Crown CAD workflow

Scan, mark, insert, design, contacts, mill — in that order, every time.

Objectives

List the steps of a single-unit crown design in order.
Define path of insertion and undercut.
Describe a contact that is tight vs. open vs. heavy.

Mandibular left first molar

#19

Order of operations

Orbit. If you cannot see the finish line, stop.

Finish line

0 control points

Path of insertion

0% of the wall above the margin is undercut

Teal faces the path. Gold fades. Red will not seat.

Read this

Order of operations

1) Inspect the scan. 2) Trim gingiva that is not the tooth. 3) Mark the margin. 4) Set the path of insertion. 5) Block out undercuts. 6) Apply die spacer. 7) Seat a library tooth. 8) Adapt contacts and occlusion. 9) Check thickness. 10) Export.

Path of insertion

The direction the restoration will seat. Any surface that faces away from that direction below the margin is an undercut. The software will either block it out (and you lose retention) or you tilt the path until the color map is honest.

Library teeth are a starting point

They are average anatomy, not this patient. Scale, rotate, then sculpt. Matching the contralateral tooth is better than matching the library.

Open the practice lab

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