Treatment of an edentulous patient with CAD/CAM technology: a clinical report

CAD/CAM (computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing) technology with large-scale industrial applications has been developed and used over the last 3 decades. Implant Innovations, Inc. (Palm Beach Gardens, FL), has recently introduced a version of this technology for use in implant restorative dentistry. Different software programs were written to design and machine individual implant abutments and bar-type frameworks. This report provides a literature review of CAD/CAM technology in dentistry and describes the treatment of one edentulous patient restored with individual implant abutments and conventional cemented fixed partial dentures in the edentulous maxilla and a fixed, screw-retained prosthesis that replaced the missing mandibular teeth. The abutments were made using The Encode Restorative System; the mandibular framework was made with a CAM StructSURE Precision Milled Bar. The benefits and limitations of this technology are also discussed. Additional clinical and laboratory studies are needed to further validate this technology.