Spring-loaded custom tray: an alternative technique for recording impressions in a patient with a restricted mouth opening.

For patients with extensive head and neck injuries due to trauma and/or extensive surgical procedures, their ability to open the mouth is severely limited. Prosthodontic treatment of these patients often leads to compromised impressions and prostheses. When making an impression, a wide mouth opening is necessary to ensure both proper tray insertion and the correct alignment during border molding procedures. For patients with a restricted mouth opening, it may be necessary to modify the standard impression procedure to fabricate a prosthesis successfully. This article describes an alternative method for fabricating a custom impression tray for a complete denture in patients with limited mouth opening abilities.