3D printing has had a notable impact on different industries and manufacturing sectors over the past few years. Subsequently, it has presented significant solutions and opportunities when it comes to productivity, production costs, times, and customization. As for dentistry, 3D printing technology offers solutions that are tailored and customized for each individual patient. That is why 3D printing and digital models are achieving remarkable popularity in dental trade. Once the 3D printed models are integrated with the digital workflow, they boost the efficiency of the dentists’ and dental technicians’ tasks. Furthermore, the use of 3D printers usually accomplishes accurate results, which is beneficial for both the dentists and the patients.

3D printing has a lot of potential in the dentistry sector. According to a study by QY Research, by 2025, the flourishing collaboration of the two is believed to reach $930 million. It hints at exponential annual growth in the market, with the regular introduction of new approaches and solutions. 3D printing methods used in dental practices include different procedures such as SLA, FDM, or direct metal printing. As for the filament material, a wide array of materials like resins, metals, plastics, etc. can be used. The applicability of 3D printing in dentistry is extensive. It can be used to create surgical guides, trays, crowns, and dentures. On top of that, every patient gets a highly precise custom solution to fit their requirements. We recommend CREALITY 3D LD-002R LCD Resin 3D Printer, which you can get from the Bionic Inventor shop, here.

How Does Dental Industry Work?

Before going into detail about the use of different technologies and the benefits of 3D printing; let’s talk about the two sectors of dentistry that are impacted by it first. The dental practice itself, and the dental prosthetics labs are the major areas of this medical practice. Generally, they work in collaboration; after the dentists determine the required prosthesis, the labs produce custom medical devices such as gutters, bridges, crowns, etc. The procedure usually involves taking an impression of the patient’s teeth at the dental clinic. The molds are then sent to the lab for manufacturing the required device. This process can take a few days, and sometimes, the patient has to visit the dentist several times. There is also no guarantee that the device created from the mold is a perfect fit and might require further alterations.

How Can 3D Printing Help Dental Industry?

The introduction of 3D printing disrupts this approach and completely dematerializes the traditional work process. The mainly used additive manufacturing technique in dentistry is photopolymerization. In this regard, both DLP and SLA offer a significantly higher resolution, while printing with materials that are biocompatible, such as liquid resins. Not only can polymerization and resin printing work with FDA and CE approved printing material, but it can also create dental devices with a high degree of precision. The finishing of these products is also not very complex, and they can be manufactured in minimal time. It enables the dentist to treat the patient more efficiently. This technology can help professionals create dental devices such as surgical guides, calcinable elements, temporary bridges, and crowns, etc.

Applications of 3D Printer in Dental Sector

3D printing can be used in the dental sector to create and facilitate the creation of following the devices:

Aligners

3D printing can be used to print aligners and night guards. As with resin printing, transparent parts and pieces can be printed; these aligners would be hardly noticeable once fitted. They are an excellent alternative to the braces, especially due to their transparent look. Their creation is also very straightforward, and it is accomplished by simply scanning the teeth of the patient. The scanned data is then used to generate a 3D model. The data is then fed into a 3D printer to complete the production process. The probability of inaccuracies in this process is almost zero. This way, the patient will not face any adjustment issues, and the dentist will not have to adjust or modify the aligners any further.

Surgical Guides

Oral surgeries can seem scary, and rightfully so as it is not easy to achieve the optimal results in the first try. They can involve several visits to the clinic until the desired results are achieved. Fortunately, with 3D printing offering highly detailed and accurate solutions, the production time for creating a surgical guide has been reduced significantly. Due to their higher efficiency rate, orthodontists now prefer 3D printed solutions over the traditional approaches. A simple scan of the patient’s mouth is all that is required to create a precise surgical guide for any procedure.

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Crowns

Whether you are getting a root canal surgery or broken a piece of your tooth fixed; a crown is used to cover the missing, removed, or broken piece. The traditional method of creating a crown requires a tedious process that can take quite some time and can be very painful to get right, varying with the damage. Once again, the use of 3D printing technology the entire process can be completed quickly and more efficiently. Like the previous solutions, it also starts with scanning the missing or broken piece of the tooth. The data is then processed in software that develops the model for the crown. Instead of having to wait for days for the crown to arrive, the entire process can be completed within a day using a 3D printer. Using a special resin, a 3D printer crown is produced using porcelain.

Models

In dentistry, the conventional approaches can prove to be a bit challenging for getting the desired result in the first attempt. In addition to creating accurate dental devices efficiently and in a very short time, 3D printers can also create models from difficult scans. These prototype models can then be used to verify the fit before creating the final product. The procedure is simple and starts with scanning. Once the necessary data is collected, it is used to create a model in the designated software. After the prototype is printed, the dentist can verify the accuracy of the printed card before it is surgically implanted. As these are prototypes, they can be printed using cheaper resins.

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