Simple Technique to Reorient Different Casts of Same Patient on a Dental Surveyor

Accurate planning for the framework design of removable partial dentures requires careful analysis of the diagnostic cast with a dental surveyor to determine the optimal path of placement. Some techniques described in the literature are helpful in reorienting the same cast on the surveyor, including the tripod marking method; however, there is a possibility of introducing human errors during marking and repositioning of the tripod points on to the different casts at the same location. Other techniques, which do not require markings on the cast to reorient different casts of the same patient, need specific devices or trays. This article suggests the direct use of a putty-elastomeric orientation index that can be preserved and used multiple times while reorienting different casts of the same patients at various laboratory steps. A putty elastomeric impression material is mixed and adapted on to the diagnostic cast, covering key teeth areas of the cast and incorporating the analyzing rod of the surveyor. Thus there is no need to use a special device or the tray to reorient different casts.