Essentially, only inlays, onlays, crowns, veneers, and small bridges can be manufactured without the need of the laboratory.
However, it is difficult for the dental practitioner to resort to a milling center, since in most cases the dental laboratory must also be involved (for example, in the manufacturing of bridges), which makes the whole circuit too complicated and ineffective. The final or core restoration is then sent back to the laboratory. There is a substantial financial benefit, chiefly for the laboratory, since the purchase of a milling machine is no longer required. Thus, the technician only fabricates the restoration infrastructure and the ceramist finishes it in the traditional manner or, depending on the material, the final restoration can be milled from the very beginning.ĭental laboratories equipped merely with the optical impression unit send the data set online to a milling center. Of course, it is possible to send an optical impression to the laboratory if it can be taken in the office. The casts are scanned and the restorations are manufactured by using the CAD/CAM technique ( Figs 12-3a to 12-4b).
Laboratory systems involve taking a traditional impression and sending it to the laboratory, where the technician fabricates the casts. The conventional impression is replaced by a digital optical impression, and in most cases the prosthetic restoration is manufactured on the spot, which is a major time-saving advantage. (Images courtesy of Amman Girrbach.)ĭepending on the location of the components, CAD/CAM systems can be classified as follows:Ĭhairside CAD/CAM systems include a scanner and a milling device ( Figs 12-1 and 12-2).
#Dental cad cam machine software#
CAD/CAM technology has become an important field of dentistry and prosthodontics in the last decade, both for laboratory technicians and dentists, as well as for the dental industry.