Fabrication of a reverse-engineered custom scan body as a digital solution for recording implant position: A dental technique.

A technique for the reverse engineering of the implant-abutment connection to fabricate a custom scan body is described. The implant-abutment connection was designed using the exocad software program, the scan body with screw channel was designed with the Blender software program, and the file was either 3-dimensionally printed in definitive tooth-colored resin with ceramic filler material or milled in polyetheretherketone (PEEK). This technique offers an accurate, cost-effective digital solution for implant optical scanning that can replace prefabricated scan bodies that may not be available for all implants. (J Prosthet Dent xxxx;xxx:xxx-xxx).

Digital design and manufacture of a stackable implant surgical guide for immediate loading in completely edentulous full-arch cases: a dental technique.

The design and manufacture of a stackable surgical guide for implant placement with immediate prosthetic loading of completely edentulous cases is described in this dental technique. To achieve this, the stackable attachment is designed using free-form designing software, which is later joined to the implant placement guide and the dental prosthesis. This technique should provide the patient with a same-day implant and an esthetic restoration accurately placed in the predesigned position of the centric occluding relationship. It also reduces the number of visits and prosthetic complications related to the improper implant position.

Digital Designing of a 3D-Printed Stackable Ear Mold for Auricular Rehabilitation: A Technical Note.

A technique for the virtual design of a three-piece stackable auricular mold for unilateral auricular defect rehabilitation using an open-source software program is described. An optical intraoral scanner is used to scan the patient's ear on both the affected and unaffected side. To maintain the relationship between the mold parts, a stackable attachment is designed and joined to the mold. The mold is 3D printed in resin. This technique provides the patient with a precise auricular prosthesis with perfect thickness, adaptation, and appearance. The workflow introduced in this technique could be considered as an alternative way to fabricate auricular prostheses in a much shorter clinical and laboratory time compared to the conventional workflow. Int J Prosthodont 2023;36:637-641.

Fully digital workflow for reinforced mandibular implant overdenture - A novel method.

Mandibular overdenture is suspected to fracture, especially in the midline and anterior region due to low surface area of coverage and minimum acrylic thickness in addition to attachments pickup holes that weakens the denture. Dentures used to be conventionally reinforced with metal meshwork which cannot be done in a digital workflow. This in vitro report introduces a novel approach of digital overdenture reinforcement using computer-aided design, computer-aided manufacturing, and rapid prototyping technologies. This novel approach provided digital reinforced, stable, and well-adapted overdenture with accurate and easy attachment pickup. Digital reinforced denture has fewer clinical steps with fewer laboratory complications. The newly developed overdenture fabrication techniques have the ability to change the conventional clinical and laboratory workflow from analog to digital. Which grantee standardization of the outcome on both research and clinical work.

Within-patient evaluation of chewing efficiency and maximum bite force of conventional dentures, fixed prostheses, and milled bar overdentures used for All-on-4 implant rehabilitation of atrophied mandibular ridges: A short-term randomized trial.

PURPOSE: This crossover study aimed to evaluate chewing efficiency and maximum bite force (BF) of conventional dentures, fixed prostheses, and milled bar overdentures (MO) used for All-on-4 implant rehabilitation of atrophied mandibular ridges. METHODS: Sixteen edentulous participants with resorbed mandibular ridges received new conventional dentures (CD, control). Four implants were inserted after 3 months in the mandible using the All-on-4 protocol and loaded immediately with acrylic prosthesis. In a crossover manner, each patient had either fixed restoration (FR, 12 occlusal units) or MO (14 occlusal units) randomly in a crossover study design. Chewing efficiency was evaluated using the mixing ability test. The hue deviation (HD) of two-colored gum was calculated after being chewed for 5, 10, 20, 30, and 50 masticatory cycles. Maximum BF was evaluated using a BF device. HD and BF were measured after using CD, FR, and MO prostheses. RESULTS: For all groups, the highest HD (i.e., the lowest chewing efficiency) was noted with 5 strokes, followed by 10, 20, 30 strokes, and the lowest HD (i.e., the highest chewing efficiency) was noted with 50 strokes. For all number of chewing strokes, CD showed the highest HD, then FR, and MO recorded the lowest HD. The highest BF was observed with MO, then FR, and the lowest BF was noted with CD. CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of this short-term investigation, both FR and MO used for All-on-4 implant rehabilitation of patients with resorbed mandibular ridges improve masticatory efficiency and maximum BFs compared to CD. However, MO was associated with significantly higher chewing efficiency and maximum BFs than fixed prosthesis.

Digital fabrication of polyetheretherketone retentive bar attachment inserts as overdenture maintenance: A dental technique.

A technique for the virtual designing of retentive attachment inserts for bar-retained 2-implant mandibular overdentures is described. The bar attachment is scanned intraorally, the retentive insert designed with the MESHMIXER software program, and the file 3D printed in resin, which is replicated in polyetheretherketone (PEEK). The technique offers high-quality inserts with good retention that can replace the conventional nylon inserts and reduce the number of maintenance visits and the frequency of changing the bar attachment.