Title: Innovative Digital Perspectives in Dental Prosthetics

Fixed prosthetic restorations (RPF) are the only elements that can restore the integrity, functionality and aesthetics of the tooth, but they often represent a challenge for both the doctor and the dental technician. From the desire to make restorations as natural as possible, all-ceramic systems (SIC) appeared. The aesthetic (translucency, light transmission) and biological (biocompatibility, chemical stability) properties of ceramic masses make them widely applicable in dentistry. However, all-ceramic materials present adequate strength for the realization of RPF as long as the forces are evenly distributed throughout the arch. From this point of view, attention to the functional part at the level of these types of restorations must sufficiently respect the biological and biomechanical principles.

Computer-assisted dentistry has long been regarded as an exotic science. It didn’t take long for traditional companies to adopt an open approach and start developing high-quality CAD (computer aided design) products. During the time since the Lava system, among the first SICs in Romania, and until today, ceramic CAD/CAM products have developed significantly and gained ground in their use in daily routine. From clinical experience, it has been observed that a prosthetic work must be predictable and strictly respect the basic dental occlusal aspects. That is why any prosthetic component such as cover crowns, inlays and dental veneers, after achieving the appropriate design from an aesthetic point of view, must be individualized and also correspond from a functional point of view.

The objective of this course is to acquire current concepts for achieving clinical success. In this sense, the following will be discussed: the ceramic masses used in fixed dental prosthetics, the clinical criteria for selecting the types of material used according to the clinical situation, the notions of functional dental occlusion used in fixed dental prosthetics, the registration of the occlusion in centric relation vs. maximum intercuspation position, correct balancing of occlusal contacts, predictability and clinical success.

The present work is richly illustrated, with clinical cases from own experience, thus presenting the technological innovations that brought aesthetic and functional results. Thus, SIC should represent the first option in minimally invasive treatment, which satisfies both the demands of the doctor/technician and the patient.