Impression-making techniques to help the gagging patient

A dental impression records a patient's intraoral anatomy in order to produce an accurate cast of their teeth and soft tissues. Making an impression requires inserting a tray filled with an unset impression material into a patient's mouth and removing it once set. For the majority of patients, this process is well tolerated; however, for some it can elicit a strong gag reflex. The management of patients’ who gag can be challenging, therefore it is important to have an understanding of the condition and develop impression techniques to help overcome it. There are a number of techniques that could be implemented by dental nurses when they are making impressions on patients with a hypersensitive gag reflex. This article will only focus on those techniques and will not include techniques such as sedation and acupuncture.