Digitally Fabricated Immediate Complete Dentures: Case Reports of Milled and Printed Dentures

Abstract

Milling complete dentures is becoming a popular option for clinicians because subtractive technology can make the fabrication of high-quality dentures faster and easier. Additive technology is one of the newest techniques for making complete dentures, and its primary advantage is that a printer is more financially accessible than a milling machine. Printing and milling technologies as methods for denture fabrication have similar steps and time frames for their processes. The production of immediate complete dentures also follows similar procedures for both systems. The aim of this article is to compare subtractive and additive technologies for the manufacture of immediate complete dentures and to present two case reports.

Patient satisfaction with conventional dentures vs. digital dentures fabricated using 3D-printing: A randomized crossover trial

“…Various benefits of DDs have previously been reported, such as improved surgeon/patient satisfaction, reduced number of visits and chair time, improved denture fit, improved ease of maintenance, greater consistency and durability of the prosthodontic appliances, ability to store digital information, reduced workload for technicians, and shorter fabrication time [34][35][36][37][38]. However, our results revealed that CDs were significantly better than DDs in terms of several assessment items related to patient satisfaction, in contrast to earlier case reports [21,22]. We believe that the primary reason for this result could be the difference in the manufacturing methods be-tween DDs fabricated using a milling machine and those fabricated using a 3D printer.…”

“…Therefore, the fabrication of removable prostheses using CAD/CAM has been delayed [15]. Currently, CAD/CAM complete dentures are fabricated by two companies (AvaDent; Global Dental Science, Scottsdale, AZ and DENTCA; Dentca Inc., Los Angeles, CA), and these dentures are available for use in edentulous patients [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. Both companies allow definitive dentures to be fabricated in a few visits, and the dental materials, techniques, and fabrication processes have been established and standardized.…”

“…The fabrication process for DENTCA dentures involves 3D printing technology (3DP) [24]. CAD/CAM dentures have been shown to achieve greater patient satisfaction than conventional complete dentures [19][20][21][22]. However,…”

Current Status of Digital Complete Dentures Technology

“…Both CAM technologies offer clinically acceptable results faster than the traditional process. The additive manufacturing technique is more recent and has the advantage that a 3D printer is more affordable than a milling machine [59]. Furthermore, the 3D printing technology is advancing rapidly, with applications in many fields, including dental laboratories.…”

Computer-Aided Design and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) Complete Dentures for Atrophic Alveolar Ridges: Workflow Combining Conventional and Novel Techniques

“…These novel techniques allow the clinician the option to fabricate complete dentures in the office, in a laboratory, or at a centralized production center [ 13 ]. The practice of making complete removable dentures using subtractive technology has become very common and continues to spread, and the literature provides reports describing both fully digital and combinations of digital and conventional methods for their production [ 14 ]. However, no clinical reports have described complex clinical situations with patients presenting atrophic alveolar ridges.…”