Dental Asia November/December 2021
For more than two decades, Dental Asia is the premium journal in linking dental innovators and manufacturers to its rightful audience. We devote ourselves in showcasing the latest dental technology and share evidence-based clinical philosophies to serve as an educational platform to dental professionals. Our combined portfolio of print and digital media also allows us to reach a wider market and secure our position as the leading dental media in the Asia Pacific region while facilitating global interactions among our readers.
For more than two decades, Dental Asia is the premium journal in linking dental innovators
and manufacturers to its rightful audience. We devote ourselves in showcasing the latest dental technology and share evidence-based clinical philosophies to serve as an educational platform to dental professionals. Our combined portfolio of print and digital media also allows us to reach a wider market and secure our position as the leading dental media in the Asia Pacific region while facilitating global interactions among our readers.
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User Report<br />
Efficient conversion of a<br />
conventional complete denture to<br />
Straumann® Pro Arch using<br />
Smile in a Box<br />
Outsourcing digital workflows have found its way into the dental field.<br />
Dr Keng Mun Wong and Dr Valerie Tey share how they utilised a fully<br />
outsourced digital workflow by Smile in a Box on a Straumann® Pro<br />
Arch protocol for the immediate conversion of a conventional complete<br />
denture into a fixed full-arch restoration.<br />
By Dr Valerie Tey and Dr Keng Mun Wong<br />
Immediate implant-supported full arch<br />
restorations represent a well-established<br />
and increasingly endorsed treatment<br />
modality for the rehabilitation of fully<br />
edentulous patients 1,2 . Survival rates as<br />
high as 97% and more have been reported<br />
for this type of restoration, with an average<br />
follow-up period of five years 3 . Attributed<br />
to favourable bone quality and anatomy,<br />
mandibular immediate full-arch restorations<br />
have been documented to display even<br />
higher success rates 4 .<br />
Digital technologies like guided implant<br />
placement and computer-assisted<br />
prosthetic planning and manufacturing<br />
can significantly facilitate diagnosis,<br />
treatment planning and surgical procedures,<br />
and therefore provide more predictable<br />
and efficient treatments 5,6 . In particular,<br />
surgically advanced procedures like full-arch<br />
reconstructions may significantly benefit<br />
from these advantages, which may reduce<br />
chair time and invasiveness for the patient 5,7 .<br />
Access to digital technologies may be<br />
hindered by financial and time constraints,<br />
as well as a steep learning curve that has<br />
been associated with such technologies 8,9 .<br />
Recently, digital workflows have become<br />
available as part of an outsourced service<br />
through Smile in a Box. This enables<br />
practitioners using conventional<br />
workflows to readily benefit from the<br />
advantages of digital technologies<br />
without having to overcome the hurdles<br />
associated with their first-time access.<br />
This case report describes a successful<br />
immediate conversion of a conventional<br />
complete denture into an immediate<br />
full-arch restoration by applying an<br />
outsourced fully digital workflow provided<br />
by Smile in a Box. The application<br />
of a Straumann ® Pro Arch protocol,<br />
combined with Smile in a Box, allowed<br />
ready access to a fully digital workflow<br />
that could efficiently be integrated<br />
into conventional prosthetic workflow,<br />
providing a highly satisfying clinical result.<br />
INITIAL SITUATION<br />
A 65-year-old male patient, fully<br />
edentulous restored with conventional<br />
acrylic full dentures, visited the clinic<br />
complaining of unsatisfactory mandibular<br />
denture retention and associated<br />
problems. It included poor speech and<br />
masticatory function, specifically related<br />
to his lower denture. Clinical examination<br />
revealed a round to knife-edge mandibular<br />
ridge form, and adequate vertical but<br />
inadequate horizontal bone availability<br />
specifically in the posterior aspects 10 .<br />
Fig. 1<br />
Fig. 2a<br />
Fig. 2<br />
Fig. 2b<br />
Fig. 2c<br />
Fig. 1: Pre-treatment diagnostic panoramic<br />
radiograph<br />
Figs. Fig. 2a-c: 4 Pre-treatment intra-oral situation:<br />
(a) existing conventional complete dentures<br />
(b) maxillary and mandibular arches at the<br />
approximate occlusal vertical dimension<br />
(c) horizontal mandibular<br />
54<br />
DENTAL ASIA NOVEMBER / DECEMBER <strong>2021</strong>
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