Three-dimensional printing has been a mainstay of technology over the past few years. While it has not reached a price point where everyday people can have a 3D printer, these printers are proving to be a valuable tool in the business, medical, and dental fields. Three-dimensional-printed braces, bridges, dentures, and teeth have gone from science fiction to reality.
Three-Dimensional Printing for Dental Models
Three-dimensional printing is widely being used for the construction of dental models. These are then used to create dentures, implants, bridges, and crowns. This benefits the patient because they don’t have to deal with the unpleasant process of having a plaster mold shoved into their mouth.
Now, your dentist can digitally scan your mouth and use software called AutoCAD to print a casting. This casting is used for testing braces, bridges, retainers, and crowns. You don’t have to make multiple trips to the dentist for fittings.
Three-Dimensional-Printed Braces
Dentists don’t actually print braces using the 3D printer. However, clear and removable aligners, like Invisalign, are being produced using a similar process as the process used to make dental models. Invisalign-style braces offer many benefits over metal braces, especially for people who have metal allergies or sensitivities.
Three-Dimensional-Printed Dentures and Dental Bridges
It takes a long time to get a bridge or dentures made. In the interim, you will either have a gap in your smile or need temporary dentures. Neither option boosts your confidence or is that comfortable.
Dentists can use 3D printing to scan your mouth, build a pattern of your teeth on the computer, make a few tweaks, and start creating your bridge or dentures immediately. A process that used to take weeks can now be done by your North Dallas dentist in just a few hours.
Three-Dimensional-Printed Teeth and Crowns
Previously, you would need to wait at least several weeks or have at least two dental visits for bridges or dentures. With 3D-printed crowns, the entire process takes about an hour. Your dentist scans your mouth. The crown is then sculpted using a dental composite and a 3D dental printer. The process is the same for 3D-printed teeth.
As opposed to creating a cap for a tooth, the entire tooth implant can be sculpted using a dental composite. Eventually, implants may be made with antibacterial properties, killing germs and minimizing the chances of future dental infections.
Is Dental Printing the Future of Dentistry?
No. It is the present. At the rate with which this technology is accelerating, it is likely that you will see more 3D printing at your North Dallas cosmetic dentist in the years to come. If you have questions about the 3D printing industry or other cosmetic dental issues, please feel free to ask. We love answering questions.
