These restorations are a negative factor in the conventional procedure that has been overcome by the one appointment in-office milling technique. In the conventional procedure, the patient must go home with a provisional restoration for an average of 2 or 3 weeks in most practices.
Bis-acryl resin, some of the most popular brands of which are ProTemp 3 Garant (3M ESPE), Luxatemp (DMG America), and Integrity (DENTSPLY Caulk), have become the most used materials for provisional restorations. Their low exotherm, moderate strength, and good color are a welcome relief when compared to the methyl and ethyl methacrylates, which were the most popular materials until just a few years ago. However, the popular bis-acryl category of provisional restorations comes at a significantly higher cost than previous materials. Both eugenol-containing and noneugenol provisional cements are popular, with TempBond (Kerr), with and without eugenol, being the most used provisional cement in the marketplace. Newer dual-cured resin-based provisional cements have been introduced that provide increased strength for tooth preparations with less retention.