CDEN0109

28 I I industry report _ CAD/CAM publications. The impression-free practice is the lat- est step in this development. At IDS 2009, the use of intra-oral3-Dmeasurementto,inpart,maketheim- pression-freepracticepossiblewillbedemonstrated (Figs. 3 & 4). With data from an intra-oral image se- quence, e.g. of a quadrant, working models can be produced using a wax-processing 3-D printer in a rapid prototyping system, on which prostheses can be manufactured conventionally or with CAD/CAM. Via internet portals, the dentist can send optical impressionsfromintra-oralscanstothedentaltech- nician, which are then fed into the stationary CAD system. The impression-free practice is much more comfortable for patients because impression-taking and its incident gag reflex are eliminated. Addition- ally, production time can be cut and the dental tech- nician’s productivity increased considerably. What is the future of CAD/CAM? Those long familiar with the field were able to predict early on that manufacturing centres would play a crucial role: high efficiency, specialised per- sonnel, centralised material purchasing, and high quality standards for the ‘standard restoration’ enable an efficient output that in turn makes it pos- sible to pay off investments in high-tech manufac- turingmachines,whileincreasingcost-effectiveness (Figs. 5 & 6). Mid-sized and smaller dental laborato- rieswillmakebestuseoftheircorecompetencyinthe computer-supported manufacture of high-quality Fig.5_Millingcentreshaveaningen- iousquality-controlsystemforprocess- ingZrO2 ceramicforcrown-andbridge frameworks. (Photo:Etkon–Straumann) Fig.6_Millingcentresoperatecost- effectiveandaccordingtostandardised manufacturingprocedures. (Photo:HeraeusKulzer) Fig. 7_Automatic reconstruction of in- lay cavities. Top: undamaged original tooth; centre: cavity; bottom: occlusal surface automatically reconstructed given only the remaining tooth substance (centre). (Image:Mehl) cosmeticdentistry 1_2009 Fig. 5 Fig. 6 Fig. 7