CAD/CAM DENTAL CERAMICS IN RESTORATIVE DENTISTRY

Abstract

Computer Aided Design and Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAD/ CAM) is a pair of often interdependent industrial computer applications that have greatly influenced the chain of processes between the initial design and the final realization of a product. It refers to the computer software that is used to both design and manufacture products.It is to improve the design and creation of dental restorations,especially dental prostheses, including crowns,crown lays,veneers,inlays and onlays, fixed bridges, dental implant restorations, dentures (removable or fixed), and orthodontic appliances. These are systems that can design and produce restoration out of blocks or blanks of ceramics. CAD/CAM is one of the highly competent dental lab technologies. Without this technology we wouldn't have the range and quality of products available.Hand-building and manual techniques still very much have their place and design education needs to treasure and foster these skills so that future generations will have the 'hands-on' skills to understand the man-made world and provide the next generation of engineers,designers and technicians. CAD/CAM was first introduced to dentistry in the mid-1980s. Both chair side and chair side-laboratory integrated procedures are available for this restoration fabrication.In selecting which procedure to follow,consideration should be given to aesthetic demands, chair side time, laboratory costs, number of visits and convenience and return on investment associated with CAD/CAM equipment. Depending on the method selected, CAD/CAM ceramic blocks available for restoration fabrication include leucite-reinforced ceramics, lithium di silicate, zirconia, and composite resin.In order to determine which type of ceramic to use,the practitioner must take into account aesthetics,strength,and ease of customizing milled restorations. It gives both the dentist and the laboratory technician an opportunity to automate fixed restoration fabrication and to offer patients highly aesthetic restorations in just one or two visits.These technologies are responsible for massive gains in both productivity and quality,particularly since the 1980s.This article is to provide information on restorative procedures and ceramic materials using CAD/CAM technology.