DFS: Simplified Digital Workflows via 3D Printing

In today’s busy life, patients may have trouble when treatment requires multiple appointments to coordinate their work and home schedules. Typically, when the restoration of teeth is related to failing amalgam/composite restorations or caries, teeth may require more extensive treatment than just placing another direct restoration. It will typically require 2 appointments. The first appointment involves the preparation of the teeth to remove the existing restorative material and caries, an impression taken, and a provisional restoration placed. The second appointment is scheduled after lab fabrication of the restoration to insert it intraorally.

Using 3D printing, with its advances in printable resin materials and hardware to create those restorations, allows the practitioner to fabricate those indirect restorations in the office in a single appointment. Additionally, 3D printing resins have advanced, incorporating higher amounts of ceramic particles to improve the materials’ wear and durability. The FDA cleared those resins for definitive crowns, inlays, onlays, and veneers. Ceramic Crown HT resin (SprintRay) features greater than 60% ceramic particles, providing good aesthetics with high translucency. It is currently available in shades A1, A2, and B1 and available on the Midas system in capsule format. Highly filled resins have posed some problems in their use in traditional 3D printing due to their high viscosity compared to traditional 3D printing resins used for the fabrication of restorations.

Dr. Shao is the clinical director for BioMaterial Innovation Lab, a digital dentistry educator, and a full-time clinician at Sunrise Dental Center in Huntington Beach, Calif, where he integrates cutting-edge digital and 3D printing technologies in patient care. He is the founder and president of Unicone Design Consulting, specializing in various design and rapid prototyping in various field. He is also a guest lecturer and educator in digital dentistry for multiple dental schools globally. He can be reached at steven@uniconedesign.com.

No fuss, hands-on approach to learn digital dentistry workflows involving scanning > design > 3D Print > delivery. Immediately take back to your practice the clinical pearls and begin generating production the next day.

• Proper scanning for Buccal Bite capture in order to avoid adjustments.
• Maryland bridge fabrication for immediate provisionalization.
• Shell Temps to convert more Cosmetic Cases.
• Endoguides to achieve patency and reduce chairtime.
• Nesting protocols to avoid polishing appliances.
• Clear aligner therapy workflow to begin more ortho cases today.
• Inlay/onlay -- indirect restorative workflows for single-visit quadrant dentistry.

Overall, the main objective is to help attendees both clinicians and auxillaries to become proficient and comfortable navigating the digital workflow to begin real-time implementation the next day.

In-office 3D printing allows the practitioner to treat teeth requiring an inlay, an onlay, or a crown in a single appointment, eliminating the need for the patient to wear a provisional restoration while waiting on the lab to fabricate the restoration and return it to the practice for insertion. Additionally, this is more convenient for the patient as it eliminates the need for a second appointment. Midas and the high-filled ceramic resins used in its 3D printing unit provide definitive restorations in a single appointment with its short printing time, resulting in highly aesthetic restorations. The improved accuracy, efficiency, predictability, and material science of the Midas printer system opens new doors to another high-quality, same-day-visit dentistry for patient treatment.