Limitations of Digital Dentures

Adjustments and relines associated with IOS use: When the IOS is used to record the denture-bearing tissues, relines and repeated adjustments of the intaglio surface and borders are needed to achieve an optimal fit of the digital prostheses.²⁰

Suboptimal esthetics due to elimination of try-in: Several digital protocols advocate the elimination of try-in procedures to save time and cost as they permit virtual evaluation of patient esthetics.³⁷ However, the prostheses may not have the desired result when placed in the patient’s mouth thereby resulting in patient dissatisfaction and treatment failure.

Learning curve: Fabrication of digital complete dental prostheses requires specialized clinical training and there is a learning curve attached to it. To achieve a successful outcome, the dental practitioner needs to invest time and effort in assessing digital previews and should also actively participate in electronic communication with the laboratory.¹⁴

Impossible to digitally register the interocclusal records: It is currently impossible to digitally register the interocclusal records (for patients without existing dentures) and challenging to record digital functional impressions, thus the full digital workflow for the complete denture rehabilitation remains questionable.^20-25

Inability to balance digital dentures: It is not possible to balance digital dentures during the designing phase of denture fabrication.