For years, “print a crown while the patient waits” has been more aspiration than clinical routine. Milling has dominated same-day restorative dentistry, and resin-based 3D printing has largely been confined to models, surgical guides, and temporaries. That balance appears to be shifting in light of the latest news in dental 3D printing. Across the first half of 2026, a cluster of regulatory clearances, material launches, and academic results suggests that permanent, chairside-printed restorations are moving from novelty to a real clinical option. Why is this such a big deal? The current permanent crown workflow involves at least two office visits and a minimum of two weeks of waiting time for the crown to be ready for placement. During the weeks between visits, patients often have to wear a clunky, essentially nonfunctional temporary crown. With chairside permanent crown availability, patients can potentially receive same-day treatment, avoiding additional trips to the dentist and the inconveniences of a temporary crown. So it is a huge deal. However, after some investigation, there appear to be real caveats that any dentist or patient should understand before assuming printed crowns can simply replace milled or sintered ones.

The Headline Development: SprintRay’s FDA Clearance for Porcelain Crowns

The most consequential news is SprintRay’s FDA clearance to 3D print porcelain crowns. The company’s CEO, Amir Mansouri, has framed this as roughly 10 times the addressable market of its existing nightguard business, since SprintRay estimates that around 40 million crowns are produced annually in the United States, almost all of them currently routed through outside dental laboratories with a multi-week turnaround. SprintRay’s pitch is that its printers can now produce a crown chairside in 10 to 20minutes, collapsing weeks of lab logistics into a single appointment.

What makes this more interesting is the pricing strategy attached to it. SprintRay is evaluating subscription models to soften the roughly $15,000 upfronthardware cost, an approach explicitly aimed at making the technology accessible to general practices serving middle- and lower-income communities rather than only early-adopter specialty clinics. That’s a meaningful gesture when a company designs financing around volume practices instead of premium cosmetic clinics; it’s betting the technology is ready for the mainstream, not just the showcase.

SprintRay has also been expanding the surrounding ecosystem. Its Midas Digital Press platform uses a capsule-based “Digital Press Stereolithography” approach — resin cartridges that resemble single-use coffee pods — to print crowns in under ten minutes, and the company has previewed multi-unit production capabilities at the 2026 Chicago Midwinter Meeting, with enlarged build capsules intended to let practices fabricate several crowns, inlays, onlays, and veneers in one run rather than one unit at a time. A new “HT” (High Translucency) version of its Ceramic Crown resin specifically targets the chalky, flat appearance that has been a recurring criticism of earlier printed-resin restorations.

Why “Ceramic” Printed Crowns Aren’t Actually Ceramic Crowns

While there are several “permanent crown ceramic” resins out there, here are some details that might get lost in the enthusiasm: The materials industry leaders like SprintRay, Formlabs, Keystone Industries (RODIN), and Ceradirect use for printed crowns are not zirconia or lithium disilicate. They’re resin-matrix composites — biocompatible polymer bases loaded with 50 percent or more ceramic filler, typically silanized dental glass or barium aluminum silicate particles bonded into the resin and cured instantly under 405nm light. This is fundamentally different chemistry from pure ceramics, which rely on a glass matrix with crystalline phases like lithium disilicate or zirconia, an apolycrystalline metal oxide with no glass phase at all — sometimes nicknamed “ceramic steel.”

The practical consequence is strength. These reinforced-resin crowns test at roughly 112to 150 MPa of flexural strength. Lithium disilicate ceramics run 400 to 500 MPa. Zirconia exceeds 1,000 MPa, sometimes reaching 1,200. For context, normal human chewing generates roughly 100 to 150 MPa of force on the back molars, meaning printed resin crowns operate close to the edge of everyday biting forces rather than with the wide safety margin zirconia provides. Clinical forums and dental community feedback reflect this: dentists who’ve tried stretching the material beyond single units — attempting multi-unit bridges, for instance — report high failure and breakage rates, and the material demands a strict minimum wall thickness of 1.0 to 1.5 mm, meaning conservative tooth preparations with thinner margins carry a real fracture risk.

None of this makes the technology useless, but it does make it use-case-specific. The speed and cost advantage is dramatic: a printed resin crown can go from scan to seated restoration in 15 to 45 minutes for a few dollars in material cost, versus a 6-hour-plus mill-and-sinter cycle for zirconia or roughly 45 minutes of milling plus crystallization firing for lithium disilicate. That makes printed resin crowns well suited to single units with moderate bite forces, same-day veneers, and immediate temporaries, while zirconia remains the better choice for heavy grinders, molars under high occlusal load, and bridges, and lithium disilicate still holds the edge for anterior esthetics where light transmission matters most.

Ceramics Are Catching Up on Speed, Too

The clearance race isn’t confined to resin. Researchers at UT Dallas published work in Ceramics International demonstrating same-day chairside 3D-printed zirconia crowns, with debinding — the process of burning out organic binders before sintering — completed in under 30 minutes, rather than the 20-to-100-hour cycles typically required for printed ceramics. If that approach scales beyond the lab, it would narrow the speed gap that has kept true zirconia restorations out of single-visit dentistry, potentially combining zirconia’s mechanical strength with a turnaround time closer to that of resin.

Material jetting is advancing on the prosthetics side as well. 3D Systems secured full EUMDR certification for its NextDent Jetted Dentures workflow, clearing the way for a European launch in summer 2026, and reflecting a broader shift from milling toward additive manufacturing for full-arch removable prosthetics. Meanwhile, Axtra3D and Keystone Industries co-developed KeyModel Ultra Ivory, a non-chipping dental model resin validated specifically for Axtra3D’s Lumia X1 platform — part of a wider industry pattern in which resin and hardware are increasingly co-validated as matched pairs rather than sold as interchangeable, open components, which vendors argue improves clinical predictability but also tends to lock practices into single-vendor ecosystems.

So, Is It Real?

Chairside 3D printing of permanent restorations is real in the sense that FDA-cleared materials and hardware now exist, practices are adopting them, and the economics are increasingly built for general dentistry rather than boutique clinics. It is not yet a wholesale replacement for milled ceramics or sintered zirconia. Clinicians on the front lines remain measured in their enthusiasm. As Nabeel Cajee, DDS, of Advanced Dentistry of Newport Beach, puts it:

“I’m still hesitant to use printed resins for definitive restorations. Zirconia and traditional ceramics remain the gold standard for long-term reliability and aesthetic demand, and I’m not fully convinced the materials are quite there yet. That said, even if the physics never fully match zirconia or glass ceramics, the sheer speed and convenience of chairside fabrication may shift both dentist and patient preferences regardless — patients love same-day results, and that’s a powerful force. This is definitely technology to watch as it matures.”

The honest summary is that dentistry now has a genuine third option alongside milling and lab-based ceramics — fast, cheap, and adequate for the right indication, but not interchangeable with stronger, slower materials for cases that demand them. The technology to watch through the rest of 2026 is whether reinforced resins close the strength gap, whether zirconia closes the speed gap, or whether both simply settle into complementary roles based on where in the mouth — and how fast — a restoration is actually needed.

References:

https://www.voxelmatters.com/sprintray-gets-fda-clearance-to-3d-print-porcelain-dental-crowns

Single-step thermal debinding for ceramics vat photopolymerization in less than 30 minutes

https://www.3dsystems.com/press-releases/3d-systems-secures-class-iia-eu-mdr-certification-nextdentr-jetted-denture-solution

https://3dprintingindustry.com/news/axtra3d-launches-keymodel-ultra-ivory-for-lumia-x1-in-dental-materials-partnership-with-keystone-251592/

The post  Is Chairside 3D-Printed Crown Finally a Reality? appeared first on 3DHeals.

Dr. Andrew C. Johnson completed his general dental and prosthodontic training at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis and now practices in Northwest Arkansas. Along with his specialist certificate, Dr. Johnson earned a post-doctoral master’s degree in dental science, researching CAD/CAM restorative techniques and emerging digital dental materials. As a board-certified prosthodontist and digital denture technician, his expertise centers around complex dental implant and prosthetic reconstruction, start to finish—from three-dimensional imaging, virtual treatment planning, and computer-guided and robotic surgery to digital prosthesis design, production workflow, and long-term complication management. However, now that he has devoted equal time to utilizing, teaching, and directly developing next-generation dental technologies, his broader professional interests include process scaling, provider calibration, and dental mindset disruption. Dr. Johnson will join live at the 2024 3DHEALS Dental 3D Printing virtual event.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Drew Johnson (@drandrewcjohnson)

When was the first encounter you had with 3D printing? What was that experience like? What were you thinking at that moment?

Andrew: My experience with 3D printing in dentistry came with my first digital dental implant surgical guides in 2010. While they fit and functioned fairly well, they were made thousands of miles away, cost hundreds of dollars, and took several weeks to return for use. Today, our 3D-printed surgical guides fit perfectly; they cost about $10 and can be printed locally and ready for surgery in about an hour. However, even in those early days, even with the narrow perspective of use in guided dental implant surgery, I knew that the opportunity for 3D printing in dentistry was huge because it had already opened up procedural opportunities for me as a provider that would not have been available to me or my patients without the control and predictability that the digital methods afforded restoratively-driven dental surgery. Never before had we been able to both visualize ideal treatment in a 3D manner but then also accomplish it in reality via a physical manifestation of all that digital pre-planning.

What inspired you to start your journey?

Andrew: Family circumstances propelled me into dentistry as well as the prosthodontics specialty, and as a prosthetic specialist, materials properties and fabrication methods have been central to my professional value. Splitting time between clinical dentistry and laboratory technology testing/consulting forced me to keep current with 3D the evolving 3D printing technologies, but only when desktop 3D printing finally became affordable to manage in my office setting did I finally understand the impact it could have on my patient experience and practice flow.

Who inspired you the most along this journey in 3D printing?

Andrew: I credit my friends in the dental laboratory industry and a few key clinical colleagues who had seen the same light in the industry background and forced it to the fore. I never knew how much dental technology adoption is a consequence of the dental lab side of the industry deciding to substitute digital for conventional services, and also doing so at an increasingly incentivizing cost-point is why most things have progressed on the clinical side of things. However, a few of my mentors had seen a larger incentive earlier, unrelated to lower lab invoices and made a completely different case for adopting 3D printing early. Now that the economics are in line, it’s absolutely a win-win.

What motivates you the most for your work?

Andrew: A passion for problem-solving as well as a fundamental desire to see that as much progress is made in my lifetime so that the next generation of dentists is more capable than we ever imagined. By increasing dentistry’s public appeal, I think we maintain the value of the profession for those who practice it just as much as we do for those who need it.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ????Healthcare 3D Printing???? (@3dheals)

What is/are the biggest obstacle(s) in your line of work? If you have conquered them, what were your solutions?

Andrew: My biggest obstacles are treatment efficiency and control over the results. A stereotypical prosthodontist requires 3 or 4 patient appointments before a treatment plan is ever proposed, and actual treatment typically takes several months if not years. While some of the variables relate to patient physiology and surgical recovery, many factors do correlate to patient data gathering and prosthetic fabrication timelines. The multitude of digital diagnostic and production technologies—from 3D scanners and virtual treatment planning to CNC machining and 3D printing—have reduced treatment lag and increased quality of outcome tremendously.

What do you think is (are) the biggest challenge(s) in 3D Printing? What do you think the potential solution(s) is (are)?

Andrew: I think the biggest challenge to any of these technologies is widespread adoption. It takes a certain market threshold to produce a return on the R&D investment, and that doesn’t always happen, even when the technology is good for the world. It takes a mixture of cost, quality and convenience to make the case to the mass market. With 3D printing in dentistry, it’s only now catching on in a major way because the original “quality” factor is now mixed with the competitive pricing and appealing ROI calculations as well as the simple user experiences that are now more and more automated. In my opinion, continuing to showcase the multivariate value proposition that continues to intersect the declining cost-curve that has prevented many from adopting 3D printing yet. It’s only a matter of time that every dentist realizes that there are 15 new reasons to buy into 3D printing…which now costs 15 times lest than it did 15 years ago.

If you were granted three wishes by a higher being, what would they be?

Andrew:

1. Live the rest of my life having fun solving problems without worrying about making ends meet.
2. Make a big, positive impact on the world.
3. Know that my children will be okay in their future paths (but not let them know)

What advice would you give to a smart driven college student in the “real world”? What bad advice have you heard they should ignore?

Andrew:

1. No matter what you major in, always minor in computer science. 
2. Try to create your own business as soon as possible.
3. Continually challenge yourself and always leave room to invest in self-improvement.
4. Bad advice to ignore: get your student loans paid off before you “go out on your own”. Do it asap.

What’s your favorite book you read this year and why? Alternatively, what’s your favorite book of all time you read and why?

Andrew:

This year: The Mote in God’s Eye– because it is back to a worry-free imagination-intense pastime of mine-ScifI

All time: The Fountainhead– because it’s a portrait of an extreme talent mixed with extreme passion and places independent thought at the gravitational center of the universe.

Related Links:

Dental 3D Printing: Pioneers and Rulebreakers (On Demand)

Dental 3D Printing: Latest in Digital Dentistry(On Demand)

Dental 3D Printing – The Ultimate Guide

Live Recording: Dental 3D Printing with Innov3D Founder Dr. Mayra Vasques

Interview with Rick Ferguson: Teaching Dental 3D Printing

Interview: Dr. Jing Jianlong, Dental 3D Printing, China

The post Interview with Dr. Andrew C. Johnson: 3D Printing Prosthodontics appeared first on 3DHeals.

As we wrapped up our 2023 Dental 3D Printing event recently, it is becoming apparent that the dental industry is not only adapting 3D printing as a new tool for existing operations but also pushing the integration with the other digital dental workflow to increase productivity and value propositions to patients. It is no longer a question of IF, but when and how. Two speakers, Dr. Ioanna Gidarakou and Dr. Gustavo Mendonca, are both active practitioners of 3D technologies and educators. While it is encouraging to see some of our next-gen dental professionals learning from the best in dental 3D printing, 3D printing education is still not formalized in most teaching institutions. Adapting 3D printing at scale still has many immediate challenges. Post-pandemic dental practices face many challenges in itself. While teledentistry is taking center stage, about 50% of dentists apparently won’t buy new technologies anytime soon. Moreover, the largest 3D printing player 3D Systems announced an almost 46.2% decrease in revenue from orthodontic devices (compared to 2022). You can see our Twitter threat about this here. This article aims to highlight four top U.S. dental schools that are leading the way by incorporating dedicated 3D printing into their curriculum. (If you find inaccuracies in this article, please send the request to modify at: info@3dheals.com)

The Why

By integrating 3D printing into dental education, students gain hands-on experience in designing and fabricating dental prosthetics, implants, orthodontic appliances, and surgical guides with increased precision and efficiency. This newly added focus applies not just to subspecialty dentistry but also to general dentistry, which perhaps is more impactful to the future of dentistry. For a more comprehensive review of the current state of dental 3D printing, please check out our regularly updated Guide and subscribe to our newsletter.

As dental professionals graduate with a solid foundation in 3D printing technology, they become catalysts for innovation in the field. With the ability to leverage 3D printing techniques, future dentists can push the boundaries of what is possible, advancing dental research, developing novel treatment approaches, and contributing to the evolution of dentistry as a whole. Perhaps more importantly, 3D printing and other emerging technologies like robotics, and AR/VR can collectively solve the specialist access issue. General dentists can now offer high-quality dental aligner care and implant surgeries after less extensive training with the help of these new technologies. 

In other words, dental schools that prioritize 3D printing education recognize the transformative potential this technology holds for the dental profession. By imparting essential skills and knowledge in 3D printing, these schools empower students to embrace the future of dentistry and deliver exceptional care to their patients. With its ability to improve learning outcomes, personalize treatments, and foster innovation, 3D printing education in dental schools is undoubtedly crucial in shaping the next generation of dental professionals.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ????Healthcare 3D Printing???? (@3dheals)

The List

We picked the following four dental schools to highlight because of several reasons: 

1. We have had direct interactions with their faculty members

2. They have incorporated 3D printing directly into their curriculum. Typically, these include: 

• Prosthodontics: 3D printing can be used to create dental prostheses such as crowns, bridges, and dentures. Dental students will learn about digital dentistry workflows and utilize 3D printers to fabricate these prostheses in a more efficient and precise manner.
  
• Implant Dentistry: 3D printing technology allows for the creation of surgical guides, which aid in the precise placement of dental implants. Students will learn how to design and fabricate these guides using computer-aided design (CAD) software and 3D printers.
  
• Orthodontics: In orthodontics, 3D printing can be used to create models of patients’ teeth, which are essential for treatment planning and the fabrication of clear aligners. Dental students will learn how to scan patient models, design treatment plans digitally, and produce 3D-printed models.
  
• Anatomical Models: 3D printing enables the creation of anatomical models that mimic real patient cases, allowing students to practice various dental procedures before treating actual patients. These models will provide a hands-on learning experience and help students develop their skills.
  

3. They have a well-embedded and supportive formalized 3D printing ecosystem on campus. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ????Healthcare 3D Printing???? (@3dheals)

University of Michigan School of Dentistry:

The University of Michigan School of Dentistry offers a comprehensive digital dentistry curriculum that includes education in 3D printing technologies. Students have access to a digital dentistry laboratory and receive training in CAD/CAM technologies, intraoral scanning, milling, and 3D printing for dental applications. In other words, the school will prepare future dentists with a holistic set of knowledge on these 3D toolsets.  You can find out more here. 

The dental school also has resources to many other 3D printing resources, departments, and talents within its network. Other relevant departments focusing on 3D printing include: Biomedical engineering, Material science, and engineering, Mechanical engineering 

Prof. Gustavo Mendonca who has spoken at 3DHEALS platform a number of times was a teaching faculty at the University of Michigan, however, he is now at the University of the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Dentistry, continuing his passion for dental 3D printing education. We have conducted an influencer interview with the professor very recently.

Prof. Marco C. Bottino and his very own Botinno Lab in Regenerative Dentistry explores the interface between regenerative technologies and translational research in the areas of oral, dental, and craniofacial tissue applications. One of many technologies they focus on includes the utility of 3D printing and Bioprinting to engineer patient-specific structures to promote tissue periodontal regeneration. Key research outputs include the use of matrix/amorphous magnesium phosphate bioinks for craniomaxillofacial bone tissue, bioactive amorphous magnesium phosphate-polyetheretherketone composite filaments for dental/orthopedic implants, and 3D melt-electrowriting (MEW) of Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) to differentiate human-derived periodontal ligament stem cells and promote macrophage polarization.

The School of Dentistry offers a ‘Pathways Program’ for students to foster growth in their respective fields. One of many electives included in the program involves ‘Digital Planning and 3D printing in Dentistry’. In 2019, the Department of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry hosted the 46th Annual Moyers Symposium and the 44th Annual International Conference on Craniofacial Research. The proceedings titled ‘Embracing Novel Technologies in Dentistry and Orthodontics’ revolves around three key concepts: Big Data, Digital workflow, and 3D printing.

Dr. Denis Fasbinder and Dr. Gisele Neiva developed the Computerized Dentistry training course which offers students didactic, laboratory, and comprehensive patient care experiences focusing on the utility of emerging digital technologies such as CAD/CAM technology to enhance patient oral health. This program is currently being offered under the Graduate Restorative Dentistry Program (MS)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ????Healthcare 3D Printing???? (@3dheals)

The University of Southern California Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry

This dental school is one of the first dental schools in the United States to incorporate 3D printing into its curriculum. USC as a school also provides ample funding to promote 3D printing education both inside and outside of the dental school. For example, it is also at the forefront of research focusing on complementary technologies like machine learning/AI , microfluidics, and tissue engineering. 

In 2018, Dr. Tae Kim, an expert in restorative dentistry who serves as the Chair of Removable Prosthodontics in the Division of Restorative Sciences helped Ostrow become the first school to adapt 3D printing to its Dental curriculum on mass scale. Additionally, the school offers an MS degree focusing on Biomaterials and Digital Dentistry. 

Believe it or not, the now highly popular dental 3D printer and material company SprintRay was founded by two USC students. 

Like other major universities, the school offers a variety of 3D printing services, classes, and networking opportunities among 3D printing professionals and enthusiasts. USC’s 3D4E student club @3d4e_usc offers their members the chance to learn 3D scanning and 3D printing as well as the opportunity to showcase their projects to the public at an end of the year event. The university also offers an online course, ‘ Additive Manufacturing: Materials for 3D Printing’ hosted by Joan Horvath, an expert in 3D printing and the cofounder of Nonscriptum LLC, a consulting and training firm for teaching users how to use ‘maker tech’.

Previously a number of faculties from USC dental school and engineering school have spoken at 3DHEALS events, including Dr. David Kelliny at 3DHEALS 2020.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ????Healthcare 3D Printing???? (@3dheals)

Harvard School of Dental Medicine: 

In the powerhouse of both engineering and healthcare, Harvard School of Dental Medicine can fully take advantage of its easy access to new technologies, funding, and talents. Some of the well-known startups in dental 3D printing including Formlabs (off MIT)and Lightforce are homegrown companies that are making waves in the dental space. 

3D printing and related 3D technologies are very visible components of the school’s various curriculums. Within minutes, students can also access 3D printers at the Fabrication Lab at the Harvard School of Design.

As part of the ACDE (Association for Continuing Dental Education) Webinar Series and ADA CERP service jointly hosted by Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Dr. Chia-Yu (Jennifer) Chen an Instructor in Oral Medicine, Infection, and Immunity ran two education courses towards the utility of digital workflows and 3D printing in Dentistry:

1. “Advances and Challenges of Digital Dentistry for Dental Implant Surgeries”
2. “3D Printing Technology in Periodontics & Implant Dentistry”

Dr. German Galluci, department chair of the Department of Restorative Dentistry and Biomaterials Sciences at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, has mentored projects related to applied digital dental technology and 3D printing including comparison of digital versus conventional dental implant impressions and CAD/CAM for prosthetic implant dentistry.

The Harvard GSD fabrication lab also offers a very informative wiki page consisting of advanced manufacturing tutorials ranging from subtractive manufacturing to additive manufacturing (3D printing)

Harvard’s Enterprise Architecture offers a comprehensive guide detailing the deployment of any 3D printing workflows/devices into advanced manufacturing spaces.

Harvard’s SEAS (School of Engineering and Applied Sciences) includes a 3D printing research core that primarily assists researchers in advanced manufacturing technologies. They provide design consultations, 3D modeling, material selection, and production.

Harvard’s innovation labs offers an introductory workshop on how to design and develop 3D models for 3D printing.

Harvard’s Graduate School of Design summer course offering a Clay 3D printing workshop  – “Introduction to Clay 3D printing workshop” by Nicolas Touron.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ????Healthcare 3D Printing???? (@3dheals)

University of California, Los Angeles: 

3D printing and digital dentistry workflow as a whole have long been incorporated into the dental school curriculum. The school is also at the forefront of research and collaborates with other departments on campus, offering education not only to current dental students but also to continued educational courses. 

One notable individual at the school is Dr. Ben Wu, who is a leading clinician, scientist, and entrepreneur in dental 3D printing, material science, and biotechnology. He is also the current director and chairman at the UCLA dental school and School of Engineering, as well as co-founder of a handful of biotech and dentistry-related companies.  

UCLA School of Dentistry clinics with 3D printing capabilities include Orthodontic Clinic, Maxillofacial Prosthetics Clinic. 

The UCLA’s Samueli Makerspace offers free of charge 3D printing, virtual reality systems, electronics fabrication tools and more for engineering students. The 3D Printing at UCLA club (3D4E) run by STEM students offers their members a weekly workshop to learn and explore how to design models suitable for 3D printing. The club also focuses their time towards design and development projects ranging from arts and crafts to functional devices such as a mechanical keyboard, lightweight plane, prosthetics, and point-of-care devices.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ????Healthcare 3D Printing???? (@3dheals)

Related Articles:

Additive Manufacturing in Dentistry (On Demand 2023)

Dental 3D Printing: Pioneers and Rulebreakers (On Demand 2022)

Dental 3D Printing: Latest in Digital Dentistry (On Demand 2021)

Dental 3D Printing – The Ultimate Guide

Interview with Rick Ferguson: Teaching Dental 3D Printing

The post Four U.S. Dental Schools At The Frontier of 3D Printing Education appeared first on 3DHeals.

Dr. Ioanna Gidarakou received her dental degree from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Magna Cum Laude. She then completed her orthodontic specialty at Eastman Dental Center, University of Rochester, NY. At the same time, she received her TMJD degree and completed a 1-year fellowship on genetics at the Pediatric Department, School of Medicine, University of Rochester, NY. She pursued her PhD thesis on Class II growing patients at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Dr Gidarakou has been actively involved in academics, teaching pre- and post-graduate students, giving lectures worldwide and publishing numerous articles in prestigious orthodontic journals. She currently maintains 2 orthodontic practices in Katerini and Litochoro, in Central Macedonia, Greece. She is married with 3 children. Dr. Gidarakou will be speaking at the upcoming Dental 3D Printing event.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ????Healthcare 3D Printing???? (@3dheals)

When was the first encounter you had with 3D printing? What was that experience like? What were you thinking at that moment?

Ioanna: My first encounter with 3D-printing was in 2017. We acquired a Formlabs printer for the fabrication of dental resin models that would then be used for orthodontic retainers and active Aligners. Since big manufacturers were aggressively entering the orthodontic market with aligner treatment options I strived to maintain my independent as a clinician. 

At that time the printing speed  was quite slow, the build platform small and our learning curve quite steep. 

What inspired you to start your journey?

Ioanna: The orthodontic profession deals with both function, aesthetics, and dental and skeletal changes. The paradigm shift from fixed orthodontic appliances (ie braces) to the clear aligner therapeutic protocol opened our field to a more commercialized approach. Direct-to-consumer and non-doctor supervised treatments were available and I personally strive to provide the best, safest, appropriate, and most scientifically sound individualized treatment to my patients. Big manufacturers also entered the clear aligner market adding to that disruption. Fully controlling the whole aligner treatment process, from diagnosis to digital treatment planning, aligner fabrication and patient delivery was my objective. 

Who inspired you the most along this journey in 3D printing?

Ioanna: My orthodontic professor Dr. J. D. Subtelny was and is my constant inspiration. He taught me patient-centered ethics in practicing orthodontics. Although not physically present with us, and not a 3D-printer pioneer himself, he has paved my way towards staying technologically and scientifically up-to-date to better serve my role as a clinician in the medical field. 

What motivates you the most for your work?

Ioanna: Being innovative, not staying stagnant, learning from peers all over the world. Progress and knowledge is my goal. 

What is/are the biggest obstacle(s) in your line of work? If you have conquered them, what were your solutions?

Ioanna: My country is under constant economic stress for more than a decade. Thus advancing my practice takes a lot of effort. If that was not an obstacle I might have started a company that would collaborate only with specialists to produce individualized clear aligner treatments. 

What do you think is (are) the biggest challenge(s) in 3D Printing/bio-printing? What do you think the potential solution(s) is (are)?

Ioanna: For the orthodontic field directly printed aligners are the next challenge. 

The challenges are the material properties, the post-processing workflow, the recycling of the used materials, and pricing. 

Constant experimentation may provide solutions to those issues. 

If you are granted three wishes by a higher being, what would they be?

Ioanna:

1. To have ample time to study different fields of knowledge
2. To make humanity realize that arrogance is self-destructive. Nature and kindness are our blessings on this planet 
3. To travel back in time to observe major historical events. 

What advice would you give to a smart driven college student in the “real world”? What bad advices you heard should they ignore?

Ioanna: Be true to yourself. 

Knowledge is power. Read as much as possible, including studying ancient philosophy and classical literature. 

Human connection is uplifting. 

Be humble and grateful. 

Money is not a good measure of success. 

Do not sacrifice your conscience and moral standards. 

Related Articles:

Dental 3D Printing: Pioneers and Rulebreakers (On Demand, 2022)

Dental 3D Printing – The Ultimate Guide

Metal 3D Printing in Dentistry – Restoration

What Matters When Enabling Your Dental Practice with 3D Printing and 3D Scanning

3D Printing in Dentistry: From a Broken Tooth to Digital Revolution

The post Interview with Dr. Ioanna Gidarakou: 3D Printing Orthodontics appeared first on 3DHeals.

Dr. Gustavo Mendonça is a Professor at the Department of General Practice at the Virginia Commonwealth University. He received his DDS from the Federal University of Uberlandia, Brazil. He also completed his postgraduate training in Prosthodontics and master’s degree in Oral Rehabilitation from the same school. In 2008 he finished his PhD in Genomic Sciences and Biotechnology at the Catholic University of Brasília, Brazil. Dr. Gustavo Mendonça is also a Fellow and a Diplomate of the Academy of Osseointegration. Dr. Gustavo Mendonça’s research interests focus has been related to the use of CAD/CAM materials and 3d printing for clinical use in dentistry and research applications. He also has worked in vitro and in vivo on the effect of osseointegration of implants and biomaterials. In addition to his research, Dr. Mendonça is dedicated to teaching and mentoring the next generation of dental professionals. Dr. Mendonça is passionate about providing high-quality, patient-centered care and ensuring that his students are well-prepared to meet the challenges of the dental profession. Dr. Mendonça just spoke at our Dental 3D Printing 2023 Edition virtual event recently.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ????Healthcare 3D Printing???? (@3dheals)

When was the first encounter you had with 3D printing?

Gustavo: I learned about 3d printing several years ago but at that time equipment was expensive and not so easy to find. About 6 years ago is when I started to work with it for my teaching and research interests. I thought it was a very good way to fabricate custom devices and facilitate access to custom designs for medical devices in a very affordable way.

What inspired you to start your journey in 3D printing?

Gustavo: The possibility of custom fabrication for specific research and patient care needs. It also allowed me to fabricate a lot of tools for educational purposes that would be really hard to get it any other way. I can come to my computer and design what I want using the CAD software and have it printed very quickly. A lot of these can be done with milling machines but it also is much more expensive and limits the shapes you can create.

Who inspired you the most along this journey in 3D printing?

Gustavo: I always had great mentors that inspired me to pursue my career and be a lifetime learner. 3d printing since it is a newer field in dentistry you did not have a lot of resources available. I learned a lot about this following social media groups related to other fields and later applying it to dentistry. Now I also have several colleagues that have a lot of knowledge in 3d printing we always keep in touch to keep up to date.

What motivates you the most for your work? 

Gustavo: Being able to constantly learn more and more and being able to apply these new discoveries in my everyday work for students and patients.

What is/are the biggest obstacle(s) in your line of work? If you have conquered them, what were your solutions?

Gustavo: Materials that are strong enough and safe for patient care. New research has promising data showing that these materials can soon be made available. And for sure having access to all this equipment is expensive but luckily, I am part of a very good university and I am privileged enough to have access to several of this equipment not only at the dental school but also campus-wide.

We also lack software and workflow using software that is meant for dentistry. For that, I have learned to use other software from different fields that can help adequate the work.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ????Healthcare 3D Printing???? (@3dheals)

What do you think is (are) the biggest challenge(s) in 3D Printing/bio-printing? What do you think the potential solution(s) is (are)?

Gustavo: In dentistry, we still lack materials that can be printed that are strong enough for long-term use and is safe. Once these new materials are tested and approved for safe patient use the potential is very big. As I already mentioned a lot of these can be done with milling machines but it is also expensive and limits the shapes you can create.

If you are granted three wishes by a higher being, what would they be? 

Gustavo: In 3d printing / bio-printing? 1- I wish we could have strong materials that would be readily available and easy access to take 3d printing and dental care to remote areas. 2- That 3d printed ceramics and metal could be easily accomplished with small-size desktop 3d printers. 3- That bio-printing would be accomplished with materials that would be also ready to any specific tissue/site/organ. For example, we would have a “resin” ready for printing a “real” tooth with all the parts the tooth has (enamel, dentin, cement) and as we place it in the mouth the cells would come to occupy their space making the tooth vital again. And of course, I wish for world peace and health.

What advice would you give to a smart driven college student in the “real world”? What bad advice you heard should they ignore? 

Gustavo: The time to learn about all this technology is now (good advice).

The materials/technology are not there yet. Yes, I agree we still have a long way to go but for sure what we have now can be applied at some extent and it is reliable.

If you could have a giant billboard to promote a message to millions and even billions of people in our community (i.e. healthcare 3D printing and bio-fabrication), what message would that be? 

Gustavo: Digital technologies in Health care to improve and promote patient-specific treatment.

What were/was the best investment you made in 3D printing/bio-printing/bio-fabrication? 

Gustavo: Learning how to work with the software that allows me to design and model whatever I want to 3d print. This way I can a tooth or the entire mouth. Understanding different software and what they can do even outside dentistry can always help me apply these in my field of study.

What were/was the worst investment you made in 3D printing? 

Gustavo: I cannot think of anything. All I learned so far has been very useful. By the time the university bought the equipment we currently use they were the most updated. For sure there are more things to invest in now.

What was/is the biggest risk you took in your career?

Gustavo: Probably when I decided to continue my career as a researcher/educator and pursue my Ph.D. But for sure it has been very rewarding, and it did not bring any regret. 

What do you enjoy in your spare time? What are you passionate about outside of your work/3d printing?

Gustavo: I enjoy spending time outside with my wife and kids. We enjoy traveling and visiting new places. 

What does the word “3DHEALS” mean to you?  =)

Gustavo: Using 3d technologies to help improve and to allow custom patient care.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ????Healthcare 3D Printing???? (@3dheals)

Relevant Publications:

Please see a more complete list of publications here.

In vitro osteogenesis process induced by hybrid nanohydroxyapatite/graphene nanoribbons composites

The Role of MicroRNAs in the Osseointegration Process

Bone Response to Porous Tantalum Implants in a Gap Healing Model

Nanostructured Alumina-Coated Implant Surface: Effect on Osteoblast-Related Gene Expression and Bone-to-Implant Contact In Vivo

Validation of a method of quantifying 3D leakage in dental restorations

Related Articles:

Interview with Dr. Ioanna Gidarakou: 3D Printing Orthodontics

Dental 3D Printing: Pioneers and Rulebreakers (On Demand, 2022)

Dental 3D Printing: Latest in Digital Dentistry

Dental 3D Printing – The Ultimate Guide

Metal 3D Printing in Dentistry – Restoration

Interview with Iain Mcleod: AI for CAD

Interview with Professor David Zopf

Interview with Boyle Suwono, CTO of Structo, Singapore

The post Interview with Professor Gustavo Mendonca, AM in Dentistry appeared first on 3DHeals.

The best way to consider 3D printing in any discipline is to ask the question famous author Clayton Christensen wrote in many of his books, “Will this new technology (workflow, idea, etc.) do the job my customers or patients are looking to do?” This is no exception for dental 3D printing. Our job at 3DHEALS is not to simply “evangelize” the clinical application of 3D printing, but to figure out which “job” is worthwhile to adopt 3D printing to make healthcare more effective, more affordable, and more accessible to hopefully everyone. The adoption of 3D printing in dentistry, which has already undergone a digital revolution in the last few decades, is not accidental. This guide serves both as a summary and an update on the current status, trends, and future trends in this industry.  We wrote this guide based on a number of events we hosted focusing on this subject, as well as industry reports and PubMed research. We aim to regularly update the content of this 3DHEALS Guide. Here is the outline of this guide: 

Background, Statistics, the Why

What are the major technical advantages of 3D printing in dentistry? 

What are the current major industry trends in dental 3D printing? 

What jobs are being done in dentistry with 3D printing?

What 3D printing hardware, software, and materials can dental professionals use? A beginner’s guide

Which companies are in the dental 3D printing space?

Conclusion

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ????Healthcare 3D Printing???? (@3dheals)

Background, Statistics, the Why

Dental service to most people, including those in the wealthiest nations, is a luxury item. While people are well aware of the disability and health risks dental disease pose, many often opt not to get or delay dental service because it is less life-threatening, very extensive, and physically and emotionally painful. Based on the CDC website, in 2015, in the United States, 29% of all population and 62% of older adults do not have dental insurance. Additionally, traditional Medicare does not cover routine dental care, and Medicaid programs are not required to provide dental benefits to enrollees. Fifteen states have no coverage or only emergency coverage. Even for those with insurance, reimbursements for dental care are on the decline. According to the Americal Association of Endodontists, there was about a 6% reimbursement decline between 2013-2017 across the board. Of seventeen percent of U.S. adults older than 65, only fifteen percent of the population have dentures. Additionally, the population who are edentulous often overlaps with populations with lower socioeconomic status and poor overall health. 

Therefore, while the call for “equity” is louder, the disparity in oral health is doomed to increase with an aging population and increasing costs. 

The impact of untreated dental disease negatively impacts the quality of life and productivity, which translated into “over $45 billion is lost in productivity in the United States each year because of untreated oral disease.” 

 However, even for those who are lucky enough to receive dental care, how many can truly be excited about root canals, dental crowns, dentures, and implants? I don’t see anyone raising their hands.

Currently, a majority of dental practices still need weeks to deliver dental crowns and up to a year for dental implants. Many are only at an early stage in considering earlier digital tools like intraoral 3D scanners and milling machines (Cerec). 

As such, if we really would like everyone to enjoy dental health as long as they live, new solutions are needed, and 3D printing appears to provide some new options. 

What are the major technological advantages of adopting 3D Printing in dentistry?

While some of these benefits are repeated often in our guide, it is helpful to first mention these again in the context of digital dentistry. 

Mass Customization

One of the archetypes of mass customization using 3D printing in healthcare is perhaps the dental aligner industry. Align Technology is the company that brings this concept to life with “unicorn” commercial success. Each day, according to one of our speakers Lee Dockster, more than a million dental aligners can be manufactured using a process that leverages 3D printing. Each one of these aligners is a unique device catered to a personalized treatment plan. The aligner industry is well and alive today with more and more competing companies offering cheaper, faster, and simpler solutions to the consumers. However, this is impossible without the fundamental benefit of being able to simultaneously 3D print many unique geometries without large upfront capital expenditures.

More importantly, competing against many traditional manufacturing processes, injection mold, and digital subtractive manufacturing processes in dentistry, 3D printing offers consistent accurate efficient cheaper, and often more superior alternatives. In the case of being superior, such as in the case of aligner manufacturing, 3D printing is taking over other processes while transforming the profession on a larger scale. 

For example, Align Tech first marketed its products primarily to orthodontists, collectively a monopoly on putting braces on people the mouths. According to Lee Dockster, AlignTech then decided to change its business model and marketed its product to general dentistry creating a win-win situation for patients (cheaper and more accessible) as well as dental professionals (more revenue streams, more value proposition to patients).

Complexity for “Free”

When it comes to this concept of “complexity for free”, many immediately draw their memory of a 3D printed gyroid lattice, which is nearly impossibly to be produced without a significant cost and impossible to be mass produced. Since we are all unique creatures, this feature is extremely valuable in healthcare because personalization is often desired. The unmet need to be able to massively create customized medical devices at no added cost is obvious to many. This is no exception to dentistry since everyone’s dental anatomy is unique. 

However, another way to look at this concept is that 3D printing can greatly simplify the current manufacturing workflow by being about to reduce subcomponents needed to assemble a final product. This is because instead of having to fasten or screw components together, 3D printing can create intricate internal structures obviating the need for assembling.

A consequence of not needing these subcomponents also simplifies supply chain logistics, which is an ever more important subject during this pandemic era. Fewer components, less negotiation time, less supply chain headaches. 

 While the latter may not necessarily apply to the dental industry, the ever simpler dental aligner solutions to the consumers are evident with intraoral scanners digitalizing the treatment plan, and fewer orthodontic visits. The technology is enabling general dentists to provide what used to be a very complex procedure to a bigger and less affluent population. 

Design Freedom

This benefit is related to the “complexity for free” concept. Because of AM’s ability to produce a larger portfolio of complex geometries, the designers of medical and dental devices naturally can be more creative. This resonates with many healthcare providers who often face patients’ unique problems but with no readily available solutions. During one of our virtual events, Dr. Sergio Gianvechio demonstrated several creative workflows using OrtogBlender, a Blender plugin software that was created by Cicero Moraes primarily to empower dentists with orthognathic surgical planning, but also to create an indirect orthodontic bonding guide in a resource-poor country like Brazil where people do not have access to more advanced healthcare. This kind of end user and need-driven 3D printing solution that adds a “designer” hat to healthcare providers is what will shorten the medical device innovation cycle. 

With new tools, new solutions will be created in geographies and patient populations that were previously not specifically addressed due to socio-economic or simply technical barriers. Some of these innovations will be equivalent to existing solutions, but more will be adopted because it is better than an existing solution. Such revolutions have been observed in the aligner and hearing aid industries for decades, where the 3D printing process replaced old manufacturing techniques and made a world of difference in patients’ lives. 

New design techniques, including topology optimization and generative design that require 3D printing to produce final products, are also slowly taking center stage in the future of product design.

Decentralized Manufacturing At Point of Care Equals More Patient Satisfaction

At the end of the day, dentists just want to make their patients healthy and happy. 

Satisfied patients will come back for more, allowing us to build a more sustainable business. 

However, anyone who had the experience of getting a dental crown or dental implant never wishes to have another. These procedures not only themselves are uncomfortable, the protracted treatment timing, lasting weeks to months, is something we all hate. This is not to mention the uncomfortable PVS impressions, repeat x-rays, and logistic complications to schedule multiple appointments with multiple subspecialists. 

In the past decade, 3D printing is more integrated into the digital dentistry workflow. In-office intra-oral 3D scanners and milling machines (Cerec) are now must-haves for a modern dental office.

I personally “fired” my old dentist for not having a 3D scanner, because why would you use an abacus when you have access to a computer? Granted, these tools currently carry a five-figure cost, but when a practitioner doesn’t have something that will significantly improve patient experiences, it is a warning sign to me that they are under-investing in their practices in general. A warning sign that the dental office may be either too short-term profit-driven or its practitioner is too out of date to practice. The trend to convert an “art-based” practice to a “science-based” and “evidence-based” practice is definitive. I prefer my dentist mostly a scientist, and perhaps a little artistic. 

With 3D printing at the point of care, dental practitioners are now able to diagnose, plan treatment, and even deliver crowns, and implants with a much-shortened timeline. There is less need to send the treatment plan to a dental lab. In fact, according to our speaker Ron Ellenbogen from Stratasys, more and more dental labs are merging with dental providers. This trend is a clear indication that the patients (and dentists) prefer manufacturing at the point of care. This preference has become a clear industry economic drive for both dental and medical 3D printing.  

In addition to crowns, and temporaries, a variety of point-of-care dental devices are also made faster and cheaper, which include but are not limited to dental surgical guides (along with other virtual planning tools), aligners, and even implants. We will expand on specific applications in the later part of this guide. 

Material innovation

Having a dental brace is sometimes no better than having crooked teeth. It is almost a rite of passage for many to adulthood. The problem, is, of course, adults need braces too well into their 30s and 40s. The invention of clear aligners represents not just what 3D printing can do to make things, but what kind of material and design innovations come with it. Using existing or inventing new clear thermoplastics that have the aesthetics, biocompatibilities, and mechanical properties, the dental aligner industry showed the world how 3D printing and the design thinking behind it can create a massive new market that benefits millions who previously did not consider having braces. 

Material innovation has been a major limitation for many innovators in the dental 3D printing space, but new materials are surfacing at an accelerating pace ranging from ceramics, polymer, and dental space to enable more new products to be created. 

Dental professionals upskilling

In addition to the disruptive nature of the clear aligner industry to orthodontists, 3D printing and digital dentistry are disrupting the traditional dental professional subspecialties by equipping general dentists with tools that can produce equal and even superior end results for patients. This is no different than empowering less experienced surgeons with more pre-surgical planning tools so that they are more prepared before surgery. Even though they do not have previous experience or training, because of these new tools, they also rely less on intuition or artful skills to perform procedures.

One such example is dental implantology. More and more general dentists can now perform this procedure with the help of digital tools including 3D printing surgical guides. This increases access to care for the patients, generating new revenue for general dentists, and decreasing the pricing of similar procedures.

What are some of the major trends in Dental 3D Printing?

Some of the major dental 3D printing trends are also general trends for dentistry and additive manufacturing industries in general. What is interesting and intuitive is that every 3DHEALS dental panelist is motivated by eventually enabling more accessible, better, affordable dental care for a larger population using 3D technologies. However, the overshadowing trend is that we are moving away from that end goal due to an aging population, increasing life span, decreasing workforce (especially in the dental technician front), and increasing overall wealth.  The gap will only increase if we don’t have better solutions.

We have mentioned these major trends throughout this guide, but to summarize, these trends are: 

• 3D Printing for rapid prototyping to end-user parts, volume production via distributed manufacturing.
• Decreasing reimbursement for dental care.
• Increasing supply/demand gap for dental care.
• Dental care is more expensive in general, with added economic pressure directly and indirectly from the pandemic.

3D printing adoption in dentistry is shifting dental lab businesses to dental clinics. According to our speaker Ron Ellenbogen from Stratasys, more than 60% of dental labs’ business is taken away by the clinic’s work. 

Several new business models are emerging as more 3D printing adoption occurs:

More clinics and labs are merging into one entity.

Some of the driving forces include new technologies enabling point-of-care delivery (see previous sections), a shrinking dental lab technician workforce, cost pressure, and a more consumer-driven market. 

Democratization of clear aligner business.

Whenever I hear the word “democratization”, it makes me cringe as an investor. Because the opposite of democratization is a monopoly, which is often the key to a long-lasting business moat and long-term success for a business. However, this is ultimately great news for patients and consumers. And I firmly believe the strongest driving force in this market is the consumer, and perhaps other areas in dental markets as well. Streamlined digital workflow for clear dental with a 3D scanner, CAD/CAM, and 3D printing is on its way to taking over 90% of the market where you can get it at local CVS, leaving more complex cases to dental offices and traditional metal-wired braces. In fact, 3D printing is even being used in newer metal braces. For example, a Boston-based startup Lightforce Orthodontics 3D prints ceramic polycrystalline alumina dental brace brackets for wire braces, leveraging similar digital workflow as clear aligners. 

Point of Care Manufacturing.

While the medical community is still debating on if a hospital can act as a manufacturer, dental clinics already rolled up their sleeves and jumped into producing in-office dental devices. Dr. Rick Ferguson leads such a dental clinic and also teaches other dentists how to set up a workflow that is friendly to private practices.

Robotic labs. AI/ML.

The shrinking workforce of lab technicians is not due to a lack of market demand, according to our speakers. While no research is done to figure out the cause of such change, it is presumed that this is because traditional dental technicians are lowly paid, less equipped with CAD/CAM knowledge, and lack respect in the industry. Regardless, the shortage is real. However, Justin Marks, who used to be a dental technician himself, showed us how he created a partial denture “robot farm” using FDM printers and built a business behind it. Needless to say, a major driving force behind it will be the development of artificial intelligence and machine learning strategies at every step along the digital workflow. 

Digital Outsourcing.

While many are thinking about how to bring design and manufacturing in-house, new outsourcing options are also making a business case. For example, Dr. Rick Ferguson mentioned in his presentation that it is now an option to outsource the design process for dental offices that want to keep manufacturing in-house. It is likely that similar to medical 3D printing, a hybrid of in-house and outsourced design and 3D printing customized for each practice is needed to optimize the solution in the end. 

What jobs are being done with 3D printing in dentistry? 

While the success of aligners is the most visible application, there are many existing and new applications in oral health. One of the better ways to organize one’s understanding of the industry is to categorize these by dental subspecialties, which include general dentistry, oral surgery, endodontics, prosthodontist, periodontics, and orthodontics. Craniofacial maxillary (CMF) surgery is also a closely related field. A good review article by Anderson. et al summarizes the main applications throughout the history of dental 3D printing.  Of these, surgical-based subspecialties like dental implantology, dental surgery, and orthodontics are taking a lead in both research and commercialization of dental 3D printing services and products. (Figure 1)

As early as the1990s, oral and maxillofacial surgery already started to use CT files to 3D print surgical planning models, aiming to reduce operative time. In 2000, the FDA approved the first CBCT for dental use in the United States. [1] The widespread use of handheld Intraoral 3D scanners is another enabling imaging technology. The combination of CBCT and 3D scanning allows dentists to accurately reproduce both the bony and soft tissue anatomy of a patient. The technical and economic breakthroughs of CBCT and 3D scanning contributed greatly to an increased application of 3D printing in dentistry.

We have mentioned quite a few of these applications already, but here is a summary of some of the more popular applications. We have also indicated the typical materials used in the commercial setting, but please keep in mind that, with increasing new and hybrid 3D printable materials coming to the market, the line between polymer-based and metal-based applications is getting blurred. For example, both polymer materials and metal have been used for dental crown manufacturing. This will ultimately be decided by the care providers and patients based on a combination of availability, mechanical properties, functionality, aesthetic requirements, and costs. The biomaterials landscape is ever-changing and exciting. For those who are interested in biomaterials topic, we have hosted quite a few webinars. Also, subscribe to read our upcoming Definitive Guide on Biomaterials that will soon be published.

Clear Aligner Dental Models

We have discussed this application extensively in this article. A related application is to create an indirect bonding guide to attach dental brace brackets onto the surface of the teeth. Hawley Retainers is also a similar application, where a 3D printed model helps with the creation of a wire/resin-based retainer. 

Materials used: Polymer

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ?Healthcare 3D Printing? (@3dheals)

Dental brackets

A closely related application is the manufacturing of dental brackets used for more conventional wire-based dental braces. 

Materials used: Polymer, metal, ceramic

Dental Crown and Bridge

Materials used: Metal, Polymer, Ceramic

Surgical Guides 

Almost all dental surgical subspecialties are using 3D printed surgical guides.

CAD/CAM fabrication of surgical implant guides has been used extensively for targeting implant osteotomy drills. Oral surgery uses 3D models for surgical planning and treatment for post-traumatic reconstruction, removal of pathological tissue, autotransplantation, and obturator prosthesis fabrication in patients with maxillectomy. (Note: A removable maxillary obturator prosthesis is a device that separates the oral cavity from the nasal and/or antral cavities and is used to close a congenital or acquired defect in the maxilla.)

Dr. Sergio Gianvenchio demonstrated how OrtogOnBlender, a Blender plugin, can be used to plan for orthognathic surgery. The software can demonstrate the relationship between bones, soft tissues, and bite movements virtually but also can be used to generate 3D models and surgical guides. Dr. Nabeel Cajee, a general dentist but also an implantologist, demonstrated how he can create surgical guides in the office for dental implants.

Even when it comes to root canals, 3D printed surgical guides provide immense help in accuracy and efficiency in endodontists’ work. Drill guides to access root canals allow accurate translation of virtual planning information from CBCT/3D scan to the physical world with more precision. Interested readers can learn more about applications of 3D printing in endodontics from recent Dr. Gordon Lai’s presentation.

Materials used: Mostly polymer

Splints/Occlusal Guards

Materials used: Polymer

Patterns for Casting and Pressing

Materials used: Polymer

Complete dentures or partial dentures

This is perhaps one of the earliest applications in dental 3D printing. 50 million dentures are produced a year globally, and this number is growing. However, many dental labs struggle to find the talents to make dentures in a conventional way. In one of our 2018 Summit speakers Dr. Valerie Cooper‘s own words, “When making dentures conventionally, the typical process takes possibly five or six appointments, with a high lab fee, with many tedious steps that cannot be easily corrected.” 

It is also evident that newer generations of dentists and dental technicians are using 3D printing to change that reality. Dr. Valerie Cooper (also nicknamed “Denture Queen”) is a prosthodontist who has a passion to make beautiful digital dentures for her community (sometimes free) that many others can also easily learn to make. Justin Marks, previously a dental technician himself, now CEO and co-founder of Arfona believes that 3D-printed complete dentures and partial dentures are the fastest growing AM-based applications.

A good article focusing on partial denture framework using metal additive technology can be found here. 

Materials used: Polymer, Metal

Dental implant

Materials used: Metal, Ceramic

CMF implant

Materials used: Metal, Ceramic

We have several fantastic past Expert Blogs focusing on metal 3D printing CMF implants and dental devices:

From Esthetic to Functionality – Perspectives of Anodized 3D Printed Titanium Dental Restorations

3D Printing Implants for Atrophic Jaws

What 3D printing technologies, hardware, software, and materials can dentists use?

Imaging Acquisition: 

As we have mentioned in the previous section, there are two main imaging acquisition modalities in dentistry: CBCT and 3D Scanning. 3D scanning, a completely noninvasive modality with no radiation, is also heavily utilized in the 3D printing orthotics and prosthetics industry.  A typical intraoral 3D scanner costs 10-20 K. While less widely used, an external 3D Scanner can also be used to scan dental articulators, triple-tray impressions, and texture scanning. For example, Shining3D manufactures such scanners. 

CBCT

Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is a radiographic imaging method that allows accurate, three-dimensional (3D) imaging of hard tissue structures. “This imaging modality is capable of providing sub-millimeter resolution (2 line pair/mm) images of higher diagnostic quality, with shorter scanning times (~60 s). Radiation exposure dose from CBCT is 10 times less than from conventional CT scans during maxillofacial exposure (68 µSv compared with 600 µSv of conventional CT)1 and also it has got great dimensional accuracy (only about 2% magnification).” [2]. “In contrast to the medical CT voxel, where axial height is determined by slice thickness, the CBCT voxel is cubic, allowing for higher resolution and more accurate measurements in multiple planes.” [1] As a result, CBCT is a more accurate source of data for additive manufacturing applications with less radiation exposure, scan time, and cost [1].

A typical CBCT machine costs around 50-100K. [4]

Intra-oral 3D Scanner – Medit, Itero (now part of Align Tech, Carestream, 3Shape, Sirona, Shining3D (also external 3D scanner)

Intraoral dental 3D scanners are small handheld scanners that go directly into the patient’s mouth to examine the inside as well as to scan the teeth directly. They are significantly faster and less messy than impressions as the scans can be processed immediately, meaning they can be used to skip the impression stage. Additionally, the images can be stored to be reused in case a device is distorted or lost. Nearly 50% of American dentists are now equipped with an intraoral scanner according to ADA in a 2021 article[3]. A typical intraoral scanner typically costs 10-20K. 

“Among respondents who use an intraoral scanner, 70% cited improving clinical efficiency as their main reason for introducing it into their practice, and 58% said they began using a scanner less than four years ago. The most common use of intraoral scanners is for single tooth-supported crowns, with 90% reporting they use a scanner for this treatment.” [3]

The two imaging modalities is complementary in many procedures providing both superficial soft tissue and intra-oral anatomy, and deeper facial maxillary bony anatomy. 

Computer-Aided Design Software:

Based on our past webinars, the more popular free software selections include Meshmixer, Blue Sky Bio, and 3D Slicer, but the true list is extensive as an indication that no current software truly satisfies a dental provider’s need to implement dental 3D printing. There are a lot of mashed-up solutions that have a steep learning curve and require true dedication to acquiring the skills. That said, more automated dental 3D printing software is coming into the market. For example, Belgium-based startup Relu is such an example. The company sells B2B API that would enable automatic segmentation of CBCT data and combine facial anatomy from CBCT and intraoral scans.  

Meshmixer (Autodesk)

Invesalius

Blue Sky Bio

Exocad

Orthoanalyzer (3Shape)

OrtogOnBlender, and a more expensive solution is Dolphin

(For those who are interested in learning this free plugin, here is an English version tutorial.)

Nemocast

Archform

3D Slicer

Chitubox

PrusaSlicer

3D Printers

What is a good 3D printer for my dental practice? This is perhaps the most commonly asked question during our virtual events. 

That depends.

The answer for individual dentists or small practices will be different for larger-scale dental labs and larger dental practice chains with central manufacturing and distribution capabilities. But for simplicity’s sake, given a majority of the 3DHEALS audience belong to the former group, we will focus our discussion that way. We will leave the discussion of metal 3D printing to a separate future guide. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by ?Healthcare 3D Printing? (@3dheals)

Stereolithography (SLA), digital light processing (DLP), and material jetting are the most commonly used dental 3D printer. Each technology can deliver the precision and accuracy needed for dental applications, but quality can vary among different machines and systems. We have talked about various kinds of 3D printing processes before, but here are more descriptions focusing on dental applications:

1. Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) – This is perhaps the most popular 3D printing process for beginners to learn 3D printing due to its ease to understand and affordability. Ultimately, however,  SLA or DLP-type 3D printers are the workhorses of a dental practice. The FDM process depends on the controlled extrusion of molten thermoplastics onto the build plate, layer by layer. This has been used to create dentures, surgical guides, and dental models. However, there are quite a few drawbacks of using FDM printers, including poor surface finish, slow speed, layer shift, resolution limitation, poor mechanical property (sometimes this can be improved with better design), and limited biomaterial portfolio, which collectively translates into a limited range of applications. 

2. Stereolithography (SLA) – liquid photopolymer resin is selectively exposed to a laser beam across the build plate, solidifying resin in specific areas. Stereolithography is highly accurate and has the best surface finish of the three technologies. SLA printers offer large build volumes and a wide range of materials for various applications. Some of the most well-known SLA printer companies include Formlabs and 3D Systems. 

2. Digital Light Processing (DLP) – Digital light processing operates with the same chemical process as SLA but uses a digital projector as a light source to solidify the resin, rather than a laser. Currently, consumer-level SLA and DLP printer prices are indistinguishable. DLP parts also tend to show voxel lines layers formed by small rectangular bricks due to digital screens and have a generally lower quality surface finish. One well-known DLP company is Carbon. However, Stratasys has recently acquired Origin, adding DLP to its dental portfolio.

4. Material Jetting (MJP) – Material jetting (PolyJet and MultiJet Modeling) 3D printers work similarly to inkjet printing, but instead of jetting drops of ink onto paper, they jet layers of liquid resin onto a build tray and cure them instantly using light. Material jetting technologies were the most common in the dental industry a few years ago, but expansion was limited by their high cost and the large size of the machines. They require extensive post-processing and the surface finish of parts produced with this technology is generally inferior to SLA or DLP. Material jetting systems have high throughput but can only be used for a limited range of applications due to the costly, proprietary materials. Some of the commonly known companies for this type of printer is HP and Stratasys. 

Regardless of printer type, the hardware space is extremely competitive (“red ocean“), which benefits end-users.

Here are some characteristics you should be looking for when deciding on a “3D printer”:

1. Technology:

Find the technology that matches your end application requirements in terms of accuracy, precision, ease of use, and reliability. Other considerations include throughput and scalability of the printer, which heavily depends on particular dental practices/labs. Finally, like any other electronics, warranty, customer support, ease of replacement and upgrades should also be added into your purchase consideration. 

One thing you need to remember is that the job is still incomplete after a 3D print is done.

Post – processing is an extremely important step to ensure quality, which we will discuss in another blog. Many of the technologies above also require extensive post-processing ranging from curing (for SLA and DLP), to polishing (MJP and FDM). 

2.  Pricing:

The obvious answer without this guide is the cost of an individual printer. That is well defined and you can use Amazon search. Nothing fancy. However, this is not where your homework ends. While we have not done a thorough analysis of ROI in investing in 3D printing, it is helpful to simulate the financial outcomes of in-house, outsourced, and hybrid 3D printing workflow similar to medical 3D printing.

A more expensive printer upfront may translate into shorter breakeven time, fewer future upgrades needed more potential applications (i.e. more future revenue), superior customer support, etc. 

3. 3D Printing Materials portfolio (Equals application portfolio):

There are more and more biocompatible materials available for dental 3D printing. Many printer manufacturers actually generate significant revenue from their material offerings than from selling 3D printers. Therefore, it is important to purchase a printer that is capable of work working with a variety of existing dental materials for a variety of applications. One such example is Asiga 3D printers. Alternatively, a printer that comes with a solid portfolio that meets a majority of your office needs would also work. One such example is Formlabs. Stay tuned for future guides on biomaterials for 3D printing. 

4. Training and support:

3D printing is still hard. 

And each printer is different.

With a paucity of training programs focusing on dental 3D printing and the persistent gap between technology and healthcare end-user, finding equipment manufacturers with excellent customer support and training program is essential. One company that has done well is consumer-facing Formlabs, which has a very informative blog and tutorials for dental users. SprintRay and Kulzer also offer a comprehensive approach and promise a smooth integration between dental printing software, printers, accessories, materials, and support.

More importantly, since many dental offices now leverage dental assistants in the 3D printing process, does the printer company offer training to your staff in an affordable and easy manner will become more and more important. 

Who are the commercial players in dental 3D printing? Newborns, Warriors, Unicorns, Winners:

We like to classify a particular ecosystem into four categories based on valuation and business maturity. The following definition is a modified version of our earlier version in 2020:

Newborns: These are early-stage Pitch 3D startups (pre-seed or Seed stage companies).

Warriors: These are Pitch 3D startups that have successfully completed fundraising at Series B.

Unicorns: These are companies that have a new private market valuation of more than 1 billion dollars in the past three years.

Winners: Public companies that have a strong track record in the past decade and/or are considered industry leaders.

Since 3D printing is an emerging field, most of the companies in the space are early-stage startups. Many 3D printing companies are in the “Winners” category with a strong dental portfolio but are still small-cap companies despite decades-long industry track records. These companies include 3D Systems and Stratasys.

One “winner” in the space is Align Technology (ALGN, market cap: 21 billion), which we have referenced numerous times in this article. The technology, history, and stories surrounding this amazing company are worth studying for those interested in innovation in dental 3D printing. 

The “unicorn” category includes Carbon, and Desktop Metal (which has lately been building up its dental portfolio after acquiring EnvisionTech). 

The early-stage startup examples include: 

Upcoming clear aligner competitors: Candid, Lightforce Orthodontics(Series C at the time of this article)

Oral appliances: Oventus Medical

Digital dental lab reimagined: Dandy, Aforna

Drill free dental implant: i-Dentical implant

Automation: Relu

Biomaterials: Cerhum

For a full complete regularly updated list, please check out our Company Directory. 

Conclusion:

In conclusion, 3D printing is poised to increase its footprint in the dental space. However, like the old Chinese saying, it requires the perfect alchemy of “timing, geography, and people”. It is necessary to ask the question of why Align Technology is the only “winner” so far in the space. Some may argue first mover advantage or an unfavorable patent landscape set up by various incumbent 3D printing companies. However, the IP/patent portfolio in the end is a defensive move, not an offensive one. First movers also have plenty of risks and disadvantages. What is stopping the next Align technology from being born? I am excited to see newcomers to the space and carve out a new market (and new solutions for the patients).

Reference: 

1. Endodontic applications of 3D printingJ. Anderson,J. Wealleans,J. Ray First published: 27 February 2018. https://doi.org/10.1111/iej.12917

2. Cone Beam Computed Tomography – Know its Secrets. J Int Oral Health. 2015 Feb; 7(2): 64–68.

3. ACE Panel report finds about half of dentists use intraoral scanners. 

4. CBCT Purchasing Guide: How to Choose the Perfect Machine

Related Links:

Dental 3D Printing: Pioneers and Rulebreakers (On Demand, August 11th, 2022)

Dental 3D Printing: Latest in Digital Dentistry (On Demand, October 21, 2021)

Interview with Rick Ferguson: Teaching Dental 3D Printing

What Matters When Enabling Your Dental Practice with 3D Printing and 3D Scanning

From Esthetic to Functionality – Perspectives of Anodized 3D Printed Titanium Dental Restorations

Interview with CEO of Arfona Printing, Justin Marks

3D Printing Implants for Atrophic Jaws

Dr. Gordon Lai: 3D Printing in Endodontics

The post Dental 3D Printing – The Ultimate Guide appeared first on 3DHeals.

In this episode of Instagram Live recording, I invited Dr. Daniel Vegh, a young faculty member and prosthodontist from Semmelweis University (Budapest, Hungary) to share with us his early journey of learning about dental 3D printing, his recent accomplishments in the space, and his vision for its future.  Dr. Vegh is the author behind @3d_printing_dentistry on Instagram. During the interview, Daniel also shared how he leveraged social media to build a community for dental 3D printing both locally and internationally.  He also brought us a few examples of his past works on camera.

Additional highlights of this interview:

What is the current status of establishing formal curriculum in dental schools?

Who is most interested in adopting 3D printing in their dental practices?

How to find other dentists who are actively using 3D printing?

What are some suggestions for new dentists to the space?

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 3D PRINTING DENTISTRY🦷 (@3d_printing_dentistry)

About our guest: Dr. Daniel Vegh

Dr. Dániel Végh DMD, Ph.D.

Specialist in Conservative Dentistry and Prosthodontics

Semmelweis University – Department of Prosthodontics – Budapest, Hungary

In his own words, ” My name is Dr. Daniel Vegh! I earned my DMD degree at the Semmelweis University in 2015!

I am working at the Department of Prosthodontics since then! I am a prosthodontist since 2018, and I earned my Ph.D. Degree in 2019, the topic was diabetes and oral complications!

As a regular participant of dental congresses, I meet with 3D printing technology on-site, and I become a fanatic! 

I found out that a lot of my colleagues are interested in it, but there is a lack of experience and knowledge about it! I started my Instagram page ( @3d_printing_dentistry), where my aim is to build International connections! Semmelweis University established SE3D lab, an innovative place dedicated to 3D printing for students and staff! It has research, educational and clinical aspects!”

Support the show 

Related Links:

IG Live Recording: 3D printing in dentistry W ChengXi Wang

Metal 3D Printing in Dentistry – Restoration

3DHEALS Instagram Live Recording: Dental 3D Printing with Innov3D Founder Dr. Mayra Vasques

Interview with Mike Graffeo -Being a 3D Bioprinting Entrepreneur (IG Live Recordings)

3DHEALS Live!

The post Learning Dental 3D Printing Through Social Media: An Interview with Dr. Daniel Vegh 🗺 appeared first on 3DHeals.

Dr. David Kelliny is a Clinical Assistant Professor, Division of Endodontics, Orthodontics and General Practice Residency, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry of USC. Dr. Kelliny has been engaged in teaching endodontics with specific emphasis on surgical endodontics and 3D dentistry.

He is a member of the American Dental Association, California Dental Association, Western Los Angeles Dental Society, American Association of Endodontists, American Dental Society of Anesthesiology, and the International Congress of Implantologists. 

Dr. Kelliny lectured nationally and internationally on surgical implantology and the use of custom surgical guides for implant placement, endodontic access guides, and Apical Surgical guides. Dr. Kelliny will be speaking on the Digital Dentistry Panel at the upcoming 3DHEALS2020.

Nabeel: How did you get started with 3D Printing? 

David: I used dental implant surgical guides for guided surgery, it was costly and took a long time for the turn around from manufacturers, so I decided to take control of the process, cut my costs and shorten wait time to treatment day. 

Nabeel: What motivates you the most for your work? 

David: The ability to use 3D printing and guided cases to treat difficult complicated cases that are untreatable otherwise. It allows me to be more conservatiove and more accurate in treatment delivery and results. 

Nabeel: As an endodontist, a root canal specialist, what unique challenges and opportunities do you think you have developing 3Printing solutions? 

David: Prototyping is the worst challenge I had. I have many concepts but I was stuck with traditional manufacturing and prototyping protocols, from trying to find a company to look at my design to prototyping it to getting an actual drill in hand to test it. Very tedious, expensive and slow process. 

Nabeel: What advice would you give to a smart student looking to learn about 3D Printing? 

David: The sooner you get into 3D printing the better. Start small but with room to expand, try to print different things, for dental and fun purposes. You’ll learn something new with each print, especially in the beginning. 

Nabeel: What were/was the best investment you made of time or money in 3D printing/bio-printing/bio-fabrication? 

David: Buying my own printer, it allowed me to print over and over again and try different things and allowed me to get instantaneous results. 

Nabeel: What do you enjoy in your spare time? What are you passionate about outside of your work/3d printing? 

David: Playing Golf, hiking, offroading and outdoors activities 

Related Articles:

Interview with Dr. Mayra Vasques, Dental 3D Printing, INNOV3D

Interview: Game Changer with 3D Printed Dental Implants (Video)

Interview with Professor Gustavo Mendonca, University of Michigan (Video)

From Esthetic to Functionality – Perspectives of Anodized 3D Printed Titanium Dental Restorations

The post Interview with Dr. David Kelliny, 3D Printing in Endodontics appeared first on 3DHeals.

Boyle Suwono, Structo Chief Technology Officer. As CTO, Boyle is responsible for building and scaling the technology development team in Structo, spanning from hardware, software, and material. He was responsible for the design and development of DentaForm®, a high throughput dental 3D printer with MSLA technology. He also was responsible for initiating, developing and delivering first-in-the-industry bespoke high volume fully automated 3D printing solution based on DentaForm®. He also co-invented Velox and Elements, first-in-the-industry fully integrated end-to-end 3D printing solution for consumer and industrial application respectively. He joined Structo from Schlumberger in 2014, where he was responsible for full system integration development of Crack the Paleogene (CtP), an ultra-high reliability downhole pump project for high pressure and high-temperature wells in the Gulf of Mexico. Boyle received his B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering from the National University of Singapore. He will be speaking at the upcoming 3DHEALS Annual Singapore event on August 28th, 2019.

Jenny: When was the first encounter you had with 3D printing? What was that experience like? What were you thinking at that moment?

Boyle: Messy! My first real encounter with 3D printing was with Structo, and it was resin 3D printing. My thought was it was a pain to 3D print because of how involved and dirty the whole process is.

Jenny: What inspired you to start your career in 3D printing?

Boyle: I wanted to be involved in a new exciting technology that is not purely software, and wanted to experience startup. My juniors back in the university started Structo and periodically asked me to join. After some point, I thought, let’s just do it. And there’s that.

Jenny: Who inspired you the most along this journey in 3D printing?

Boyle: No one in particular, but in general my colleagues in Structo. They are a bunch of hungry and passionate group of people who want to make a great product for the customers. Working with them every day is inspiring.

Jenny: What motivates you the most for your work?

Boyle: To introduce new cool stuff to the industry that has never been done before. Velox is a great example of that – before Velox, post-processing is a given. It took someone from outside the industry to change that. And of course, to see plan comes together is always very satisfying.

Jenny: What is/are the biggest obstacle(s) in your line of work?

Boyle: Hiring. It is a constant challenge to get great people, and not just technical people. We are always on the lookout for great talents.

Jenny: What do you think is (are) the biggest challenge(s) in 3D Printing/bio-printing? What do you think the potential solution(s) is (are)?

Boyle: Material and software workflow. Material, because that is the heart of 3D printing. The material needs to suit the application and is where the majority of the challenge is. In general, the property of 3D printed material is still inferior compared to another manufacturing method. Software workflow, because ultimately the users don’t want to work so hard to get something printed. Digital dentistry is a great example of that.

Jenny: What advice would you give to a smart driven college student in the “real world”? What bad advice you heard should they ignore?

Boyle: Find a hobby, and even if you eventually can’t find one, at least you try many new things in the process. Having a hobby is a privilege and in my opinion, makes you that much more interesting. Bad advice? That everything you learn in school will be thrown away and is useless. I think this is taken totally out of context. In the technical field, at least, the fundamentals that are learned in school is very important, and for some reason, it seems to be less and less appreciated.

Jenny: What was/is the biggest risk you took in your career?

Boyle: Joining Structo!

Jenny: What do you enjoy in your spare time? What are you passionate about outside of your work/3d printing?

Boyle: I really enjoy DIY projects. The most recent one was making my own wooden dinner table. Also playing guitar.

Jenny: What does the word “3DHEALS” mean to you? =)

Boyle: 3D printing in the medical (and dental) industry!

Related Articles:

Idea to Implementation: Tactical Issues — Printer and Material Selection

Interview: Rik Jacobs, NextDent, 3D Systems

Influencer Interview: Dr. Raymond Wong, Singapore

Interview: Dr. Chaw Sing Ho, Co-Founding Managing Director of NAMIC

Interview: Mahendran V Reddy, Singapore

The post Interview with Boyle Suwono, CTO of Structo, Singapore appeared first on 3DHeals.

Dr. Raymond Wong graduated with a Bachelor of Dental Surgery from the University of Malaya. While there, he won the University Entrance Scholarship and won the Book Prize for Excellence for the First, Second and Final Professional Examinations (Part 1). He then pursued his specialist training in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) at the National University of Singapore under the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Post Graduate Scholarship, graduating with a Master of Dental Surgery (OMFS). He subsequently went on to work as a Specialist Registrar at the Sunderland Royal Hospital and a Clinical Fellow at Morriston Hospital, Swansea, Wales in the United Kingdom while on a Health Manpower Development Program under the Ministry of Health Singapore. He obtained a Ph.D. in Medical Sciences from the Radboud University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands. He is a Senior Consultant and Assistant Professor in OMFS at the National University Centre for Oral Health and the National University of Singapore. At the University Level, he is the co-thrust lead for Dentistry, AM.NUS. Dr. Wong was a Past President, Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Singapore, sits on the Specialist Training Committee, OMFS, represents Singapore as Country Councilor on the Asian Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons as well as holds a Councilor at Large post on the Executive Council of the Asian Association of OMFS and the International Association of OMFS as Singapore Councilor. He serves as a Regional Faculty, Association for the Study of Internal Fixation (AO) Craniomaxillofacial Surgery (AOCMF) at the Asia Pacific region. AOCMF is a nonprofit educational organization dedicated to the teaching of head and neck surgery to surgeons from all specialties. He is also currently the Organizing Chairman, Asian Conference on Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 2020 in Singapore. Dr. Wong will be speaking in our upcoming August 28th, 2019 3DHEALS Singapore Annual Event.

Jenny: When was the first encounter you had with 3D printing? What was that experience like?

Dr. Wong: I first tried 3D printing in 2008 when I had a case that needed a surgical cutting guide to be fabricated. At that time the place where I worked had bought the Z-Corp printer which essentially had powder base bound by an inkjet and then needed strengthening with cyanoacrylic glue. It didn’t find much use because there was no allocation for a technician and no one knew how to use it. So it became a white elephant and the powder kept on having to be discarded as it had expired. I found the process interesting but quite painful and realized that we needed trained personnel to do this. It was very difficult for busy clinicians to learn how to perform segmentation of the radiologic images, exporting in STL format and deciding on how to position the print on the platform. Essentially I did it by trial and error in between patients and after work with little guidance. That took me the better part of 2 weeks. The computer where we installed the segmentation software kept on hanging and running out of memory and had to be re-booted repeatedly. The first model I printed crumbled and I had to print it again taking 8 hours. The second model I managed to remove from the build chamber but part of it crumbled when I used an air-jet to remove excess powder as recommended by the manufacturer. Another 8 hours later, I managed to use the cyanoacrylic strengthener but my glove got stuck to the model and I managed to peel most of it out individually with a scalpel.

Jenny: What inspired you to start your journey in 3D printing ?

Dr. Wong: The recognition that we already had technological advances at hand but there was little implementation because, for many surgeons, it felt too difficult to learn or little impetus to change since the old methods worked. My argument against that is that there are always better ways to do things and the use of these technologies is not just fancy toys but you actually reduce the incidence of bad complications and improve the frequency of good outcomes.

Jenny: Who inspired you the most along this journey in 3D printing ?

Dr. Wong: The late Emeritus Professor Henk Tideman, University of Hong Kong, who was my Ph.D. supervisor-he made me realize that you need to keep up to date on the latest advances-he was much older than me but more in tune with technology than me. The second person who comes to mind is Prof Adrian Sugar of Morriston Hospital, Wales. He was, again, older than me but in the forefront of advanced digital technology for head and neck surgery.

Jenny: What motivates you the most for your work?

Dr. Wong: I am never content to accept the current way we do something is the best way. There are always ways to improve things.

Jenny: What do you think are the biggest challenge(s) in 3D Printing/bio-printing? What do you think the potential solution(s) is (are)?

Dr. Wong:

Challenges:

Lack of trained personnel

Lack of funding for equipment, training and employing such personnel

Solutions:

Having a centralized centre like that available in NUS (AM.NUS) is a possible way forward for institutions.

Jenny: What were/was the best investment you made in 3D printing? 

Dr. Wong: Spending the time to learn how to clean radiologic images, performing segmentation, learning how to design with a CAD program and doing my own printing. It gave me a deep understanding of the nuances and intricacies involved.

Jenny: What was/is the biggest risk you took in your career?

Dr. Wong:  Using 3D planning for surgery and printing surgical guides exclusively without any backup (in case the printed guides didn’t fit or work). I did the first orthognathic jaw surgery case in Singapore planned using computer virtual planning and then fabricate 3D printed guides in 2011. Prior to that, I had done a difficult post-traumatic deformity case in 2010 using a combination of 3D planning and 3D printed cutting and positioning guides for facial surgery.

Jenny: What is your favorite quote? Why?

Dr. Wong: I like this quote from Prof Ryan Bell- Everyone can have a bad day in the office. For surgeons, a bad day in the office implies a poor outcome for a patient with its own cost and morbidity. The use of digital technology improves good outcomes and increases the frequency of good outcomes. 

This phrase means a lot because as surgeons, things that we do can impact a patient negatively. Not using the best tools at our disposal for treatment and even training is difficult to defend especially when such technologies are not exactly that new.

Related Articles:

Maxillofacial Surgery and 3D printing: Past and Present

Interview: Dr. Nima Massoomi, Board Certified Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon

Interview: Renata Vano, 3D Printing in Prosthodontics, Brazil

Interview: Dr. Pedro Martinez Seijas, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon at Donostia University Hospital

The post Influencer Interview: Dr. Raymond Wong, Singapore appeared first on 3DHeals.