Temporary prosthetic restorations in digital technology – literature review

Abstract

Temporary restorations are the main standard in dental prosthetic treatment. In the era of widespread access to digital technology, it has become natural to use it for the purpose of aesthetic, functional and precise restorative solution between visits, as well as part of comprehensive multi-specialist rehabilitation. There are many technologies and materials available on the market, and yet manufacturers are still trying to quality improvement of their products. The aim of the literature review was to systematize the current knowledge of the available materials, the scope of possibilities and techniques of making temporary restorations in digital technology. PubMed and Google Scholar literature databases have been reviewed. The analysis of the literature indicated that in dental prosthetics two basic digital technologies can be distinguished: subtractive method (milling-CAD/CAM) and the additive method (3D printing). The most important features of both methods are presented here, highlighting the key differences.