By Digital Smile Design
⋅ min read
⋅ Updated Jun, 2023
Revolutionizing Ortho-Restorative Practice with 3D Printing Technology
The field of ortho-restorative practice has undergone a significant shift in recent years with the advent of 3D printing technology. To explore this topic further, DSD Founder Christian Coachman hosted a webinar in partnership with Formlabs Dental with special guest Dr Pablo Ramirez, a DSD KOL and DSD Clinic owner. Alongside Formlabs Dental’s Dr Elisa Praderi, Dr Ramirez spoke about the challenges and advantages of being an early adopter of 3D printing as a specialist prosthodontist and the owner of the DSD Clinic, Clinica Ramirez.
The DSD partnership with Formlabs Dental makes him an ideal guest to discuss the ways in which 3D printing is transforming the ortho-restorative practice. In this article, we'll share some of the highlights from the webinar, providing key takeaways for dental professionals looking to incorporate this cutting-edge technology into their practice.
The Comprehensive Mindset
This webinar highlights the benefits of having a comprehensive mindset through the lens of Dr Ramirez, an early adopter of 3D printing technology. He addressed this question throughout the conversation: how can we help doctors improve the ortho-restorative connection? For him, technology is nothing without a comprehensive mindset, focusing solely on technical skills and clinical knowledge is not enough.
“We need to understand that digital is not the end. Digital is the tool. The end is comprehensive quality care. Full advantage of digital comes when you first develop a comprehensive mindset to improve your diagnosis, to improve your treatment planning, to improve your decision making, regardless of the tools. You first need to have the mindset that you want to improve these steps,” Pablo commented.
As a third-generation dentist, Pablo was acutely aware of the limitations of traditional methods and was actively seeking ways to take his practice to the next level. Before dental companies were considering comprehensive digital solutions, he invested his time in learning, adapting, and working with the DSD Planning Center to bring these solutions to his ortho-restorative clinic.
Through the efforts of Pablo, Christian, and others considered to be early digital adopters, Formlabs was one of the first companies to understand the important niche market of 3D printing for dentistry, which led to the establishment of Formlabs Dental.
Digital Revolutions of the Ortho-Restorative Practice
According to Christian and Pablo, three distinct revolutions changed the ortho-restorative practice:
Motivational Chair-Side Mockups
“It was a game-changer, altering the way we approached dentistry, communicated with our team and lab, and ultimately, changed our practice's mentality, allowing us to visualize and communicate with our patients better,” Pablo explained.
Colored tooth printing from Formlabs Dental
“It was a huge revolution when Formlabs came up with colored tooth-printing resins because then we skipped the whole model, the whole silicone, the whole bisacryl, and we started to directly print the shells and the mock-up in tooth color,” Christian added.
Temporary Resins
“They are amazing. We are using them very often in the ortho world and in restorative cases. I would say based on one of these new materials, the future is very promising,” Pablo continued.
Other topics discussed revolved around ROI on in-office 3D printing, realistic in-office implementation, and patient value generation. Pablo also made insightful comments on his workflow process related to out-sourcing designs in order to print chair-side in his clinic, and what software he is currently using.
Webinar moderator Elisa Praderi commented on the developments of the curing process with the most recent Formlabs Dental printers which have drastically shortened the time of the curing workflow to under six minutes for all dental applications.
“Whether you're dealing with temporary or permanent restorations, the curing time has been significantly optimized, with the ability to cure them in as little as five minutes,” Elisa shared.
Your 3D Printing Questions Answered
The webinar was well attended by several participants who took the opportunity to ask the panel a range of questions related to 3D printing in an ortho-restorative practice. Questions answered during the discussion included:
Which software are you using chair-side in the clinic to do temporaries and other products and is there a technician in the clinic?
Is the material used for printing environmentally friendly and can it be recycled?
Which Formlabs Dental printer are you using for a faster print?
What is the accuracy of making a retainer on a stone model versus a printed model?
Do you create temporaries in your lab by waiting for a case to be sent and then creating a file, or do you create them chair-side in clinic software like Exocad?
The Future from Formlabs Dental
DSD will continue to create value added content with Formlabs Dental as part of their partnership with the goal of educating dentists on 3D printing and giving them tips and advice from experienced users.
The company is currently developing new materials, as well as a faster print feature which will be available in the Form 3B+ printer. They are continually working to provide products that aid in minimally invasive chair-side printing as well as same-appointment solutions.
For more on the topic, watch the full webinar replay 👇
