Reality Computing and Dental Restoration

Dental technology has changed a lot in the last decade. Technologies such as digital radiography, adhesive dentistry, and laser ablation have made visits to the dentist a lot less stressful, painful, and, time-consuming.

A recent article in Cadalyst magazine describes how Reality Computing has added dental restoration to that list. Traditionally, dental prosthetics (such as crowns, implants, and dentures) are created from a mold or impression of a patient’s mouth and teeth, and usually need a fair amount of adjustment by the dentist for a comfortable fit. For the patient, this can translate into multiple trips back to the dentist’s office.

The dental industry is now combining digital scanning, 3D modeling software, and 3D printing to reduce the time to manufacture custom dental prosthetics. For example, the article describes how one dental laboratory has cut product turnaround time from ten days to three.

The dentist uses an oral scanner to take 3D images of the inside of a patient's mouth (capture). The lab then uses that data in specialized modeling software to generate a 3D model of the prosthetic (compute). The resulting model is then fabricated on a 3D dental printer (create). The result is a more efficient, more accurate production process, and a lot less trips to the dentist!

And some dentists are bringing the production in-house, with systems that include a tooth scanner, modeling software, and 3D printer all-in-one, enabling the dentist to make a crown while the patient waits.

Read the full article here, and don’t forget to floss…