How can 3D-printing technology be used to improve dental restorations? This is what a recent study published in Ceramics International hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated a novel technique for producing dental restorations. This study has the potential to help scientists, medical professionals, and the public better understand improvements in dental care that are cost-effective and efficient.
For the study, the researchers used a combination of 3D-printing and zirconia to develop a new technique called the ultrafast thermal debinding (UFTD) process for designing and constructing dental parts. The motivation of this study comes from the extensive and costly traditional processes that typically take between 20 to 200 hours, typically from the debinding process that occurs after an object is 3D-printed. However, UFTD significantly reduces time and cost by only needing 30 minutes to produce dental restoration devices like crowns and veneers. What makes this method significant is its use of zirconia, which is considered the peak material used for dental restoration.
Image of the 3D-printed, zirconia-made dental restoration. (Credit: The University of Texas at Dallas)
“We are excited to be advancing the commercialization of chair-side 3D-printed, all-ceramic zirconia permanent dental restorations,” said Dr. Majid Minary, who is a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at Dallas and a co-author on the study. “Because the crowns can be custom-printed for each patient on the same day, this approach offers greater personalization, faster treatment and the convenience of receiving a permanent restoration in a single visit.”
While dental restorations are very common, especially among adults, the number of dental restorations actually decreased by 50 percent between 2001 and 2018, primarily due to an increase in preventive treatment and diagnostic procedures. Regardless, studies like this can help improve dental restorations by significantly reducing the time and cost for both dental professionals and patients.
How will this new technology help improve dental restorations in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
Sources: Ceramics International, EurekAlert!, American Dental Association
