Temporary Crowns

Lab-milled PMMA and printed provisionals that hold up — for extended wear, esthetic previews, and the multi-unit cases a dentist's chairside temp cannot carry.

A temporary is not a placeholder when it has to survive a long provisional phase, preview an anterior result, or carry a full arch through healing. Lab-fabricated provisionals are built for exactly those cases — and for the ones where the temporary is a test of the final.

Jahn De Khudikine, Founder · Universal Dental Lab
Jahn De Khudikine Founder · Universal Dental Lab

Why send it here

Your provisional phase, carried by one technician who also makes the final.

A practice's schedule lives or dies by the lab — I've watched one late case push back a whole day of chair time.

So I still know the cases moving through this lab, and I answer for how each one is made. Send a case here and it doesn't drop into a queue — it lands with me and one technician who carries it start to finish.

Start a case
Milled PMMA
Holds contour, margin, and strength through an extended provisional phase From a homogeneous puck — not a chairside bis-acryl temp
Built from your wax-up
An anterior preview the patient approves before the definitive is made Margin and occlusion checked on the model before it ships
Your technician
One person holds your case Reach them directly — no call-center queue
Free scanner
3Shape TRIOS 6 for partners Go fully digital at no cost

Provisional Options

Milled PMMA, Printed, or Chairside?

Which provisional fits the case depends on how long it must last and how much it must do. We fabricate the lab options and advise when a chairside temp is enough.

Milled PMMA provisional on the master model
Milled PMMA Temporary You are here
A 3D-printed provisional lifted from the build plate
Printed Provisional
A bis-acryl temporary formed at the chair
Chairside Bis-Acryl
Made Lab-milled from a puck Lab 3D-printed Made at the chair
Durability High for a provisional Good Short-term
Best for Extended wear, multi-unit, esthetic preview Fast nesting, models and try-ins A quick single-unit interim

Provisional performance varies with the PMMA or resin type and the length of the provisional phase. Confirm case-specific requirements with the lab before you prep.

Material
Milled PMMA / printed resin
Cementation
Provisional cement
Restoration types
Single unit to full arch
Turnaround
Quoted per case at intake
Milled PMMA provisional crowns on the master model

Overview

Provisionals That Do Real Work

A temporary is not a placeholder when it has to survive a long provisional phase, preview an anterior result, or carry a full arch through healing. We mill provisionals from homogeneous PMMA pucks, and print provisional resin where the workflow suits it.

A milled PMMA provisional holds its contour, margin, and strength through weeks of function in a way a chairside bis-acryl temp simply cannot — which is what makes it the right tool for extended wear, multi-unit spans, and implant healing.

  • Milled PMMA: From a homogeneous puck — holds up through an extended wear period a chairside temp would not survive.

  • Printed resin: Where the workflow suits it — fast nesting for models, try-ins, and shorter provisional phases.

Learn more
A milled PMMA provisional checked for margin and occlusion on the articulated model

At the Bench

Designed to the Prep, Built to Last the Phase

Each provisional is designed to the definitive preparation — often from the same wax-up the final will use — then milled or printed, finished, and checked for margin and occlusion. An esthetic preview is shade-matched and characterized before it ships.

Built from a digital wax-up, an anterior provisional lets the patient approve length, contour, and occlusion before the definitive is ever made — and a new vertical dimension can be lived in before it is committed to porcelain.

  • Designed to the definitive prep: The provisional is built to the same prep and margin as the final restoration.

  • Built from the case wax-up: For esthetic previews the provisional carries the planned length, contour, and occlusion.

  • Contacts and occlusion: Checked on the model, with shade matched and characterized for anterior work before shipping.

Learn more

Milled vs chairside

A milled PMMA provisional comes from a homogeneous puck, so it holds contour, margin, and strength through weeks of function that would defeat a chairside bis-acryl temp. For a quick single-unit interval, a chairside temp may be all you need.

Case Selection

When a Lab Provisional Is the Right Call

Indicated for

  • Extended provisional periods where a chairside temp would not hold up
  • Anterior esthetic previews the patient approves before the final is made
  • Multi-unit and full-arch provisionals that need consistent contour and occlusion
  • Implant healing provisionals coordinated with the surgical plan
  • Cases testing a new vertical dimension or occlusal scheme before committing

Consider an alternative when

  • A single quick chairside temp will cover a short interval before seating
  • The restoration is meant to be definitive — a provisional is interim by design
  • No prep or design record is available for the lab to work from
  • The timeline is too short for a lab-fabricated provisional to help

Specifications

Temporary Crown Specifications

Material, purpose, and workflow data for planning the provisional phase.

Typical parameters for the provisionals we mill and print.
Material Milled PMMA from homogeneous pucks; printed provisional resin where the workflow suits it
Why lab-milled A milled PMMA provisional holds contour, margin, and strength through an extended wear period far better than a chairside bis-acryl temp
Purpose Interim restoration — protects the prep, maintains position and function, and previews esthetics before the definitive is made
Occlusal / axial reduction Follows the definitive preparation; the provisional is designed to the same prep
Margin design Designed to the prep margin for a sealed, well-fitting provisional
Cementation Temporary (provisional) cement for planned removal at the seating appointment
Esthetics Tooth-colored; can be shade-matched and characterized for anterior preview cases
Restoration types Single units through multi-unit and full-arch provisionals
Turnaround Quoted per case at intake

Provisional material behavior varies with PMMA and resin type and the length of the provisional phase. Confirm case-specific requirements with the lab before you prep.

Case Submission

Sending a Temporary Crown Case

We accept scans from all major intraoral systems, including iTero, 3Shape, and Medit — or a conventional impression if your practice has not gone digital.

Include with the case:

  • STL or impression of the prepped arch and the opposing arch
  • Bite registration
  • The definitive prescription the provisional should match
  • Shade photos and any wax-up or design goal for esthetic previews
  • Your seating timeline, since provisionals often sit on the critical path

For an esthetic case, sending the wax-up or design goal is what lets the provisional preview the final accurately. New to the lab? Open an account and we will walk you through the first case.

Start a case

Send one case. Keep the scanner.

Open a partner account and your first case moves with a shade record and our remake guarantee — if a unit does not seat, we redo it at no charge.

  • Free 3Shape TRIOS 6 scanner for active partners
  • Under-2% remake rate — remakes at no charge
  • One named technician you reach directly — no call center

Prefer to talk? +1 747-268-0808

No call center — you hear back from the lab, not a bot.

Temporary Crowns FAQ

Temporary Crowns — Questions Dentists Ask

A milled PMMA provisional comes from a homogeneous puck, so it holds contour, margin, and strength through an extended wear period that would defeat a chairside bis-acryl temp. That matters for long provisional phases, multi-unit and full-arch cases, implant healing, and any situation where the temporary is doing real work — protecting the prep, maintaining position, and previewing esthetics. For a quick single-unit interval, a chairside temp may be all you need.

On esthetic and full-arch cases — that is the point. A provisional built from a digital wax-up lets the patient approve length, contour, and occlusion before the definitive is made. Send shade photos and the design goal or wax-up with the prep record.

Digital wax-ups

Incomplete prep/opposing/bite records, or a seating date we were never told. A single milled provisional is quick; a full-arch or heavily characterized esthetic provisional takes longer. Tell us your seating timeline and we will schedule accordingly.

Both can work from STL. We mill PMMA or print provisional resin depending on the case. When a digital wax-up exists, the provisional can be built from that design so it previews the definitive accurately.

How to send a file

Yes — design it to the same prep. Clear margins in the record let the provisional seal and seat cleanly. The definitive prescription still matters so the temp is not fighting a different plan.

Switching labs, de-risked

New to us? If a provisional does not seat, we remake it at our cost when it is a lab error. We keep a shade and design record for your practice, so the definitive that follows starts from what worked on the provisional. See what the remake policy covers.

Let's talk

+1 747-268-0808 Contact the lab

More Insights

Partner Offer

A Free Intraoral Scanner for Partner Practices

Partner with Universal Dental Lab and we place a 3Shape TRIOS 6 Wireless in your operatory — free for the length of our partnership. Scan the prep, send it in seconds, and skip impressions entirely.

Send Your First Case Talk to a lab specialist