Introduction: Fixed screw-retained implant dental prostheses are becoming a preferred and frequently used approach for implant-prosthetic rehabilitation. Manufacturing procedure of this kind of suprastructures is an important field of expertise for dental technicians, laboratory dental prosthetics and dentists. As implant-based rehabilitation dentistry is becoming a trending option for tooth replacement, various techniques for making suprastructures have also seen rapid development. Lithium disilicate monolithic crown on a dental implant is one of the newer techniques in the production of suprastructures and as such an interesting topic for discussion. At the same time, lithium disilicate is a relatively new material also in the field of implant dentistry. Aim: the purpose of this paper is to present manufacturing methods of lithium disilicate implant abutment and crown with CAD/CAM technology and lithium disilicate monolithic crown with layering ceramics. Additionally, we wish to clarify when and under what conditions one method should be chosen over the other, the differences in manufacturing and the advantages and disadvantages of both methods, as with a view to present lithium disilicate as an appropriate material for implant prosthetic rehabilitation. Methods: A review of the available literature was conducted, including a research regarding dental implants, CAD/CAM technology and lithium disilicate suprastructures. Results: A study analyzing fracture toughness of various materials exhibited an important advantage of lithium disilicate as a material for monolithic implant crown. Moreover, in this study lithium disilicate was proven to have good properties in relation to epithelial tissue, producing better results than both zirconium oxide and titanium. Aesthetics are have shown to be equally good with both methods, unless the composite seal is in the esthetic zone. In this case abutment with cemented crown is more appropriate. Research conclusions show cement residues lead to periimplantitis which is another advantage of the monolithic crown. Additionally with easy access to the screw the crown is retrievable in need of any repairs or complications. Manufacturing this kind of suprastructures turned out to be uncomplicated, which cannot be said for the standard way. Discussion and conclusion: Today's CAD/CAM technologies allow for appropriate precision of screw-retained suprastructures using different materials and techniques. In this paper, we discuss two manufacturing methods with their advantages and disadvantages.
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