Revolution of Dental Industry with 3D Printing

Additive manufacturing (AM), also called 3D printing, is one of the fastest-growing technologies of the last few years. Its overwhelming success can be attributed to its widespread application in different industries. One such sector is the dental industry. Today, there are several 3D printing companies that focus only on dentistry. With advanced and dedicated additive applications for dentistry, doctors are now able to assist patients in a faster and efficient manner.

Old vs New: How 3D printing changed the way dentistry worked

Earlier, the processes for constructing crowns, bridges, and dentures were time-consuming, costly, and frequently caused inaccuracies in the fitting. These traditional processes involved taking impressions, pouring models in dental stone, adding wax, and finally attempting to carve it to perfection.

Now, 3D printing companies offer 3D prototyping services that have managed to push the dental industry towards innovation. Be it creating a prototype of a personalized fitting or developing artificial custom teeth, this technology is taking the usability factor levels ahead. This is initiating progressive changes in the old methodologies of dentistry by making the process more efficient and time-optimized:

• Models can be constructed in 2 hours instead of 8-10 hours.

• The 3D scans and software facilitate extreme precision.

• Everything from dental appliances, crowns and braces to bridges, dentures and implants can be constructed.

• The total cost of construction is reduced by almost 80%.

• Precise customizations are possible and cater to individual needs

3D printing: From the scanner to the model

The 3D printing process begins with a prosthetist examining your dental model which can be constructed using a 3D scanner after the suitable printing material.

Scanners like these are now available in the market or even at dental labs. The EinScan Pro 2X Plus 3D Scanner and EinScan SE 3D Scanner by Zeal offer excellent single-shot accuracy and scan speed.

The model scan is transferred to design software that builds the model geometry in full 3D. This build file is then supplied to a 3D printer. The machine software then slices the 3D model into layers allowing a laser to sinter metal powder on the perimeter of the model.

This process continues until the entire build is complete and ready to use. The metal powder used in this process is of the highest quality and produces extremely durable models that last longer than the conventionally manufactured prosthetics.

What lies ahead?

Numerous startups and seasoned companies are offering dedicated end to end dental 3D printing solutions for catering to issues faster. We also now have 3D printing in Melbourne and Sydney. The Australian health sector has largely benefited from 3D printing services. The 3D printing services in Sydney and Melbourne also facilitate doorstep delivery of 3D printed removable dentures.

Health practitioners in Australia can now build dental tools in one click using 3D printers. The reduced overheads bring down the cost by almost 80% for patients. Surgeons in Australia are now using 3D models for precision planning before surgeries.

The great scope for customisations and no margin for error makes 3D printing an extremely favourable option for both patients and health practitioners.

Some Australian based companies are transforming the dental industry using 3D printing. Zeal is a Melbourne based 3D printing company that assists doctors, surgeons and dentists to transform their digital data into 3D models. With locations all across Australia, Zeal guarantees fast delivery right at your doorstep. Zeal’s team is expertise in various complex additive manufacturing processes including prototyping. Companies like Zeal are paving the way for a technology that has the potential to revolutionize the entire medical industry.