Digital custom implant impression technique for capturing the acquired emergence profile

Area of Science:

• Digital dentistry
• Prosthodontics
• Biomaterials

Background:

• Accurate capture of the emergence profile is crucial for fabricating well-fitting implant restorations.
• Current analog and digital methods for capturing emergence profiles have limitations in terms of time and accuracy.
• Contoured implant interim restorations present unique challenges for profile acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel digital method for capturing the emergence profile of contoured implant interim restorations.
• To evaluate the potential time efficiency and accuracy of this digital technique compared to existing methods.

Main Methods:

• Three separate digital scans were acquired using an intraoral scanner.
• Scans were aligned using specialized design software with merging capabilities.
• The Boolean Difference function in free software was employed to isolate and obtain the emergence profile.

Main Results:

• The described digital workflow successfully captured the emergence profile.
• The method shows potential for reduced chairside time compared to analog techniques.
• Preliminary assessment suggests improved accuracy over some current digital approaches.

Conclusions:

• A feasible digital method for capturing implant interim restoration emergence profiles has been presented.
• This technique offers a potentially more efficient and accurate alternative to conventional approaches.
• Further studies are warranted to fully validate the accuracy and clinical applicability of this digital workflow.