my food

[alexg]

Omg... I had turmeric tea in my temps this morning and now they’re neon yellow! 😂

[Porch.monkey.slayer]

My temporary teeth look like some goofy little 8 years old kids and i hate them. I cannot get them changed as i had to travel to another country. I do not want the same dentist to make my permanent teeth because he didnt listen when i told him now i wanted my temps. Can i have another dentist make my teeth ? Seems to me these dentists want to make the teeth how they think i should look. I look worse now than i did with my old flappy denture

[Porch.monkey.slayer]

Im worried because my temps dont seem to go back far enough, like there isnt enough teeth so like my back teeth are missing. I can eat ok but it seems odd having just 12 teeth

[marluciabraz]

Hello please help me so they put the second temporary bridge on me 6 days ago but they didn't tell me I would be having this terrible pain and develop core sore in my lips and gums now I'm taking ibuprofen and amoxicillin advil and doing this expensive mouth wash since 5 days ago but im not getting better what should I do . I regret alot about doing this thing 😪 .

[christopherlewis]

How long does it take to chew food normal
Just got my temp yesterday I only been eating bread and fruit

[marcelodacosta]

My temporary was so good then turned permanent. 45 years.