Chairside 3D digital design and trial restoration workflow
The Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry
Available online 7 January 2020
Abstract
Different
digital tools have been used in clinical practice to assist in the
planning and rehabilitation of patients. Some applications (apps) and
software programs used in esthetic planning allow simulation of the
smile design, improving communication between patients and
professionals. Nonetheless, they are usually difficult to use,
time-consuming, unattractive to present to the patient, and complicated
to link with the 3D workflow. This article presents a new 3D digital
smile design app for esthetic planning, smile simulation, chairside 3D
virtual wax pattern, and trial restoration performed with portable
devices. In this technique description, a facial frontal photograph, a
facial scan standard tessellation language (STL) file, and a maxillary
intraoral scan STL file were uploaded to the app. The files were
calibrated to each other to allow a 3D facially driven smile design
project. The definitive maxillary 3D digital waxing of facial templates
was exported to a 3D printer as an STL file. The printed resin templates
were directly placed in the mouth with flowable composite resin for an
immediate trial restoration without the need for casts, silicone guides,
or autopolymerizing resin. The workflow presented in this article
linked the 3Dapp project to a printer and allowed straightforward
chairside trial restorations.
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