Medical technology has been increasingly improving over the past decades for better and efficient patient care. Over the past decade, 3D technologies have been admired in bio-engineering, health-care, aeronautics, and other manufacturing industries.
Development in the manufacturing industry of dentistry has also been matured and improved to a whole new paradigm.
What is 3d scanning:
3D scanning is the manufacturing process of an object by adding multiple layers to build an artifact. 3D printers are robotic devices with computer-aided design (CAD) software that converts physical objects into CAD digital outputs.
The 3D printing process follows the following steps:
1. Designing a 3D file of the object with the help of a 3D scanner having a CAD software.
2. Printing the object using the desired material including resins, plastics, ceramics, and metals.
3. Finishing process
CAD/CAM is a process of digital scanning, milling, firing and finishing the lab works through the following different types of 3D printing processes used in dentistry for different procedures using varied materials for possible dental utilization.
- Fused Deposition Modeling
- Stereolithography
- Selective Laser Sintering
- Bioprinter
- Polyjet printing
How it can improve the dental practice:
The oral cavity is a complex part of the body and to outline those complex structures, digital scanners play a vital role with precision and accuracy than a human eye. 3D scanning is the basics of modern dentistry making procedures less time consuming and simplified to provide a quality approach to the patient’s care. Applications of this technology are increasingly assisting in various dental specialties including drilling and cutting guides, crown copings and denture frameworks, intra-oral orders for restorative purposes, digital orthodontics, dental implants and surgical guides for periodontal and maxillofacial surgeries.
Although, 3D technology is expensive, it’s a one-time investment resulting in improved patient care and lucrative outcomes under schedule monitoring. This high-tech technology is effective and acts as an advanced teaching tool in education and research. In a clinical setting, it provides better prosthesis modeling and positioning hence finer retention of the prosthesis in the oral cavity. Also, it supports patient counseling and understanding of tooth anatomy and supporting structures and patient-centered dental treatment plans. In real-world patients usually opt for fewer appointments with express dental services hence this technology comes in handy in providing the services with decrease production cycle time as compared to conventional methods with less human error consequently high patient satisfaction and good reviews. With all these benefits 3D technology is a lifestyle change for dentistry.
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