March 2021

USING 3D PRINTING
TECHNOLOGY IN
GENERAL DENTISTRY
Using 3D Printing Technology in General Dentistry 2

3D PRINTING: THE NEXT STEP IN

DIGITAL DENTISTRY
Why Incorporate 3D Printing into Your Practice?

First there were traditional X-rays. Then traditional X-rays were replaced by
digital radiography, i.e. digital X-rays. Now many dentists have moved from 2D
digital radiography to 3D digital radiography, i.e. 3D dental scanning, gaining
the ability to digitally reconstruct a patient’s teeth and skull in 3D.

If you are already doing 3D scanning, you’ll find that 3D resin printing gives
you the opportunity to use those scans to create simple yet efficient and
productive workflows that benefit both you and your patients.

This eBook provides an overview of the 3D resin printing process and

introduces you to three of the most compelling uses for this in your practice:

1 Models that are far more durable than stone models,

and that completely eliminate the unpleasantness of
putty impressions for your patients.

2 Adult aligner orthodontics made by 3D printing

both the models and the clear aligners, providing
costs savings for your practice.

3 Guides for implant therapy that ensure the implant

gets positioned exactly where you want it.

The end result: Better processes and better dentistry.

3D printing can be beneficial for

both you and your patients.

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Using 3D Printing Technology in General Dentistry 3

THE 3D PRINTING PROCESS

You Must Master and Manage 3 Steps

In dentistry, the 3D process begins with 3D

dental scanning. After that, in order to make There are 3 steps to
use of 3D printing in your dental practice there the 3D resin printing
are three basic steps needed to manufacture process:
a finished product: Designing, printing and
processing. 1. Design
2. Print
The good news is that there are many different 3. Process
printing resins available; each has a specific (i.e. Wash & Cure)
purpose, such as making a cast framework,
a model or a tray. Generally speaking, the
manufacturer will specify each resin’s use,
eliminating the guesswork for you. Plus, more
resins are in development, such as DMG’s
LuxaPrint Crown, a resin that will allow you to
print temporary crowns and bridges.

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Using 3D Printing Technology in General Dentistry 4

Step 1: Design the End Product

As you might guess, the design phase is handled through specialized

software. Two popular options include Blue Sky Plan, which is available for free
download and is designed for creating both models and surgical guides, and
D3Splint, a stand-alone CAD module for designing splints and occlusal guards.

Whichever software you choose, the software will use your 3D scan as the
basis for designing the desired end product, and when you’re finished, the
design is saved as a standardized file that communicates with the 3D printing
machine.

LuxaPrint Tray
LuxaPrint Model
LuxaPrint Ortho
LuxaPrint Cast
LuxaPrint Gingiva

LuxaPrint
Premium resins for 3D printing
For use with 3Demax printer, 3Dewash and 3Decure units,
LuxaPrint light-cured resins deliver exceptionally fine, smooth
and accurate printed devices.
Learn more at dmg-america.com/luxaprint

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Using 3D Printing Technology in General Dentistry 5

Step 2: Print the Product

The two most commonly used 3D resin printing

technologies are Stereo Lithography (“SLA”) and
Digital Light Processing (“DLP”). Both of these
processes work by selectively exposing a tank of
liquid resin to a light source. This light affects a layer
of resin, resulting in the formation of a very thin
solid layer of plastic. As additional layers are formed, these layers get stacked
upon each other, gradually building up until the finished solid object is
complete.

SLA uses a laser to create the light source, while DLP technology uses a digital
projector to flash an image of a layer of the finished object across the tank of
liquid resin, affecting all points simultaneously.

While both technologies have their plusses and minuses, DLP tends to print
things more quickly. For example, a DLP printer can create prints up to 12
times faster than a comparable SLA printer.

The two most common technologies in

3D resin printing are DLP and SLA. Both
work by selectively exposing a tank of
liquid resin to a light source.

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Using 3D Printing Technology in General Dentistry 6

Step 3: Process the Finished Product

When your printed piece first comes out of the printer it is actually quite slimy.
Before it can be used you must process it, which means washing the excess
resin off of it and then curing it using ultraviolet light. These steps ensure that
your finished product will be both dimensionally stable and reliably durable.

Equipment is now available that integrates a 3D printer with a washing unit

and a curing unit. This integrated system eliminates the inconvenience and a
lot of the mess involved with handling these models in your office. The vortex
of the wash station does a great job of removing the excess resin from the
models and the settings on the curing unit allow you to appropriately cure the
model based on the type of resin that was used. The printer can be used to
manufacture a wide range of products.

RFID technology
Fast print speeds
Integrated slicing software
Preset post-processing
programs

3D Digital Printing Solution

Fast. Intuitive. Validated.
With advanced “Force Feedback” technology for fast printing, the complete and
integrated solution includes the 3Demax, a powerful 3D printer, 3Dewash, 3Decure
and premium LuxaPrint resins.
Learn more at dmg-america.com/3dprinting

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Using 3D Printing Technology in General Dentistry 7

PUTTING 3D PRINTING TO WORK IN

YOUR PRACTICE
Model work

Most patients find the process of

making putty impressions extremely
uncomfortable. By using 3D resin printing
for your model work you not only make
things much easier for your patients, you
also create a superior model. Besides the
fact that you don’t need to be concerned
that your patient will move or gag halfway
through the impression process, a 3D scan
and printed model is more accurate and
durable than a traditionally produced stone
model, with no chance that little bits of
stone and edges of teeth will break off.

Some dentists, however, find that

mounting solid resin models on articulators
can be difficult. The solution is to create
and print hollow models with a waffle base.
The Blue Sky Plan software can be used to
easily create hollow model designs.

Creating a hollow model with a

waffle base makes it easy to mount
the model on an articulator.

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Using 3D Printing Technology in General Dentistry 8

Orthodontics

If you provide adult aligner orthodontics, 3D resin

printing enables you to bring the entire process Making orthodontic
in-house. A variety of software programs are aligners is a 4-part
process:
available to assist with this, such as eXceed Ortho.
1. Scan
The workflow for this is a four-part process: 2. Make models
3. Make aligners
4. Package it up
1 Scan
Do a scan of the arch.

2 Design and print the models

The clear aligners will go over the top of
these models, so you’ll make one for each
stage of the therapy.

3 Design and print the aligners

Fabricate all of the necessary trays to take
the patient through to the desired end
result. If necessary, use a Scotch-Brite pad
on a slow-speed handpiece to touch up the aligner edges to be sure
everything is super smooth.

4 Organize and package the aligners

This way the finished product looks professional and stays organized
for the patient.

According to eXceed Ortho, by bringing the entire process in-house you

can save up to 70% on aligner lab bills . SprintRay estimates a profit of up to
$1,450 per case.

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Using 3D Printing Technology in General Dentistry 9

Implant Guides

By merging digital imagery with 3D resin

printing you can create an implant guide
that eliminates the challenges of proper
placement. Instead of worrying about
using a guided drill system, going too
deep or getting the angle wrong, you have
a guide that makes the process of placing
implants as “foolproof” as possible.

Software such as Blue Sky Plan can be

used to merge a cone beam file with
a scanned file of the arch in order to
virtually place the implants exactly where
you expect the restored teeth to be.
You can select everything from the tooth
and angulation to the implant size and
manufacturer. After you virtually place the
implant fixtures exactly where you want
them in three dimensions, the software
enables you to create an implant guide
to make it happen. Print it out and you’re
ready to go!

You can use 3D printing to create

an implant guide that makes the
implant placement process as close
to “foolproof” as possible.

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Using 3D Printing Technology in General Dentistry 10

Related Webinar
Utilizing 3D Printing
Technology in General
Dentistry

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