A thought for large non cavitated caries of upper anterior teeth

NB: This is definitely not my idea

We make putty stents for the palatal buildup of wear and trauma cases so why not do this for caries cases as well? Patients who present with large carious lesions that have the palatal shell intact or very near anatomical contour can have a putty stent made intraorally. If there are any defects or missing bits of tooth structure these can be mocked up in composite or even sealed with flowable or wax and an intraoral putty impression can be taken and trimmed. After the prep you have a putty stent that replicates the ideal palatal anatomy without a waxup! The same goes for wear cases etc. If the mockup is done intraorally with composite then the patient can appreciate the shade, shape and occlusion to approve before final adhesion. Once you have gotten everything perfect, you can take a putty stent of this mockup. This saves on lab time and costs but the human jaw is the most accurate articulator you can find and it may save of time with occlusal adjustments and finishing etc.