Dentistry has also been one of the most prominent users of 3D printing, desktop 3D printers are an increasingly common sight in dental labs and practices. As matter of fact, the popular clear aligners, thermoformed on 3D printed molds, are possibly the single most successful use of 3D printing we’ve seen to date.
Consistently creating high-quality dental products that are affordable has proved difficult, owing to the uniqueness of each dental case and the number of possibilities for human error. Digital workflows in dentistry bring possibilities for greater consistency, accuracy and precision than before. Intraoral digital impression scanning can provide much better data to technicians, enabling easy creation of repeatable models through 3D printing, and improving efficiency in both the dental practice and the lab.
Dental 3D printers mostly use resin-based 3D printing processes, like SLA or digital light processing (DLP), to create a variety of indications like surgical guides, dental models, molds for clear aligners, dentures, or castable patterns for crowns and bridges quickly, with enhanced accuracy and lower cost than traditional methods.
The result for the customer is a plethora of dental products that fit better and work better, with higher clinical acceptance by the patient. The time saved by the streamlined workflow leads to better throughput, lower material costs, and better results for the patients.
A selection of dental products manufactured with stereolithography 3D printing technology.
Information contained within this page originally appeared on Formlabs.com