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Professional Courtesy: 3D Printing Has Made the Turn by Dr. Thomas Giacobbi

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Categories: Practice Management, HR and Accounting;
Professional Courtesy: 3D Printing Has Made the Turn


by Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD, editorial director

The early days of 3D printing date back to the 1980s, so the fact we’re discussing its use in dentistry 40 years later means the technology has finally “arrived.” Of course, it takes many years for any new technology to fi nd the multitude of industries that will benefit from it, and dentistry especially requires precision. There’s also a need for sophisticated materials and cost-effective hardware that can print them.

Presently, 3D printing is reaching its first inflection point in dentistry. As more dentists use this technology, there will be a rapid increase in its innovations—but rest assured, 3D printing is here to stay.

I started my 3D journey with equipment from SprintRay, including the MoonRay S printer. I quickly discovered I had a lot to learn.

The simple workflow you need to understand:
  1. Generate the 3D object.
  2. Choose the material.
  3. Send to printer.
  4. Clean the finished part.
  5. Postcure with light.
In the early days, postprinting tasks were accomplished with a series of Tupperware containers of isopropyl alcohol and a manicure light bought off Amazon. The experience had a distinct DIY feel and it was clear this wouldn’t be the process for mass adoption.

Goodbye, DIY

A great thing about technology is that companies continue to innovate and improve their products. When I swapped my first printer for a newer model, it provided a huge jump in process simplicity: The new printer had an intuitive touchscreen, tasks were more automated and the library of materials continued to grow.

Then, the experience was further elevated by two more pieces of hardware: SprintRay Pro Wash/Dry and Pro Cure. The printing process became more predictable and less DIY. Automating the postprinting process is critical to the widespread adoption of 3D printing in dentistry.

Simultaneous with the hardware evolution is a continuous upgrading of the software necessary for preparing and processing print jobs. In the early days, I had to import my 3D scans into third-party software for editing, then move to the SprintRay platform, which sent the job to the printer. Over the past two years, that process has evolved into a sophisticated, cloud-based platform that’s remarkably easy to use and removes all the manual processes I struggled with in the early days. The final piece in this puzzle is the method we use to create the 3D objects for printing.

If you want a study model that’s simple, you capture it with an intraoral scanner and send it to the printer. However, when you want a nightguard, denture, crown or surgical guide, one more design step must happen before you have something to print. Both printer and scanner companies are getting into the mix as providers of design services.

I have a 3Shape Trios scanner in my practice and I recently started to use 3Shape’s design service, Automate, which works with many different scanners. Now my workflow to make a nightguard is to capture the scan, upload to Automate right from my scanner software and download the finished design the following day.

There are options to edit the design before printing; the cost for an overnight design is $9.99. Once I accept the design, it’s a simple process to upload to my printer platform. Less than 30 minutes later, I have a finished nightguard. Design services like Automate are the future of integrating lab services with dental practices in a manner that can shorten delivery times, address the shortage of technicians and provide cost-effective restorations and appliances.

Around the bend

Looking ahead to the future of 3D printing in dentistry, we will see the increased adoption of these complete systems for in-office printing and the addition of materials and services that support this technology.

There are already a couple of crown materials available for 3D printers, with more on the horizon. The current crown materials are rated for only five years, but for approximately $2 they can solve several clinical challenges from long-term temporaries to patients who need a crown to last through the current recession.

There are many denture materials available for printing as well. Imagine in the future sending a scan of your patient’s current denture that has been relined with impression material, which the lab uses to create a new setup based on the existing denture and send back a file to print in your office. You can give the patient a temporary denture to wear for a test drive of fit and aesthetics.

The future of 3D printing in dentistry looks great and the coming years will see this technology grow exponentially. It’s the natural follow-up to the current rapid adoption of intraoral scanners.

Please share your comments and experiences with 3D printing below. You also can reach me via email at tom@dentaltown.com.


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