3D printing in dentistry is a technology that has gained ground as the speed and precision of equipment advances, as well as the versatility of materials available on the market also grows steadily. Today it is possible to quickly manufacture a variety of solutions on a 3D printer, ranging from temporary bridges and crowns, to foundation guides to prepare for more complicated restorative surgeries.

It all starts with the digitization of the patient's mouth. A scan of the patient's mouth will return a 3D digital version whether it is done with a tabletop scanner that will scan a plaster impression? of the patient's jaws, or an intraoral scanner with which the dentist will take the image directly of the patient's mouth.

Once we have the scan, we can move on to designing the part that we are going to produce with the help of design software such as Exocad, giving it the shape and characteristics that work best for the patient. And now, once the part is designed we can send our file to the printer and let it do its job.

(Diseño en Exocad)

It may sound complicated but the entire process from doing the scan to placing a provisional prosthesis can take a few hours, allowing us to provide better and faster care to our patients, while increasing productivity.

What are the best options for Dentistry?

The versatility or possibilities are largely given by the materials. The most widely used printers in dentistry are DLP and LCD technology as they provide the greatest speed and precision. The most modern models offer printing resolutions up to 35µm - it is worth clarifying that the smaller this number is, the better detail we will obtain in the print.

How do they work?

Broadly speaking, what these incredible machines do is harden liquid resins with light, a process known as photocuring or photopolymerization. There is a great variety of resins and each one has a precise indication, whether to make models or to produce pieces that will be inserted into the patient's mouth, for which we will require biocompatible materials. We can even find very sophisticated resins with precise colorimetry based on the VITA color system to simulate gums and teeth. In fact, today provisional prostheses can already be manufactured 100% in 3D printing.