Digital Denture Philanthropy
Since SprintRay pivoted into the dental business, our dream has been to revolutionize dentistry for the better. One of our core principles is that wide-spread use of 3D printing leads to a brighter future. When we first entered the dental market, the 3D-printed digital denture was barely a blip on the radar. This radical new way to build dentures has come out of the inventiveness of dental clinics and labs, and has been met by advances in 3D printing materials. In the last six months, 3D printed dentures have exploded into their own quiet revolution in prosthodontics.
Life-Changing Digital Denture
Dr. August De Olivera, DDS. runs a private practice in Encino, California. As part of his attempt to improve the accessibility of dentistry, he utilizes new technologies to lower costs and increase treatment speeds. This month, Dr. Olivera 3D printed a full set of digital dentures for Steve, a patient who hasn’t has teeth since 1994 due to the cost of dentures. The best part? Dr. Olivera did it completely free. Utilizing SprintRay’s 3D printers and our certified open resin platform, he was able to 3D print the teeth and base separately, fuse them together, and fit Steve with a brand-new, functional set of teeth.
3D Printing Comes to Digital Dentistry
Traditional methods for denture production are extremely costly and involve long wait times for fabrication and shipping. But for Steve’s dentures, Dr. Olivera embraced digital dentistry. Because SprintRay’s 3D printers use an open certified resin system, Dr. Olivera was able to print FDA-cleared, biocompatible digital dentures for Steve without relying on hand-fabrication and expensive materials. Before 3D printing, the costs of dentures prohibited such acts of philanthropy: it simply wouldn’t be financially viable to offer a free set of dentures. Even the advent of CEREC milled denture pucks, which reduced the costs and wait times, required very costly material pucks for manufacturing.
The Next 100 Years
At SprintRay, when we say that our products represent the next century of dentistry, we have patient cases like Dr. Olivera’s in mind. Without the incredible cost savings of 3D printing, Steve might have continued the rest of his life without teeth. But when we put the power of 3D printing into the hands of people who can make a difference, everybody wins. A digital denture for Steve today represents a century of innovation that lies ahead for our technology. We can’t wait to see how far it goes.