International Journal of Computerized Dentistry, 02/2015

There is no doubt today about the possibilities and potential of digital impression-taking with the aid of intraoral optical impression systems, and the past few years have seen a considerable increase in the range of optical intraoral scanners available on the market. On the strength of numerous innovations and a wider range of indications in orthodontics and implantology, intraoral scanning systems appear to be a highly promising development for the future. Digital impression- taking with intraoral scanners has already shown itself in some respects to be clearly superior to conventional impression- taking. Particularly worthy of mention is the versatile integration of digital impressions into diagnostic and treatment concepts to provide a customizable healthcare solution for the patient. It remains exciting to look forward to future developments that will allow us to observe digital impression- taking - as with other digital applications already established in everyday life - becoming firmly established in the routine of dentistry and dental technology. This article presents an overview of the benefits and limitations of digital impression-taking using intraoral scanning systems, and includes a summary of all the relevant intraoral scanners available on the market at present. Keywords: digital impression, intraoral scanning, review

A monolithic restoration (also known as a full contour restoration) is one that is manufactured from a single material for the fully anatomic replacement of lost tooth structure. Additional staining (followed by glaze firing if ceramic materials are used) may be performed to enhance the appearance of the restoration. For decades, monolithic restoration has been the standard for inlay and partial crown restorations manufactured by both pressing and computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) techniques. A limited selection of monolithic materials is now available for dental crown and bridge restorations. The IDS (2015) provided an opportunity to learn about and evaluate current trends in this field. In addition to new developments, established materials are also mentioned in this article to complete the picture. In line with the strategic focus of the IJCD, the focus here is naturally on CAD/CAM materials. Keywords: fully anatomical, monolithic, restorations, tooth-colored, translucent

In 55 patients, 25 endocrowns (test) and 40 shoulder crowns (control) were produced chairside in a private practice using the Cerec 3 (CAD/CAM) method and Vita Mark II feldspathic ceramic. The crowns were examined at baseline and after up to 12 years using modified USPHS criteria. The survival estimate was assessed by Kaplan-Meier analysis. The 12 years survival estimate of the shoulder crowns was 95% on molars and 94.7% on premolars. Endocrowns showed 90.5% survival on molars and 75% on premolars. Statistically, the differences between the survival estimates were not significant (P > 0.05). The longevity of Vita Mark II Cerec 3 shoulder crowns on molars and premolars, as well as of endocrowns on molars, proved to be - for private practice - a very acceptable result, while the premolar endocrowns tended to show a higher risk for failure. Keywords: CAD/CAM, posterior endocrowns, survival estimate, shoulder crowns, feldspathic ceramic

It is now possible to produce full-digital drilling templates with Cerec Guide 2 (Sirona) in the dental practice relatively quickly, efficiently, and economically. Here, a patient case example is used to present an exemplary description of the procedure and method to do this. The solution described herein shows the advantageous efficiency, compared with other systems presently on the market, of a procedure that does not require the external production of the drilling template in the laboratory or a manufacturing center. Keywords: CAD/CAM, Cerec, chairside, cone beam computed tomography, implant planning/prosthetic planning, surgical guides

Dental materials, especially in restorative dentistry, must not only be cost-effective, they must also meet many other requirements: biocompatibility, durability, excellent shade and light effects, abrasion resistance, hardness, mechanical strength under pressure, chemical resistance, surface density, ease of manufacture, and easy intraoral maintenance. Keywords: hybrid materials, implant superstructures