Of course, digital dentures aren’t a computer recreation of dentures. They are very real and offer many advantages over conventional dentures. But digital dentures are made from digital files, and that makes all the benefits happen.
How Digital Dentures are Made
As with a lot of digital dentistry, including dental guides, models and appliances, digital dentures start with a digital scan the inside of a patient’s mouth. This scan ensures a perfect fit for the final dentures.
The teeth of digital dentures take shape using a process that assesses the most appropriate ‘bite’, spacing and other cosmetic issues. Even images of the patient’s original teeth can be used to tailor the structure and appearance of the final dentures.
Following their design, the dentures are 3D-printed using a special resin formulation. One of those resins, Flexera™, combines the flexibility of plastic with the strength of ceramic. The result is dentures that are remarkably comfortable, and far stronger than traditional dentures, or even other digital dentures.
Benefits of Digital Dentures
Comfort
With the more precise fit of digital dentures, patients are less likely to have complaints or need adjustments following a fitting. It’s possible to create “try-in’ appliances, to test the fit before that final dentures, to further minimize the chance of issues. In addition, the greater comfort leads to more freedom and confidence in patients. And happy patients will spread the word about their experience.
Same-day Dentures
If you choose to equip your digital dentistry practice with the right equipment, you can literally scan for dentures and have the finished dentures later the same day.
They Look Better
Especially if you use Flexera™, digital dentures are capable of life-like translucency and a very natural smile. Again, this can help improve customer satisfaction. Flexera™ dentures also last longer, with 300% more fracture resistance and 200% more moisture resistance, when compared to leading competitive resins.
Faster Fixes
Need to replace a denture? It’s entirely possible that you can simply print another one from the existing digital scans and files.
To learn more about digital dentistry, check out our recent article Why use an intraoral scanner?