Dental 3d

3D Printed Dental Appliances

Dentistry is changing, and fast! There are lot of brand new dental technologies being brought in to the modern dental office. Like most other emerging technologies, dental work is going digital and 3D. Specifically, 3D printing.

3D printers are relatively new on the consumer market, and they have come down in price such that some dental offices are able to have these printers in their office and print appliances for use in the mouth. Last time on America’s Dental Expert Podcast we talked about bite splints being just one of the appliances that are able to be printed in a dental office.

What 3D printing allows is dentists to create or manufacturer appliances and restorations in-office at a fraction of the price in less time.

Lower overhead and lab fees means dentists are able to pass those savings on to patients, resulting in lower cost dental care to patients. Additionally, in my office, let’s use bite splints as an example, most regular offices you would get a single bite splint for the fee. In my office, you actually get two bite splints. If you lose the first one or take it on vacation and forget it in the hotel, you have a back up already, so you get twice as much. Twice as many appliances in my office and it’s kind of a safety net or back up for you.

Additionally, if you lose your second one or break the second one, instead of having to start the entire process over again by taking an impression and sending that to a lab again, we can simply open the file and print it again. Long term we’re cutting down on the number of office visits that are required for patient care and patient treatment.

I hope you consider going to a dental office that utilizes the newest 3D printing technology to offer you better patient care, customer service, and an overall better experience at the dental office.