Boxing of an impression

Boxing of an impression:
Boxing an impression produces a container into which
stone can be poured.

Advantages of boxing:

1. It allows preservation of the borders

of the impression.

2. It allows the use of a mounting

plate which in turn permits the
master cast to be repositioned
mounting plate
accurately on the articulator after
the denture has been cured
(laboratory remount).
3. It produces denser cast as it allows vibration to get rid of
air bubbles.
4. Boxing produce a dense accurate master cast of a
predetermined thickness.
 Methods of boxing
a. Wax boxing method:
• This method is suitable for Zinc oxide Eugenol final impression.
• The impression is beaded using a roll of beading wax 4 mm. wide to
provide proper cast width.
• The wax is placed around the impression 3 mm. below the border
and parallel to it.
Part of the wall of the box is removed to show the width and
the location of the beading wax used for boxing an upper
impression.

3 mm. below the border 4 mm. wide

ZOE Upper & Lower Final Impressions
The tongue space of the lower impression is sealed by
adapting a sheet of base plate wax 3-4 mm. below the border
of the impression.
• A sidewall is then built against the beading wax to make a box
into which stone is poured.
• This wall may be made of boxing wax, lead sheet or cardboard
12 mm above the highest point of the impression.
b. Plaster of “Paris and Pumice” Boxing method:
• This method is suitable for boxing alginate, rubber base and
silicon impressions.
• The beading wax of the previous method will not adhere to
these elastic impression materials.
• A 1:1 mixture by volume of Plaster of ParIs and Pumice is
mixed with water and spatulated to produce a stiff mix.
• The mix is placed on a glass slab and the impression is seated
into it with the fitting surface upward and the borders are
exposed.
• The mix around the impression is smoothed with a wet
spatula.
• After setting, it is removed from the glass slab, washed with
water and trimmed to the desired width, 5.0 mm. with cast
trimmer.
• Boxing wax is adapted to the impression to be 12 mm
above the highest point of the impression.

• The surface of the “Plaster and Pumice mixture” is painted

with a suitable separating medium.

Boxing wax is adapted to the impression

• A thick mix of stone is prepared and poured gradually in the
boxed impression while it is placed on the vibrator.

• The stone is allowed to set for one hour.

• The boxing wax and impression material are removed

carefully avoiding damaging the master cast.
Separation of alginate impression and cast:

1. An alginate impression should be separated from the cast as

soon as the stone has set which usually takes from 4S-60
minutes i.e, after the heal of exothermic setting reaction is
dissipated.
2. If the alginate is kept in contact with the stone longer, it will
damage the cast by making the surface of the stone rough or
soft
3. The separation of the alginate from the cast is obtained by
lifting the material from the buccal and labial aspects of the
cast with the fingers.

4. The cast should be cleaned only in clear slurry water, this

solution saturated with stone will not dissolve the cast.
This is because the artificial stone is soluble in water.
Separation of the compound impression and cast:

1- Excess impression compound and stone are removed from the

outer surface of the impression using plaster knife.

2- the cast and impression are placed in a rubber bowl containing

water (60º C) for 1 to 2 minutes.

This will allow the tray to be removed from the impression.

The cast and compound are then placed in hot water till the
compound soften, then the cast is removed.

3. Pieces of compound that adhere to the cast may be removed by

pressing a piece of softened compound onto them.
cast is removed
Examination and trimming of the cast:
1. The cast is examined for the presence of surface artifacts,
either positive nodules or surface voids.

“Nodules” usually result from air entrapment in the mixing of

the impression material, while “voids” results from improper
pouring techniques.

Nodules should be removed using sharp wax knife.

Voids can be corrected by filling them with small amount of

dental stone applied with a paint brush.
Examination and trimming of the cast:
2. The cast is soaked in slurry water for 5 minutes after trimming
to allow the residue created during trimming to be rinsed off.

3. The posterior surface of the cast is

straightened by gently pressing
the cast against the rotating disc.

4. It is essential to stop trimming

about 5 mm from the tuberosities
or retromolar pads.
3. The base of cast is trimmed parallel to the mean plane of the
residual ridge.

4. The outer surface of the cast is trimmed so that the sides are
perpendicular to the base.
5. The height of the land area is trimmed with a sharp plaster
knife to about 2-3 mm above the depth of the vestibule.
6. Excess plaster on the lingual aspect of a mandibular cast is
trimmed smooth and flat.
7. The master cast should be tried in the bottom halves of upper
and lower flasks and checked for compatible size to avoid
interference during flasking.
Requirements of a dental cast:

1. All surfaces should be accurate and free of voids or nodules.

2. The surface of a cast should be hard, dense and clean.
3. A cast should extend sufficiently to include all of the area
available for denture support.
4. The peripheral roll should be complete and no deeper
than 3.0 mm, and the edge of the cast extending out from
this roll should be approximately 3.0 mm wide.
5. The side walls of a cast should be vertical.
6. The base of a cast should not be less than 10 mm at the
thinnest point.

The base for this cast was insufficient and

eventually it fractured necessitating
remaking of the impression
7. The tongue space on a mandibular cast should be flat and
smooth when trimmed, but the lingual peripheral roll
should remain intact.

tongue space

lingual roll
The tongue space on a mandibular cast should be flat and
smooth when trimmed, but the lingual peripheral roll
should remain intact.
8. The contour of the base of maxillary and mandibular
casts is shown in the figure.

Maxillary cast Mandibular cast

The anterior border of the maxillary cast is pointed at
the midline and the anterior border of the mandibular cast is
curved from canine to canine.

Maxillary cast Mandibular cast

Contour of the base of the maxillary and mandibular casts

 Maxillary cast Mandibular cast

Contour of the base of the maxillary and mandibular casts

9. A land area of 2-3 mm should be maintained around the
entire cast.

10. The base of the cast is trimmed so that the occlusal

surface of the teeth or the plane of the edentulous ridge is
parallel to the base.
11. The side walls of a cast should be vertical.
12. The base of a cast should not be less than 10 mm at the
thinnest point.

Base (not less than 10 mm thick)

(a) Plaster cast with impression in place.
(b) Plaster cast after imprison has been removed.

Note how the peripheries of the impression have been

reproduced in the model.