Prior to taking the impression for a definitive removable prostheses on the partially edentulous patients with partial maxill- or mandiblectomy, not a small numbers of remaining teeth are usually found to be restored. Most of these patients have opening defects on the palate or are unable to close pharyngeal opening at will. Consequently, cooling water from the air turbine may run down in these defects and cause patient's sudden choke forcing prosthodontist to stop the treatment at each occasion. Such sudden reactions of the patients may also bring about the secondary accident.
We have developed the temporary obturator and found it suitable for practical application for such patient to protect these clinical complications. This newly developed appliance is quite useful also to protect accidental swallowing of tried-in metal crown or inlay and to broaden the working field by dislocating tongue and cheek.
The temporary obturator is made of the Erkopress system using acetobutylene cellurose sheet of 0.6 mm thick. Since the ordinary casts can be used, extra time for preparing the obtulator is quite less.
