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Purpose: To evaluate the distortion probability in impressions of completely dentate arches when different impression materials are used in relation to operator experience. Materials and Methods: A total of 28 students (Group A) and 7 dentists (Group B) performed three maxillary impressions on 28 participants, each using vinyl siloxane ether (VSE), polyether (PE), and irreversible hydrocolloid (IHC). Gypsum master casts were fabricated and subsequently digitized. Intraoral scans were taken as a control. Differences between master casts and intraoral scans were visualized with heatmaps, and planar deviations were investigated. If planar deviations > 120 µm were found, the impression was rated as "distorted." An additional superimposition using the casts from VSE or PE was performed to confirm the presence of distortions. The relative number of surfaces with distortions in each impression was calculated. The procedure was repeated for a distortion threshold of 500 µm. The statistical analyses included repeated measures ANOVA (RMA) and post hoc tests (a < .05). Results: When 120 µm was considered as the threshold for distortions, IHC impressions showed higher distortion probability than PE impressions in Group A (P = .003) and Group B (P < .0001). In Group B, PE showed a lower distortion probability than VSE (P = .02). There was no significant difference between the study groups (P = .42). Considering 500 µm as a threshold for distortions, there was no difference between impression materials (P = .17) or study groups (P = .53). Conclusions: There were no statistically significant differences in relation to operator experience. Different impression materials had a significant impact on distortion probability. PE impressions showed the lowest distortion probability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dental implants are commonly used to replace missing single teeth. However, esthetic rehabilitation of an adjacent tooth may also be required due to diastemas, crowding, or existing large direct restorations to improve the final esthetic outcome. With the advancements in ceramics and bonding techniques, minimally invasive esthetic approaches have become viable for compromised spacing issues. This case report describes a dental technique for the esthetic rehabilitation of compromised anterior spacing with a customized zirconia implant abutment at a maxillary central incisor site and a partial ceramic veneer bonded to the adjacent central incisor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Advanced digital technologies have rapidly been integrated into prosthodontics to improve the digital workflow for prosthetic rehabilitation. The integration of 3D datasets acquired from various imaging sources such as intraoral scanners and facial optical scanners allows the creation of virtual patients to perform presurgical simulation and prosthetic rehabilitation. The presented technique introduced a straightforward protocol for aligning intraoral scans (Trios 4, 3Shape) to optical face scans (Face Hunter, Zirkonzahn) using a global best-fit algorithm of 3D evaluation software (GOM Inspect). Nasal geometry data were used as the matching reference to produce virtual dental patients. This integration protocol ensured that the intraoral scanner (Trios 4, 3Shape) was used not only to scan dental arches but also used effectively to scan the nose. These scans along with professional facial scans can be successfully aligned to produce virtual dental patients. As only a single fully dentate patient case with an alignment deviation of 243.6 µm was used, further research to evaluate the accuracy of this protocol is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Objective Clinical Considerations Conclusion Clinical Significance This case report illustrates a clinical scenario of a patient with insufficient crowns, gold onlays and localized tooth pain in the posterior teeth, treated with partial and full coverage lithium disilicate restorations.A female patient presented in the clinics, complaining about tooth pain and unesthetic metal restorations. After a thorough examination, diagnosis and treatment plan, the existing restorations were removed, and a defect‐oriented preparation was done to preserve as much as possible of the remaining tooth structure. Final partial and full coverage lithium disilicate restorations were delivered. After a 10‐year follow‐up no biological complications were observed. Nevertheless, one major chipping was observed in one of the upper molars. This technical complication was resolved with the fabrication of a new ceramic restoration.Lithium disilicate ceramic posterior full‐ or partial‐coverage restorations are a reliable and predictable treatment option not only for the replacement of tooth structure lost due to caries but also for the replacement of insufficient restorations.The following key factors are to be considered to pursue long‐term success with ceramic restorations: patient selection, minimal invasive tooth preparation, appropriate material selection and cementation. Nevertheless, complications are to be expected, and the patient should be informed accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interim rehabilitation of edentulous patients is essential in implant prosthodontics. However, surgical augmentation may be required for patients with reduced bone density, which complicates the use of an interim prosthesis. This report describes the rehabilitation of an edentulous patient with an interim maxillary overdenture retained by short implants with individual attachments during the healing period of vertical and horizontal ridge augmentation. This technique increased the stability of the interim prosthesis even with shortened flanges to eliminate any pressure on the surgical site. This technique could also be used when immediate loading is not possible due to lack of primary stability of the implants placed for definitive fixed prostheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To validate the reproducibility and inter/intra‐observer variability of the Pink Esthetic Score/White Esthetic Score (PES/WES) of single tooth‐supported prostheses in the maxillary esthetic zone (13–23). Materials and Methods: Forty‐five patients were randomly assigned to one of the three treatment options (15 patients per group) receiving each one a different crown type: Porcelain fused to metal (PFM), monolithic zirconia, and lithium disilicate. Eight observers from each of four different specialties (Prosthodontists, Orthodontists, Periodontists, and Oral Surgeons) were recruited and assessed twice and four weeks apart (i.e., T1 and T2) 45 photographs of the single tooth‐supported prosthesis using PES/WES and compared them with contralateral teeth. Results: According to the ANOVA and post hoc tests, the zirconia crown type obtained the highest mean score by all observers, with a mean value of 16.70 ± 2.94. The prosthodontists and oral surgeons assigned the lowest mean score to PFM crowns, 13.03 ± 3.47 and 13.80 ± 3.17, respectively. Notably, the prosthodontists awarded the highest scores, specifically 17.50 ± 2.81 for the zirconia crowns. Intraobserver agreement was calculated utilizing the paired t‐test. Pairwise comparisons between observers of different specialties revealed significant intraobserver agreement. Interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) scores were statistically significant among four specialties. No difference was detected concerning the interobserver agreement. Conclusions: The PES/WES index remains consistent across various observers from different specializations, yielding uniform results in the overall esthetic evaluation. Consequently, in light of the presented preliminary positive results, its use might also be considered for the esthetic assessment of single‐tooth‐supported prostheses. Clinical Significance: The PES/WES index may be employed clinically to evaluate single tooth‐supported prostheses as it emerged as a reproducible esthetic scoring system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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