Complete Digital Dentures: Exploring Clinical Workflows, Materials, and Manufacturing Processes

The rehabilitation of completely edentulous patients has traditionally relied on the use of complete removable dentures, typically fabricated using polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), despite this material's mechanical and biological limitations. An increasing trend is the shift in the fabrication of complete dentures from conventional methods to digital workflows, thereby reducing treatment time, improving adaptation, and increasing patient comfort and satisfaction. Additive manufacturing techniques, such as stereolithography and digital light processing, offer fast, cost-effective options, while subtractive milling from pre-polymerized PMMA blocks enables superior mechanical properties and precision. Nevertheless, each method presents unique advantages and drawbacks related to mechanical properties, esthetics, material waste, and other factors. Clinical studies have demonstrated favorable adaptation, reduced biofilm formation, and high mechanical properties with digital approaches. Despite some existing limitations, digital dentures are set to become standard in prosthodontics. Their integration suggests a change in paradigm, improving clinical efficiency and enhancing patient care quality.