Clinical flexibility of the metal free approach.

The present possibility of defining a plan for reconstructive treatment taking into consideration metal-free materials and related clinical procedures offers wider therapeutic options for the clinician and the dental technician, establishing function, esthetics and longevity in prosthetic rehabilitation. The metal-free approach may be regarded as a new philosophy of treatment that extends beyond the solution of esthetic and cosmetic shortcomings in the anterior regions and involves a greater variety of complex clinical cases such as periodontal breakdown conditions and edentulous sites requiring implant therapies with varying degrees of difficulty. Nevertheless, as the use of new metal-free materials is such a recent introduction, there is insufficient long-term evaluation and scientific support available for these to be accepted as an established treatment option. This article presents two complex prosthetic rehabilitations showing the applicability of the metal-free approach to different clinical conditions including, as well as healthy sites, various patterns of periodontal disease and edentulism.