Researchers all over the world are very busy developing 3D printers that we will be able to use for many applications and (for now) in unimaginable ways. With the speed of developing increasing at an exponential rate, those developments are seemingly around the corner. In the dental technology world, engineers are coming close developing a 3D printer that will be able to print a complete denture, including both the resin base and the teeth. There is a lot to be excited about in the dental industry.It is considered a rapid technology because it eliminates several laborious steps used in conventional dental technology techniques and it takes nearly the same amount of time to produce one object or many. Therefore, its efficiency is enhanced by printing multiple units and relying upon the economies of scale. The objects the printer can produce for the laboratory include models (casts), crown and bridge resin burnout patterns for casting or pressing ceramics, temporary crowns, surgical guides, splints, partial denture framework patterns, custom impression trays, and more. With proper settings, it can consistently produce resin products of stunning accuracy and detail, especially when compared with subtractive milling technology. Conventional dental technology is subject to a high degree of inaccuracy, costly labor, and even more expensive materials. Making these objects not only requires a considerable amount of time, but also a highly skilled technician with a complete understanding of the process. And, last but not least, researchers at Wake Forest University in North Carolina say they have created a 3D printer that can produce organs, tissues, and bones that could theoretically be implanted into living humans. Using some of the same methods we are using to print today these researchers are laying down layers of human cells. They have printed out an ear-shaped piece of cartilage, a muscle, and a piece of a jawbone. BioPrinting is truly ground breaking. We may be a few years from printing the final restoration and even farther than that from printing a replacement jaw, but as the above research suggests we may be there sooner than we think.
Keywords
3D printers, CAD design, digital dental technology, bio print
