Digital complete denture fabrication has matured from experimental to mainstream. The advantages over conventional processing are significant: fewer appointments, digital archiving for easy duplication, and consistent quality through standardized design protocols.
Workflow Steps
1. Primary impression: Intraoral scan of edentulous arches with border molding captured digitally.
2. Jaw relation: Virtual facebow transfer and digital bite registration using scan bodies or fiducial markers.
3. Tooth setup: Digital tooth library allows rapid try-in of different molds, shades, and arrangements.
4. Try-in: 3D-printed try-in denture for esthetic and phonetic verification.
5. Final denture: Milled or 3D-printed denture base with bonded denture teeth.
Key Advantages
- Digital file can be stored permanently and reproduced on demand
- Reduced polymerization shrinkage compared to conventional processing
- Consistent base thickness and palate contour