At the first try-in of a single crown you find the margins are open. What is the MOST appropriate next step BEFORE anything else?

Correct answer: D. Check and adjust the proximal contacts

• A. Cementing a crown with genuinely open margins guarantees recurrent caries and periodontal inflammation.
• B. Remaking or adding metal is premature until you have excluded the far more common cause — a heavy contact preventing seating.
• C. Occlusion is checked only AFTER the restoration is confirmed fully seated — otherwise you are adjusting to a false vertical position.
• D. Correct. An overly tight PROXIMAL CONTACT is the single most common reason a crown will not fully seat, and an unseated crown mimics an open margin. The correct sequence at try-in is: proximal contacts first, then complete seating verified, then margins assessed, and only then occlusion. Adjusting occlusion on an unseated crown wastes the appointment and destroys the restoration's anatomy.