Desirable or Idela Properties of an Impression material:

These are the properties a Operator looks at, which make it easy for him/her to operate and get an Ideal Impression. The All the Properties should be fulfilled to produce an Ideal Impression material, till date such an impression material has not been discovered or invented, so we have to use different Impression materials in different situations based on the requirements.

  1. Pleasant Odor (example of bad odor- Polysulphide)
  2. Pleasant Taste
  3. Pleasant color
  4. Absence of Toxic or irritant constituent
  5. Adequate shelf life for requirements of storage and distribution
  6. Should be economical, in case of high cost should be having increased charecteristics
  7. Should be Easy to Use without requirement of much equipments
  8. Setting time should be adequate for clinical use – And such that the Practitioner can be able to alter it according to his requirement
  9. Satisfactory consistency and texture
  10. Should Readily wet the Oral tissues (Hydrophilic materials)
  11. Should not release Gasses during setting of Cast/Die/impression material
  12. Should be readily disinfected without loss of accuracy
  13. Accurate in clinical use
  14. Compatibility with Cast or Die materials
  15. Dimensional stability over temperature and humidity changes which can be seen in clinical conditions
  16. Should be stable long enough to make a cast or Die from the impression taken
  17. Should have Adequate strength so it will not break, tear during removal from mouth
  18. Elastic properties with freedom from permanent deformation after strain