Accelerating the Pace of Modern Dentistry
With speed, accuracy, and versatility, SprintRay’s 3D printing workflow is transforming the dental practice
Daniel Vasquez, DDS, specializes in digital dentistry. He’s long been an advocate of digital impressions, 3D imaging, and chairside crowns, but at the core of his practice in Oceanside, CA, is a commitment to deliver the highest-quality dentistry. “All we want is one thing: a ‘wow’ from our patients,” he said. “Not just because of the technology we have, but because of every aspect of what we do and what we are able to deliver.”
The high-quality dentistry they deliver was once referred to as the future of dentistry—a future where patients leave with a perfectly fitting crown, clear aligner, or night guard at the end of their first appointment. For Dr. Vasquez, this more efficient, high-return, patient-pleasing practice is made possible thanks to 3D printing, and in particular, the digital ecosystem from SprintRay. Designed specifically for the unique needs of dental professionals, the SprintRay 3D printing solution—desktop printer, automated wash/dry and post-processing units, printing materials, and software—is built for speed and accuracy. Practices that print dental models, prostheses, surgical guides, clear aligners, occlusal guards, and more can better respond to patient needs and offer new treatment options while lowering costs, reducing lead times, and improving treatment outcomes.
“3D printing has made my dentistry more efficient. It’s faster and it’s less expensive for me, and there are no mistakes.”
- Daniel Vasquez, DDS
“3D printing has made my dentistry more efficient,” Dr. Vasquez said. “It’s faster and it’s less expensive for me, and there are no mistakes. I design, I hit click, the team prints, and whether it’s a model, a prosthesis, or a splint, it’s going to come out perfectly. Printing has accelerated how we can deliver our dentistry.”
A Practice Turnaround
Dr. Diana Tadros has seen a similar transformation at her Fort Lauderdale, FL, practice. She initially purchased a 3D printer so she could produce her own models. “I had been spending about $1,000 for a wax-up from the labs—and that was before the patient would even say ‘yes’ to the case. A lot of times, I would eat that cost because I was embarrassed to ask the patient for that money. And I was waiting 3 weeks for the turnaround from the lab.”
Today, using the SprintRay digital workflow, Dr. Tadros creates models—from scan to design to print—in under 15 minutes. She went from spending tens of thousands of dollars a year on wax-ups, often for cosmetic cases that did not move forward, to virtually nothing (each printed model costs an estimated $2 in materials). She’s also realized the true value of in-office 3D printing, producing temporaries, surgical guides for implants, night guards, and more. Using exocad software, she designs during consultation appointments, a process that has transformed her patient acceptance rate for cosmetic and restorative cases.
The Latest Innovations
Having already revolutionized the traditional dental practice workflow, SprintRay has continued to innovate, unveiling systems with greater intelligence, speed, and versatility.
The Pro S Dental 3D Printer is designed to make it easy to learn, train, and delegate the in-office production workflow, with user-friendly software and self-monitoring hardware. Keeping track of its own activity, the Pro S uses on-screen prompts and instructions to help the team keep it running optimally. With super-fast print speeds, the new unit brings even greater accuracy thanks to improved factory calibration and a new glass projector lens.
For post-curing, the ProCure 2 is 25 times more powerful than other curing products and fast enough to enable true chairside workflows. Thanks to its custom wishbone curing engine, the unit can completely post-cure 3D printed dental parts in a fraction of the time of its predecessors—for example, occlusal guards are cured in 4 minutes; dental models, 2 minutes; surgical guides, 2 minutes; full-arch implant dentures, 5 minutes; indirect bonding trays, 2 minutes; and try-in dentures, 2 minutes.
For Dr. Vasquez, this quickness translates to true chairside dentistry. “The technology that they have introduced in the ProCure 2 is just crazy,” he said. “When I first got it, I said, ‘No, it is too fast—it can’t be!’ But it’s perfectly cured and good to go.”
Efficiency at Chairside
For his crown workflow, Dr. Vasquez scans, designs, and sends the fi le to be 3D printed. A team member will then move the printed crown to the Pro Wash/Dry automated washing system, and then to the ProCure 2 before it is tried in. “The fit is perfect. And then from there, it's just traditional steps—just bond it, put it back in.”
From consultation to finish, he is delivering a crown in 90 minutes, with many of the steps done by an assistant while he sees other patients. “I can see 3 patients during this time, but the assistants manage the patient. And the beautiful thing is that the dental assistant enjoys doing it, whether they’re printing, polishing, or glazing. They take pride in what they do.”
In her practice, Dr. Tadros often provides same-day temporaries by printing while the patient waits in the chair. She describes the in-house process as far more predictable than her former lab workflow.
“You cannot do any kind of same-day dentistry without having a 3D printer in your office,” she said. “You can’t do same-day temps, you can’t do same-day night guards, you can’t do same-day anything unless you’ve got this workflow in your office.”
Cutting-Edge Dentistry
With low operating costs, minimal maintenance, and a user-friendly design, SprintRay products make it easy for any practice to adopt a digital workflow with 3D printing. According to Dr. Vasquez, every dentist can and should practice dentistry this way. “Has it changed my life? No. But it’s made my life fun and exciting, and I can do more things faster for my patients," he said. "The ultimate goal is to deliver the best-quality dentistry. So, when I can combine technology to deliver that to the patient and get a 'wow,' that’s priceless. That’s what technology has done for my practice.”
