Cost-Effectiveness Of A 3D Printer In Dentistry

If you’ve ever considered the possibility of fabricating dental bridges and crowns in-house, the cost of laboratory equipment to do so alone is $100,000 or more. Then there’s the matter of hiring and retaining a skilled dental technician to operate that equipment. Compare this to the one-time cost of $15,000 – $20,000 for a state-of-the-art 3D printer, which actually comes with all the material you need to get started.

These reduced costs will also reflect in your patients’ bills. One single traditionally-made crown can easily cost $2,000 (if not more). Thanks to the lower overhead costs of 3D printers, you can cut down this bill by 70-80%. And of course, 3D printing allows for faster and more accurate finished products.  

Consistently precise treatments mean your patients are less likely to need to return for repeat work for the same dental issue, saving their money and time. This is a good thing; a satisfied patient is far more likely to become a loyal customer and refer others, contributing to your long-term success.

Regenerative Dentistry

People have always had this preconceived notion that when their teeth fall out with age (or due to damage), they are supposed to be replaced by prostheses. Regenerative dentistry is set to change that perspective in the years to come.

Scientists are bringing us really close to reliable dental technologies to regenerate teeth so the damaged teeth can be replaced with real teeth made up of nerves, dentin, and blood vessels, rather than plastic, ceramic, or metal replacements. The day is not far off when biological therapy for damaged teeth and self-healing teeth will be the new normal.

Researchers at University of Nottingham and Harvard University have recently developed fillings that allow injured teeth to heal themselves. These dental fillings stimulate stem cells that accelerate the growth of the calcified tissue known as dentin. Patients can now effectively re-grow teeth that have been damaged in an accident or disease.

Even more exciting, researchers at KU Leuven University in Belgium have come incredibly closer to regrowing teeth from the root with the help of 3D printing. They set out to investigate the 3D printing of chitosan scaffolds extracted from fungal and animal sources, which could potentially be used in regenerative dentistry applications. The results have been very promising, and could potentially do away with root canals altogether.