On crown fabrication in prosthetic dentistry of veterinary patients: a review

The use of crowns, partial dentures (PD) of different metal composites in prosthetic dentistry for humans has been in practice since long, but for present age veterinary patients it also has tremendous applications. This paper reports the overview of metal/composite crown restoration, materials and design considerations of crown and different conventional and latest crown/ PD fabrication techniques (assisted with additive and subtractive manufacturing) for prosthetic dentistry requirements especially for veterinary patients. Also a short case study for the preparation of dental crown/PD based on 3D metal printing (3DMP) has been presented. The procedure for preparation of crown for canine teeth with 3DMP by using stainless steel (SS) 316 L powder has been outlined by using a clay model of canine teeth (of German shepherd male dog), which was scanned by a 3D scanner followed by the preparation of digital computer-aided design (CAD) data. The review also demonstrates clinical and histological advantages with respect to standard denture fixing procedures and classical denture geometry.