3D printing is becoming increasingly popular with dentists, but an
even greater percentage of orthodontists are prepared to make the leap
to digitizing their “shops” – or they already have! The compact
Objet30 OrthoDesk, award-winning digital dental workhorse Objet Eden260V
and the just launched Objet Eden260V DentalAdvantage 3D Printers by
Stratasys are equally useful and productive for orthodontic labs and
practices. So it’s no wonder that the Objet Eden260V has just won The Dental Advisor magazine’s 2014 Product Award for rapid prototyping,
for the second straight year. The magazine highlighted the Objet
Eden260V’s outstanding surface detail, easy management and maintenance,
high resolution in all axes, and high speed in high quality 3D printing
modes as reasons for its selection.
How can the switch to digital orthodontics make a difference for both orthodontists and patients?
 |
| Stratasys 3D printed dental models created with ClearBio MED610 material |
When a practice has “gone digital,” the 3D experience begins right
away. The first part of any orthodontic treatment is casting the
“before” mold of the teeth, with all the faults that require correction.
More and more orthodontists are turning away from the traditional
dental impressions in silicone, sodium alginate or polyether. Instead,
they’re using intra-oral scanners to get a full view of the anatomy of
the mouth, jaws and teeth. These 3D scans are then “print ready” – 3D
printers take that digital information and produce an exceptionally
accurate 3D printed model.
 |
|
Stratasys’ Director of Global Dental, Avi Cohen (pictured right), explained how 3D
scanning and 3D printing can benefit orthodontists: “It is standard
practice for orthodontists to keep the original (or ’before’)
impressions for each patient for several years – five to nine, depending
on location. For orthodontic practices of any size, this can create a
huge storage problem since all those physical models need a home! But
with digital files, they are stored electronically and models can be 3D
printed on demand if necessary.
“Another outgrowth of 3D printing in orthodontists’ offices is the 3D
printed guide. Acting as a “road map” for placing brackets or other
parts of the treatment, busy practices can rely on dental assistants to
treat patients using these individual treatment guides.”
 |
| 3D printed models produced with VeroDentPlus dental material | |
“Unlike the braces of decades ago, a popular choice for adults to
correct their teeth alignment are ‘invisible braces,’ a series of
transparent corrective appliances that are worn for short periods of
time. These ‘aligners’ move the teeth from their original position but
without any disruption to the patient’s appearance – a clear advantage
for individuals who are already in the professional world or older than
the typical orthodontic patient. Orthodontic labs such as ClearCorrect can quickly 3D print the models of the teeth on one of their fleet of Objet Eden500V 3D Printers;
these models are then shipped to their customers (orthodontists) with
the series of aligners tailored to each patient. They can also take
advantage of our new VeroGlaze (MED620) material which provides excellent color-matching for dental molds and models.”
Although 3D printing and other 3D technologies are helping to solve
problems unique to the orthodontics industry, other solutions are shared
across many kinds of manufacturing. 3D printing is answering the call
to offer case-by-case, individualized models in a fast and
cost-effective way. Are you ready to sink your teeth into “next
generation” orthodontics?
To speak to a digital dentistry consultant,
click here.
