3D Printing Technologies and Protocols to Enhance the Dental Workflow

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Digital Dental Technology
• Restorative Dentistry

Background:

• Digital technologies are standard for dental treatment planning and fabricating monolithic ceramic restorations.
• Clinicians frequently encounter challenges like severe tooth discoloration, soft-tissue defects, and multiple diastemas in restorative dentistry.
• Achieving esthetic success in complex cases remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a novel digital workflow for clinicians and dental technicians.
• To address the challenges of achieving esthetic success in difficult restorative cases.
• To introduce the "ReShape" concept for morphological and esthetic enhancement of monolithic ceramic restorations.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing a digital workflow that integrates various CAD/CAM software programs.
• Combining intraoral scanner acquisition software with dedicated design software.
• Implementing the "ReShape" concept for enhanced restoration morphology and texture.

Main Results:

• Facilitation of the production of monolithic ceramic restorations with natural morphology and surface texture.
• Reduced need for post-milling characterizations.
• Achievement of excellent esthetic results in challenging dental cases.

Conclusions:

• The "ReShape" concept offers a unique digital workflow for improving monolithic ceramic restorations.
• This approach enhances esthetic outcomes by optimizing morphology and surface texture.
• Integrating intraoral scanning and design software improves the quality of CAD/CAM fabricated restorations.