Clinical and Laboratory Steps for Fabricating a Complete-Arch Fixed Prosthesis Using CAD/CAM

Area of Science:

• Dental prosthetics
• Biomaterials science
• Computer-aided design/computer-assisted manufacture (CAD/CAM) in dentistry

Background:

• Fabricating full-arch maxillary prostheses presents challenges in achieving optimal phonetics, esthetics, and lip support.
• Limited literature exists on clinical and laboratory procedures to mitigate these prosthetic complications.
• Computer-aided design/computer-assisted manufacture (CAD/CAM) offers potential for predictable fabrication of implant-supported restorations.

Observation:

• The presented technique utilizes an implant-retained diagnostic wax-up.
• This diagnostic wax-up is duplicated into an interim polymethylmethacrylate prosthesis via CAD/CAM.
• This process precedes the fabrication of the definitive restoration.

Findings:

• The described clinical and laboratory workflow facilitates the fabrication of full-arch maxillary implant-supported prostheses.
• The use of CAD/CAM technology enhances the predictability of restorative outcomes.
• This method addresses common prosthetic complications associated with full-arch restorations.

Implications:

• Clinicians can achieve more predictable results when fabricating full-arch maxillary implant prostheses.
• The technique provides a structured approach to minimize esthetic and phonetic complications.
• This workflow may serve as a valuable guide for implementing CAD/CAM in complex prosthetic cases.