3D printing in dentistry is HERE, and it is changing everything. Its auspicious beginning is reminiscent of cosmetic dentistry in the 1980s, veneers and bleaching in the 1990s, implants in the 2000s, and milled restorations in the 2010s. The needs are many, the technologies are numerous, the applications are almost unlimited, and the potential is open-ended. Cosmetic materials and techniques have brought aesthetic restorative dentistry into the hands of every practitioner; 3D printing promises to bring the functional and artistic control of the entire restorative process into the chairside setting.
Current 3D printing technologies are fully capable of delivering the significant demand for temporary, transitional, and permanent restorations (both direct and indirect), as well as appliances, and achieving the exacting clinical excellence required by the dental profession. 3D printed products are high-quality, high precision, accurate, and substantially lower in cost than conventional treatment options. 3D dental printing materials are extremely competitive compared to rival technologies. Dentists save money – many desktop printers cost between $3-10,000. Patients save money – through the elimination of intermediate procedures and transportation costs. Treatment is faster – same-day service is possible and practical.
As a direct result, there has been a rapidly growing awareness and acceptance of this transformative technology. Increasingly, 3D printing is viewed as an industry-wide game-changer and a forecast of the future direction of dental practice. The immediate applications of 3D printing in dentistry include:
- Permanent and provisional indirect restorations (crowns, onlays, inlays, bridges) and permanent, monobloc direct restorations, all custom fabricated chairside, within minutes of scanning the preparation.
- Full and partial dentures, incorporating the digital 3D occlusal design.
- Surgical guides for ideal implant positioning and biomimetic custom 3D printed bone grafts to replace missing osseous segments.
- Orthodontic aligners printed with CBCT data and AI extrapolation of tooth movement over time.
- Printed periodontal guides that relieve and retract gingival margins, offering an aesthetic gingival correction.
- Soft tissue printing is currently in the research phase.
- And many, many more.
Because 3D dental printing is so innovative, so promising, and so disruptive, it requires its own truly accommodating niche to nurture its growth and progress. 3D printing must engage open minds and imaginative spirits and empower science-based risk-takers who can challenge conventional wisdom and established practice: hardware and software experts, technicians, and dental professionals. The International Academy for Dental 3D Printing (https://iad3dp.org/) was founded in Cologne at IDS 100. Membership is open and free, and the organization offers an open forum for discussion and timely presentations of new ideas (even if they seem far-fetched). The iad3Dp exists to attract and collect information and clinical feedback and effectively disseminate this information around the globe.
Welcome to 3D printing. Welcome to the future of dentistry.
About the Editor
Dr. George Freedman is a founder and past president of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, co-founder of the Canadian Academy for Esthetic Dentistry, Regent and Fellow of the International Academy for Dental Facial Esthetics, and a Diplomate and Chair of the American Board of Aesthetic Dentistry. He is an Adjunct Professor of Dental Medicine, at Western University, Pomona, California. He is the author of 14 textbooks, (most recent: Contemporary Esthetic Dentistry), > 900 dental articles, and numerous webinars, and an internationally renowned lecturer on aesthetic restoratives, adhesion, implants, veneers, 3D printing, and dental technologies.
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