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A busy dental clinic with long wait times for crowns, dentures, or models can frustrate patients and limit your practice.
However, 3D printing has changed this situation. It enables dentists to design aligner models, temporary crowns, dentures, as well as surgical guides. All of these are completed in-house.
Due to these efficiencies and conveniences, many dental clinics and hospitals are turning to 3D printing, hoping to gain a competitive edge and seize opportunities.
If your clinic is planning to invest in 3D dental printers, what information need to know? How to make a purchase? Keep reading to learn more.
3D Printing Workflow
How does the 3D printing process work? It can be divided into 3 steps:
- ▲ Scan: Many advanced clinics have now replaced traditional impressions with intraoral scanners. In a few dozen seconds, an accurate 3D file of the patient’s mouth can be created.
- ▲ Design: Using professional CAD software, dentists design crowns, bridges, or surgical guides based on the digital model. The entire process is digital, efficient, and easy to modify.
- ▲ Print: The finalized design file is sent to 3D dental printers, which precisely build the digital model layer by layer into a prosthesis. This efficiency is particularly crucial in treatments requiring immediate restoration, such as All-on-X implants.
What Can You Make?
Whether a clinic needs 3D dental printers depends on its main services? Only prosthetics or implants require it? No, these are misconceptions about 3D dental printing. A single 3D dental printer can produce a wide range of appliances:
1. Dentures
3D dental printing can be used to create dentures rapidly for temporary use. It accurately matches the patient’s alveolar arch, eliminating the need for traditional complex milling processes, which is particularly suitable for immediate loading and short-term use.
2. Crown & Bridge
Crowns and bridges used to treat severe tooth decay, fractures, or teeth that have undergone root canal treatment can also be produced with 3D dental printers. Those manufactured based on high-precision digital impressions ensure a precise fit and rapid restoration.
3. Surgical Guides
Rapid 3D-printed surgical guides, based on patient CBCT and intraoral scan data, help improve the efficiency of complex procedures such as dental implants. Additionally, surgical guides enhance the precision and safety of implant surgeries.
4. Guards & Splints
Guards and splints are used to treat bruxism, maintain post-orthodontic results, or adjust occlusal relationships. Modern 3D printing technology can produce personalized guards and splints that fit the patient’s dentition, providing uniform occlusal force distribution.
5. Models for Aligners
Dental 3D printers can also transform digital models of orthodontic stages into physical models, which are subsequently used to fabricate clear aligners. The choice of intraoral scanners and printers directly determines the effectiveness and comfort of the aligners.
6. Implant Model
Before implant surgery, jaw models containing implant positions can be printed. This serves as an excellent tool for explaining the treatment plan to patients. Vivid visual explanations often enhance patient understanding and cooperation.
7. Mock-ups
Prior to aesthetic restorations or orthodontic treatments, 3D printing can be used to create mock-ups of the anticipated tooth morphology, allowing both the dentist and the patient to visually preview the final treatment outcome.
6 Must-ask Questions Before You Buy
Printers on the market may appear similar in functionality, yet their performance can vary significantly. If your clinic is considering investing in or upgrading 3D dental printers, be sure to clarify the following six questions before making a payment:
1. How fast is the printing speed?
Time is money. Here are two key points that need to be clarified: the time required to print a single model, and the printer’s throughput while maintaining precision. High-speed printing enables you to produce surgical guides or temporary crowns within tens of minutes, facilitating same-day treatments.
2. Can it integrate with my scanner?
The 3D dental printer should support open, rather than closed, data systems. It means it can directly read and process universal file formats (such as STL, OBJ, or PLY) generated by your existing intraoral scanner. This ensures a seamless “scan-design-print” workflow and avoids the predicament of incompatibility after purchase.
3. Is the restoration accuracy high?
Even with a high-precision scanner, investing in a low-accuracy printer would be a waste. Printer accuracy directly impacts critical details such as the marginal fit of restorations. To ensure reliability, clinics can consult manufacturers for scan data and samples for measurement and verification.
4. What resins does it support? Is it an open or closed system?
- ▲ Closed system: Requires the use of resins from the printer manufacturer.
- ▲ Open system: Compatible with certified third-party resins, typically offering more 3D printing material options.
An open system provides greater flexibility for 3D dental model printing and reduces long-term material expenses.
5. How are the post-processing capabilities?
Post-printing steps such as cleaning and curing significantly impact the user experience. Key considerations include: Do you need to purchase dedicated cleaning and curing equipment? Is post-processing manual or automated?
Given the busy dental clinics, carefully evaluating these factors can enhance operational efficiency and minimize human error.
6. Is the interface user-friendly?
Finally, do not overlook the importance of selecting a 3D printer for dental that allows your team to get started quickly. An intuitive interface, smart features, and clear error notifications can reduce training costs, lower the barrier to use, and improve overall utilization rates.
ROI Analysis: How Can You Benefit from It?
3D printing in dental industry is not just an expense. It’s a strategic move that pays for itself.
1. Reduce Lab Costs
When printing temporary crowns, models, or guides, you no longer need to pay higher fees to dental labs. Complementing in-house printing reduces the cost per restoration, which directly translates into increased net profit for your clinic.
2. Handle More Cases and Increase Revenue
The efficiency brought by 3D dental printing allows you to serve more patients within the same time. For example, a temporary crown that previously required a week can now be produced in just tens of minutes, reducing the risk of losing patients due to long wait times.
3. Business Expansion
With a 3D printer for dental, your clinic’s services are no longer limited. You can cost-effectively offer a variety of services, such as orthodontics, dentures, and digital smile design.
This transforms your clinic into a comprehensive, modern dental practice, enhancing its competitiveness.
4. Achieve a Fast Return on Investment
The payback period for a 3D dental printer is typically shorter than expected. By reducing lab costs, accommodating more cases, and expanding services, most clinics can fully recoup the equipment cost within 6 to 18 months. After that, it generates almost pure profit.
Get Started with Dental 3D Printing for Your Clinics
Ready to bring 3D dental model printing into your clinics? You need a reliable partner.
The SHINING 3D DENTAL AccuFab-F1 is a dental 3D printer worth considering. It employs advanced DLP light-curing technology and offers a printing accuracy of ±25μm. It is designed specifically for dental clinics. Features include:
- · Fast: A maximum printing speed of 150 mm/h (depending on material and layer), suitable for a wide range of intraoral restorations or models.
- · Open Material System: Offers 13 resin options and supports third-party dental resins (subject to validation).
- · Integrated Workflow: Compatible with automated integration of cleaning and curing equipment.
- · User-Friendly: An intuitive interface that simplifies device setup and operation.
For more detailed information about 3D printing in dental industry, contact SHINING 3D DENTAL now. This may be the key step to gaining a competitive edge and staying ahead of your peers.