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Dental CADCAM software plays a key role in the digital manufacture of bridges crowns and implants, providing dentistry technicians with automatic software for programming their CNC machinery. The process starts with 3D scanning of an impression taken from the patient. Next, dental CAD software manipulates the scan. Crowns and bridges can then be designed to suit the stump, tooth anatomy added, and full restoration completed. For implants, the process is similar, firstly determining the orientation of implants and abutments, and then designing the crowns to go over them. Once the CAD model has been finalized, the design data can be transferred into the dental CAM system.
The skill of dental professionals lies in the design and manufacture of restorations, and not in the techniques required for CNC machining. CADCAM software, which requires knowledge of the machining process, will make it unnecessarily hard for technicians to produce reliable results. One button dental CADCAM enables them to concentrate on the dentistry restoration skills they have, and allows the CAM system to control the CNC machine. The process starts by importing the CAD model and then nesting it in the blank. It is useful to be able to optimize the nest so that the maximum number of crowns or bridges can be made at the same time, minimizing material costs. Each crown also needs pins to support it during the machining operation. The best systems automatically nest the prosthesis and position the support pins, speeding up the preparatory work.
Dental CADCAM software needs to be able to cope with the range of materials used in dentistry. The methods and tooling required to machine each one is significantly different. Materials used include zirconia, titanium, chrome cobalt and lithium disilicate, some of which are very difficult to cut. For zirconia, allowances have to be made in the CAM system for shrinkage during sintering to ensure the finished size is correct. Particular attention has to be paid to the machining of the margin line. This is where the patient’s gum is located, and accuracy here is important to ensure that the restoration fits and functions correctly. Systems which find the margin line automatically make this process far simpler.
Traceability is an important factor in dentistry. Systems which can engrave identification directly onto the prosthesis during the manufacturing stage minimize the chance of error. If there is any need to trace the source of the material or manufacturing process, engraved crowns or bridges make it much easier to achieve. With automatic Dental CADCAM, a prosthesis can be machined within 4 to 10 minutes, making it possible to produce between 144 and 260 parts per day while maintaining full traceability. Technicians do not need to understand CNC machining and can produce high quality reliable results with virtually one mouse click.
Digital dental manufacturing has been encouraged by the European Prodentic project aimed at simplifying the management and manufacture of dental prostheses. Sescoi is participating in the project with its WorkNC Dental software, as a provider of one button automated dental CADCAM. Prodentic is government funded and run by the UNPPD (Union Nationale Patronale des Prothesistes Dentaires) and AFNET, which promotes common standards in data exchange. Partners in the project bring extensive experience in the production and design of dental prostheses. The objectives of Prodentic are to develop technologically advanced methods of manufacture which can be economically implemented by the majority of practitioners; agree a common format for CAD data exchange; achieve full traceability for prosthetic implants; and manage their complete lifecycle in line with European traceability directives.
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