Dental 3D-Printing: Transferring Art from the Laboratories to the Clinics

Abstract

The rise of three-dimensional (3D) printing technology has changed the face of dentistry over the past decade. 3D printing is a versatile technique that allows the fabrication of fully automated, tailor-made treatment plans, thereby delivering personalized dental devices and aids to the patients. It is highly efficient, reproducible, and provides fast and accurate results in an affordable manner. With persistent efforts among dentists for refining their practice, dental clinics are now acclimatizing from conventional treatment methods to a fully digital workflow to treat their patients. Apart from its clinical success, 3D printing techniques are now employed in developing haptic simulators, precise models for dental education, including patient awareness. In this narrative review, we discuss the evolution and current trends in 3D printing applications among various areas of dentistry. We aim to focus on the process of the digital workflow used in the clinical diagnosis of different dental conditions and how they are transferred from laboratories to clinics. A brief outlook on the most recent manufacturing methods of 3D printed objects and their current and future implications are also discussed.

Effects of Artificial Tooth Brushing and Hydrothermal Aging on the Mechanical Properties and Color Stability of Dental 3D Printed and CAD/CAM Materials

“…Manufacturing dental prostheses using additive 3D printing technology reduces material waste and allows the processing of multiple prostheses simultaneously [5,14]. Prostheses fabricated using 3D printing were found in a recent study to have similar precision to those fabricated using milling or conventional techniques [15][16][17][18][19]. Due to the aforementioned advantages, 3D printed resin materials can be an alternative to CAD/CAM milling materials for dental applications.…”

Three-Dimensional Modeling and 3D Printing of Biocompatible Orthodontic Power-Arm Design with Clinical Application

“…The results showed that with proper analysis, the current designs can be improved towards the higher resiliency of biomedical devices applied intraorally. Three-dimensional biocompatible printing can achieve outputs which are not only biomechanically fully functional but are also more effective than handmade devices [25][26][27][28][29][30]. Results of this study revealed that redesigning the shapes in concordance with biocompatible material properties can provide a more resilient device.…”

A Review on Development of Bio-Inspired Implants Using 3D Printing

“…According to a 2019 review, nearly 1322 articles are published based on 3D-printed dental implants, pointing towards the scope of AM in dentistry. Most commonly used are titanium/alloys, nickel alloys, and cobalt-chromium; however, nickel alloys are sidelined in current clinical practice due to allergic reactions it triggers [ 207 ]. Milling was one of the conventional techniques used in CoCr dental prosthesis manufacturing; however, metal shrinking is a common shortcoming with this technique, which can be eliminated in 3D printing [ 208 , 209 ].…”