Objective: The aim of this report is to present an interdisciplinary approach with novel concepts to virtually plan and achieve esthetics and function.
Clinical considerations: Despite the advancements in the digital workflow applied to restorative dentistry, the final outcomes are commonly not similar to initial planning. To overcome this major limitation, three concepts are proposed: guided dentistry, digital quality control and "copy-paste" dentistry. Guided dentistry consists of simulations in 3D software and also includes the manufacture of guides/appliances to assist dentists in all clinical steps. Digital quality control involves the use of intraoral scanners and 3D software to compare the real outcomes with the pre-operative simulations after every procedure. "Copy-paste" dentistry is a consequence of the previous two concepts. Using the capacity of the software to overlap files, the original project can be maintained and adapted to achieve results more comparable with the initial design. The proposed method associates facially driven treatment planning and periodontal and restorative procedures to perform the patient's dental rehabilitation.
Conclusion: Through a guided workflow and digital control of clinical steps, the final outcomes obtained were equivalent and closer to the initial design.
Clinical significance: In interdisciplinary cases, the treatment plan needs to address individual requirements and to coordinate sequential clinical stages. It is challenging to meet these demands in a conventional process. The proposed concepts engage technological resources to orientate the procedures and to provide assessment in each step. This approach enables the development of a complete and accurate functional-esthetic rehabilitation. Ultimately, the technique presented is reproducible and the results reflect the established plan.
Keywords: CAD-CAM; dental technology; digital workflow; periodontics; prosthodontics.
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