The ability to fabricate chair side implant guides has made it possible to complete guided implant surgery in a single visit for the patient if so desired.  Having fabricated a number of them there are a few tips and tricks to make the fabrication easier and more accurate.  

The first is to take a good quadrant alginate impression. The material gets to hot and can cause discomfort for the patient. Also except in select anterior case it is to easy for distortion to occur while the material is setting. Once you have the impression pour it up with Mach II silicon die material.  

The reason for the use of the silicon material is that the material has a little give to it. By having a little flexibility the minor undercuts do not have to be blocked out like they do with stone. The stone models are too inflexible and the material can get locked in very easily. The silicon materials flex enough to allow remove except in severe undercut situations. By being able to engage the undercuts your thermal plastic stent will snap into place and be very stable.