The CAD/CAM Alternative for Processing Dental Alloys

CAD/CAM technologies, both substractive and additive, have been used for dental purposes since 1980–1990, with growing success. While initially used for manufacturing a limited range of dental appliances, CAD/CAM technologies enable the fabrication of various types of complex dental constructs, including 3D-printed tissues. Among the wide choice of materials used for manufacturing CAD/CAM prosthodontics, alloys play a certain role, being firstly used for the fabrication of fixed and removable dentures infrastructures, as well as for implant production. Due to their characteristics, the currently most used dental alloys for CAD/CAM applications in dentistry are Co-Cr and Ti alloys. Depending on the CAD/CAM technology, dental alloys are being manufactured by milling (alloy blocks) or 3D printing powder bed fusion (alloy powder). CAD/CAM manufacturing in dentistry enables not only high-speed fabrication but also the achievement of high-quality dental constructs.