MythBusters: Dental 3D Printing Edition
DPS sits down with Benjamin Taylor, 3D Printing Engineer at Keystone Industries, to share the 3 most common fears about adopting 3D printing technology and why choosing a validated 3D-printing digital workflow is so important
As digital dentistry continues to make its way into the general dental practice, doctors now have greater access to new 
technologies and advanced materials that allow them to become more efficient in treating their patients. 3D printing in particular creates an opportunity for mass customization, same-day designs, and repeatability—saving time and cost for the doctor.
While early adopters of digital technology are off and running in this new dental world, some doctors understandably remain wary of change. The 3 most common fears to adopting 3D printing are:
- • Not understanding the full 3D digital workflow
- • Inadequate return on investment
- • Staffing and training concerns
1. Understanding the 3D-Printing Workflow
- One common struggle in the field is understanding the digital workflow and deciding what equipment you will need in your practice. There are 4 critical pillars in the 3D digital workflow and a community of resources to make sure you adopt not only the right equipment, but the best equipment.
Image Capture and Design: Digital scanning technology is certainly the future of dentistry when it comes to communicating with the lab and designing/fabricating restorations in the dental office. Top market intraoral scanner companies 
like 3Shape, Align Technology, Dentsply Sirona, and Medit not only offer the equipment and software, but provide the design software packages needed to fabricate prosthetics and appliances using computer-aided design. Once the scan is completed, digital design is the next step, which can either be outsourced or performed in-house using software from leading vendors like 3Shape, exocad, Dentsply Sirona, or Blue Sky Bio. Once the digital design is completed, you are ready to 3D print.
- 3D Printer: In my experience working with nearly two dozen dental 3D-printer partners, I would consider the following factors: your production needs vs. the printer capabilities; your desired accuracy requirements vs. printer capabilities; printer resources and support; and, most importantly, the availability of validated materials and trusted workflows. It may seem appealing to purchase the cheapest printer on the market, pour resin in, and adjust random settings until your print is visibly acceptable. However, that does not guarantee the accuracy, safety, and efficacy of the final product. Using a printer with validated materials not only gives you access to validated print settings and resources, but provides you with peace of mind in knowing you’re providing an accurate product to your patients.
- Wash: With 3D resins, which are alcohol solvable, a small wash station with Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) with 97%+ purity is necessary to fully remove residual resin from the 3D parts before final curing. Some printer companies offer their own wash station to users, while others use ultrasonic, stir, or shaker tables. The process of washing your 3D parts is highly important and most material companies offer guidance to achieve a successful wash. When cleaning your 3D parts, I recommend using soft brushes, timed washes, and compressed air for drying. Most resins, especially biocompatible resins, should not exceed 5 minutes of submerged IPA exposure or the device is susceptible to absorb IPA, causing a bad taste in splints, potential fractures in surgical guides, or decreased physical properties in models.
- Post Cure: The post-curing step is a critical part of the 3D printing process. A 3D printer is curing the part up to about 80%, so additional UV cure is necessary for 3D parts to gain ideal physical properties and enough cure for biocompatibility. Ensuring that the post-cure unit you use is tested and validated with both your printer and material not only guarantees the efficacy of your final device, but also provides a worry-free workflow that has been approved for accuracy and safety. For biocompatible resins, including splints, night guards, and surgical guides, it is important to follow every step with a validated workflow to ensure the part is safe for your patient. In my experience, customers' issues with splints smelling or tasting bad have been a direct result of not following a validated workflow.
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2. Is 3D Printing Worth the Investment?
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- 3D Printing provides plenty of opportunities to lower overhead costs and labor time, reduce material costs, and increase revenue for your practice. So, is it worth the investment? Let’s take splints and night guards as an example. Using Keystone’s KeySplint Soft allows you to customize a comfortable and strong splint for every patient, yield quick production turnaround times, and reproduce any splint on demand. Whether you fabricate 1 or 5 splints a day, you can limit active labor costs and ultimately streamline your splint production. Click here to view the KeySplint Soft Value Proposition for the General Practitioner.
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3. Time Commitment, Staff Issues, and Training
Now that you understand the workflow, equipment, and potential of 3D printing, you may be thinking, “Do I need additional staff members? What training is involved?” Fortunately, early adopters of 3D printing technology have forced manufacturers in the 3D printing space to work together and cater resources to dentists’ needs. For example, active labor time is limited to design development, nesting, post wash, and post processing. Certain printer companies offer endless support and resources for easy in-house training. It’s important to ask questions and fully understand what training is required for you and your staff before investing.-
The Power of a Validated 3D Digital Workflow
- The 3D digital workflow can easily be mastered, and choosing a validated workflow is key to ensuring not only that the dental devices you fabricate are dimensionally accurate and safe, but that you get the best return on your investment while allowing your practice to become streamlined and efficient. In the next few years, the dental market anticipates more 3D printers, continuous innovation in technology, and ongoing material development.
- Keystone Industries takes all validations seriously and has created a robust validation program to provide you with the best 3D products and workflows in the dental market.
- Post Cure: The post-curing step is a critical part of the 3D printing process. A 3D printer is curing the part up to about 80%, so additional UV cure is necessary for 3D parts to gain ideal physical properties and enough cure for biocompatibility. Ensuring that the post-cure unit you use is tested and validated with both your printer and material not only guarantees the efficacy of your final device, but also provides a worry-free workflow that has been approved for accuracy and safety. For biocompatible resins, including splints, night guards, and surgical guides, it is important to follow every step with a validated workflow to ensure the part is safe for your patient. In my experience, customers' issues with splints smelling or tasting bad have been a direct result of not following a validated workflow.
- Wash: With 3D resins, which are alcohol solvable, a small wash station with Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) with 97%+ purity is necessary to fully remove residual resin from the 3D parts before final curing. Some printer companies offer their own wash station to users, while others use ultrasonic, stir, or shaker tables. The process of washing your 3D parts is highly important and most material companies offer guidance to achieve a successful wash. When cleaning your 3D parts, I recommend using soft brushes, timed washes, and compressed air for drying. Most resins, especially biocompatible resins, should not exceed 5 minutes of submerged IPA exposure or the device is susceptible to absorb IPA, causing a bad taste in splints, potential fractures in surgical guides, or decreased physical properties in models.
If you would like to learn more about the 3D digital workflow, what Keystone Industries offers, or how we can assist you on choosing the best validated workflow for your practice, contact customerservice@keystoneind.com or visit dental.keystoneindustries.com
