Innovative Dental Technologies and Restorative Materials in Prosthodontics: New Perspectives and Future Developments

Digital technology is advancing rapidly in dentistry. Computers are making what were previously manual tasks easier, faster, cheaper and more predictable. Layered manufacturing processes can produce complex shapes at affordable prices with little or no waste. The challenge for the dental materials research community is to mach the new technology with materials that are suitable for use in dentistry. This can potentially take dental materials research in a totally different direction. The new generation of ceramic materials presents interesting options, both in terms of material selection and in terms of fabrication techniques. A closer understanding of the dynamics of the materials with respect to design of the restoration and the intended use is required to enable these restorations to perform productively.