By Matthew Standridge DDS, FAGD “Technology, like art, is a soaring exercise of the human imagination.” -Daniel Bell Technology in dentistry is evolving at a break-neck speed. And perhaps the fastest growing niche in dental technology is 3D printing. In part one of this “Digital Orthodentist” multi-part series, we discussed acquisition of data using intraoral scanners. Now we move from acquisition to manufacturing via the use of 3D Printing technology. 3 D printers and their companies have exploded over recent years. Everywhere you look, from dental journals and magazines, to dental conventions and meetings, to perhaps your dental supplier wanting to show one off, you have proba-bly seen a 3D printer. Everybody wants to talk about them, but these reps and suppliers really know their uses and how they work? That is the goal of this article: to help explain what exactly 3D printing is, how it is used in dentistry and orthodontics, the types of machines available, as well as the different resins and their uses. Also, you need to know the pro’s and con’s of different systems, especially when it comes to their workflows and complexities. At the end of the day, 3D printing needs to be productive and something that is delegated in order for it to not be an expensive hobby. To start, we should ask the most simple question: What is 3D printing exactly? In a nutshell: a 3D printer manufactures an object by adding layer upon layer of resin (i.e., plastic) into a specific shape. There are different types of printers and resins that may use a liquid resin, or a hard filament resin, but in simple terms, it stacks layers of plastic using a process called additive manufacturing. For 3D printing, you’re going to need digitized files, most commonly acquired via an intraoral scanner as described in Part 1 of this series. There are fundamentally four different types of 3D printers: Polylactic Acid (PLA), Stereolithography (SLA), Digital Light Processing (DLP) and Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). We’re going to break down each of these and give a list of applications, as well as advantages and disadvan-tages to each. Polylactic Acid (PLA) The first type of printer to make its way onto the dental scene in a mainstream way was the Polylactic Acid (PLA) style printer. The most popular model used in dentistry was the Cel Robox. Coming in at roughly a $1200 investment, it was a low-cost entry point for many. PLA printers use a filament system that comes in spools. The filament gets heated in the print head, melts, and is then expressed onto the print bed. Almost think of it like a hot glue gun that is able to shape models. This style of printer was popular for very basic model work, as well as simple tooth-supported implant guides. One advantage to a PLA style printer is that there is no post-processing needed to remove any uncured liquid resin. 14 Winter 2022 JAOS
Journal of the American Orthodontic Society Winter 2022: Page 14
