3d printing for dental lab work

3d printing technology has dramatically impacted dentistry. Digital dentistry has created  a great improvement in what we are able to do for our patients,  however it has also spawned its own set of problems. 3d printing for dental lab work Is actually an example of a complication that digital dentistry has generated.

Before we could scan the teeth digitally in order to make a crown or bridge, we would take an impression of the mouth. It was an unpleasant process that required putting a bad tasting paste into the mouth for a few minutes. That hardened into a rubber replica of the mouth. Into that rubber mold we would pour a liquid mix of dental stone that would harden. Once it was hard, we would separate the stone for the rubber, pray that it would not break, and if we were lucky, had a model of the mouth that we could work with to make a crown. If the crown fit the mouth, then we would cement it. However oftentimes, we would need to take the lab work back to the model to make minor adjustments or add some porcelain to the bridge. With a stone model, we had an exact replica of the mouth and I could manually add, or subtract as needed and try the lab work on the model without having to bring the patient back in.

3d printing for dental lab work

With a digital model, I have an exact virtual model to virtually build my crowns on. However, if something needs physical adjusting, I can’t know exactly what needs to be done unless  I bring the patient in and try in the crowns.  One way to avoid this is to use 3d printing for dental lab work and print exact models of the mouth. Sometimes, I need to estimate where the gums however but gums are soft and have give. We can print in a rubbery materiel that replicates the gums and allows me to control how much pressure there will be on the gums when we finish. 3d printing for dental lab work is a great advancement that gives us better and more esthetic results.