Chairside vs Labside All-Ceramic FDPs - A Systematic Review 

Nowadays, the term digital is ubiquitous and everything has to be digitally branded to be up to date. Digitalization is not a trend, it is reality – and dental medicine is no exception. Dentistry is digital, the attribute phrase digital dentistry is no longer necessary.

This continuous IT process has opened up new possibilities in reconstructive dentistry. On the one hand, digital 3D diagnostics has rapidly developed to the point of treatment simulation using virtual dental patients, and on the other hand, new production processes using computer-aided design / computer-aided manufacturing [CAD/CAM] for therapy with monolithic restorations are now feasible.

Chairside dental protocols allow in-office treatment of prosthetic restorations during a single appointment: (1) starting with clinical preparation of the restoration site, either tooth-borne or implant-retained; (2) followed by intraoral optical scanning [IOS]; (3) further CAD/CAM processing of the dental restoration; and finally (4) clinical insertion.

However, chairside does not necessarily mean a ‘one-man-show’ by the clinician, but rather a treatment option for immediate rehabilitation on a single-visit basis. Patients expect high esthetics, prosthetic invisibility, and incorporated function in harmony. They are also looking for a time-saving solution and convenient treatment experience, but they do not care who performs and finalizes the technical fabrication of the restoration. In the end, the prosthetic reconstruction must meet all expectations for both the patient and the dentist.