It is too early to say that dentures printed by dental 3D printers are as good as our own teeth. It does not mean that there is no proof of research. In any case, additional manufacturing has had a significant impact on improving the dental industry. Especially 3D printing has become a powerful technology in the field of orthodontics. Dentists and their patients have profited from the time-consuming process of replacing manual 3D manufacturing. In the end, the whole treatment process is more efficient and cheap.
The following are dental applications of dental 3D printers:
Dental bridge
Crown
Orthodontics
Retainer
Tooth tray
Dental drill
Let us consider that there are two mainstream uses of 3D printing: dental drills and braces to correct the occlusion. Next, we will integrate the discussion and draw conclusions.
How do we use 3D printing technology in the dental field?
Installing the implant is to drill a hole in the jaw bone and install the denture in it. This is a complicated process. Sometimes this requires expert skills. 3D printed dental drills can make this risk less and less painful.
Often 3D models are designed on the basis of cone beam ct scan results. In the success of making the model, the characteristics of each person's jaw are also taken into consideration.
Then all tests are performed on the test model, and then on the printed model. The 3D printed jaw can be used to test whether it fits correctly. In addition, it is made of materials that are certified for use in dentistry.
The perfect smile brou ght by the orthosis
Orthodontics are solid plates made of polycarbonate that cover the teeth. Basically similar to mouthguard. Orthodontics is one of the most prominent achievements in the use of 3D printing. They replace efficient but unattractive braces. In addition, braces often require more maintenance because you need a lot of time to clean each day. The orthosis can be removed at any time.
Production method
Each orthosis needs to be worn for two weeks. Therefore, if 15 orthoses are needed for the entire course of treatment, it will take nearly 30 weeks (nearly 210 days).
It should be said that the additive technology does not directly manufacture the orthosis. Instead, a 3D printed jaw is copied. Each bite has a difference of about 1.75mm. So the first jaw is almost the same as the original one, and the last one is completely occluded. This means that each orthosis is a little different-they "correct" your bite a little bit before they are completely corrected. So how does it do it? Let's take a look briefly.
At first, an exquisite 3D model of the jaw was made on the basis of cone beam CT imaging. Then the technical experts manually completed the 3D model of the corrected occlusion. The software calculates the final changes in all stages (different jaws). Then print each 3D jaw bone and make it into an orthosis.
Orthodontics vs. Braces
At a glance, the braces are better than ordinary braces. But in fact, in the case of particularly deformed teeth, orthodontics are not suitable. More importantly, sometimes the patient's first orthosis needs to be replaced during treatment. For example, when the dentist sees that the correction is not going as planned, he will make a new aligner. But despite this, orthodontics can be considered a revolution in the orthodontic world.
in conclusion
3D printing is a relatively new way to complete routine treatments faster, better, and cheaper. Many dentists admit that it will cost a lot to buy 3D printers, special software and hire new experts, but in general, the long-term increase in efficiency of the new 3D printing technology exceeds the cost.