Making accurate final impressions for the fabrication of complete dentures. 1: Maxillary impressions

Fabrication of complete dentures is dependent upon making accurate final impressions that capture the movable tissues in their functional state. Border-molding a custom tray with compound prior to making final impressions is a well established technique for recording these tissues. However, many practitioners avoid or abandon this technique because there appear to be more cost effective and/or easier techniques available. This article reviews proper border-molding procedures for maxillary impressions and graphically demonstrates the difference between impressions made with and without border-molding.