Dental CAD/CAM technologies: the optical impression (II).

This article, has explained the principles and characteristics of the optical impression, such as is used in the Cerec dental CAD/CAM system, and discussed the limitations and perspectives for future developments of the technique. Optical methods of measurement are clearly capable of satisfying the basic requirements of a direct CAD/CAM procedure for fabricating restorations for individual teeth. Further improvements in the technique beyond the level that Cerec 2 offers today are conceivable but still in the far future because they require significant improvements of the basic components. These developments can be expected to enhance the accuracy of measurement and ease of operation, as well as permitting the measurement of several teeth at once for the fabrication of fixed partial dentures.