Industrial Scale Production of Customized Ceramic Prostheses

Book chapter, 2014

Today, there are many solutions for dental rehabilitation. A damaged tooth can be replaced with a dental crown, and a toothless patient can be rehabilitated with implants and a corresponding bridge set-up. Traditionally, a dental crown is manufactured by veneering porcelain to a metal surface that is obtained through the use of casting principles. Implant rehabilitations used to rely on a high degree of handcraft by the dentist, where freehand drilling into the jaw- bone was supported by X-ray pictures and was done before implant insertion. Crown and implant rehabilitations can be provided at a much higher degree of industrialization by means of mass customization. The most common dental rehabilitations are crown restorations for single teeth, while full arch implant rehabilitations are the most comprehensive treatments. Trends in industry lean toward a higher degree of automation in production and manufacturing where key characteristics of a well-functioning ceramic prosthesis are cost reduction, patient satisfaction, and quality in both function and perception.