Digital Denture: Learn more about the dental material!

Have you heard about Digital Denture, the process which produces dentures digitally? If you would like to find out which specially developed dental material is used in this innovative process, read on. Delve into the details!

Tooth-coloured discs made from DCL material

The material for the digitally manufactured denture teeth is called SR Vivodent CAD. 

The DCL (double cross-linked) material is an acrylic with a highly modified polymethyl methacrylate in which both the organic fillers and the PMMA matrix are uniformly cross-linked.


Schematic representation of the DCL material

Stable and abrasion resistant

In the PMMA matrix, which is shown as a grid, highly cross-linked pre-polymer fillers are integrated. These ensure that the material is stable and has a higher abrasion resistance compared to conventional PMMA materials. In addition, the material contains PMMA filler particles, which reduce the susceptibility to discolouration.

Due to these properties, the DCL material combines the advantages of composites (low abrasion) with the advantages of PMMA (resistance to discolouration).

The DCL material has already proven itself clinically. It is used in some tooth lines in the DCL family - for example, SR Vivodent S DCL / SR Orthotyp S DCL.

Natural opacity

SR Vivodent CAD is available in a Bleach shade and 8 A-D shades. Since the CAD/CAM disc is a monochromatic material, the opacity has been adjusted so that high and natural translucency is still achieved in thinner areas (towards the incisal edge). In the cervical area, where the tooth is very dense, there is a higher degree of opacity. The following picture shows this principle.

Ratio of opacity and translucency

In comparison to the dentin in conventional denture teeth, the opacity here was reduced by approximately 15%. Together with the great effect of natural-looking tooth surfaces, the full-contour denture teeth also have lifelike and esthetic tooth shades. Here is an example of a complete dental arch.


Dental arch made from DCL material

Esthetics for full-contour teeth
The desired esthetic appearance is only achieved with fully contoured teeth. The material is not suitable for temporary crowns and bridges, since very thin layers are required. It therefore does not cover discoloured prepared teeth and, for esthetic reasons, is not intended for this indication. 

Extended base material, well proven for 2 years
SR Vivodent CAD has been extended with the denture base material IvoBase CAD. This has proven itself well in the market for two years. It is particularly resistant to breakage and fulfils the standard values for impact-resistant prosthetic acrylics.

Would you like to learn more about “Digital Denture”?

SR Vivodent is a registered trademark of Ivoclar Vivadent AG. The availability of certain products may vary from country to country.