## 1 Introduction  
The need for partial or complete replacement of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) structures is a known problem in the field of maxillofacial surgery. Indications for total temporomandibular joint arthroplasty are situations where: (1) the joint has not developed, regardless of the cause; (2) joint tissues have been lost to the point where regeneration is not possible, for example, due to necrosis or neoplasm; (3) the joint tissues have undergone advanced degeneration and less invasive treatment options have been exhausted, including conservative treatment, intra-articular injections and arthroscopic methods [1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6; 7; 8; 9; 10]. TMJ arthroplasty is a surgical procedure that involves remodeling, realigning, or removing the joint surfaces and replacing it with implants. In the latter approach, the first implant is placed on the temporal bone and is intended to imitate the socket; the second one is attached to the stump of the mandible in the place of the condylar process. Their mutual movement is intended to allow for mobility that ensures effective food intake. Artificialtemporomandibular joints do not reproduce all natural movements of the mandible. During surgery, some of the muscle attachments may be lost, which further reduces jaw control. Giving or restoring any mobility to the mandible is no longer a satisfactory result of treatment. Currently, the aim is to ensure the most physiological movements possible. The growing range of available materials allows for minimal friction, for example, by combining a milled metal artificial condylar process with a printed ultra-high molecular weight artificial polyethylene socket. Serial and individually designed prostheses are manufactured to achieve a variety of affordable and highly functional solutions. Attempts are made to meet the growing requirements by individually designing articular heads and sockets that are a mirror image of a healthy joint. In addition, surgeons can gain experience with bone and implant models before each procedure. Templates are also used to facilitate predictable and precise osteotomies. The challenge for the future is to digitally design the shape of bilaterally lost joints [11; 12; 13; 14; 15; 16; 17; 18]. Temporomandibular joint replacement is a complex medical procedure with a high risk of failure. Possible intraoperative complications include opening the cranial cavity, damage to motor and sensory innervation, and injury to blood vessels and the parotid duct. postoperatively, infection, rejection of implants, cerebrospinal fluid flow, salivary fistula, and facial disagreement with unsightly scars may occur. Due to the above risks, temporomandibular joint prosthesis implantation is suitable for cases in which less invasive treatment methods have failed [19; 20; 21; 22; 23]. Whenever the temporomandibular joint undergoes arthroplasty when affected by ankylosis or malignancy, the only alternatives are palliative treatment and resection without reconstruction. Taking possible complications into account, it is more difficult to determine the limit of treatment that preserves the joint in degenerative disease. In the course of progressive damage to the cartilage on the joint surfaces, pain intensifies and may reach unbearable levels. As a consequence, they cause painful limitations in mandibular mobility, a decrease in mastication efficiency, and deteriorate health-related quality of life. Temporomandibular disorders in their early stages can be slowed and treated. In addition to multiple symptomatic treatment methods, there are currently attempts to regenerate articular cartilage. For this purpose, autologous transplants of blood products and stem cells contained in adipose tissue are used. Albeit degenerative disease can reach a severity that exceeds the possibilities of conservative and minimally invasive treatment. Then, TMJ replacement should be considered as a real alternative to more conservative pain relief approaches [6; 24; 25; 26; 27; 28; 29; 30; 31; 32].