Please activate JavaScript!
Please install Adobe Flash Player, click here for download
ePaper created 2015-06-05, 15:15:11 | version 1.38.0
industry I causethenewstandardinscanningiscolour,andthe standard in printing models from the scans will be colour as well, with the ability to print hundreds dif- ferentcolourshadesandproperties.Withourprinter, you can also create models with different levels of smoothness,sothat,forexample,amodelofthegin- givaisassoftandofthesamecolourasitisnaturally. _For which stage of treatment does the dentist needsuchacolourmodel? With our device, there are 90 different selection possibilities and 11 options for a printed model, so imagine how many you could print. If, for example, youtouchyourjawmodelattheteeth,itisveryhard; if you touch it at the gingiva, it is very soft. Using a mixtureofsoftandothermaterialsenablesustoprint the real softness of the gingiva. Now let us talk about the practical usage. You are doing an implant model and you need to determine theemergenceprofileofthecrownthatsitsonanim- plant screw. This requires a gingival mask. Today, this is done manually. Everything is digital, but the gingi- valmaskisstillmanual.Withourtechnology,youcan printthegingiva,selectthecolourandShoreAvalue, andtesthowthecrownemergesfromtherubberand thus the gingiva. We lend realism with materials, properties, textures. This is the only machine in the market that can do this. _Do you think that 3-D printing is an advantage fordentist–patientcommunication? Absolutely. Imagine that when the dentist scans the patient’s oral cavity he obtains a full model of what the patient’s mouth looks like, every broken tooth and every problem, allowing diagnosis and identification of the treatment required. With this, the dentist can explain how he or she is going to treat the teeth. You see this tooth is broken, that one has moved. The model offers a full understanding of whatthepatient’smouthlookslikeandit does not look like a stone model; it looks like the patient’s own mouth, in realistic colour. So, it is like the patient looking at himself or herself. With this, the dentist involves the patient in understanding what the dental process will be. _Howlongdoesittakefromcapturing theoralscantoreceivingthe3-Dmodel? We print at a speed of about 1 cm in heightperhour.Inprinting,thesizeisless relevant than the height. You can print 1 cm of enamel in 1 hour or even 2 cm in the same time. Relatively, this is consid- ered to be very fast. _Ipresumeyoucanalsoslowdownorspeedupthe printing process in respect of the quality you want to achieve? Correct. _This concept is the missing link in high-end den- tistry and implantology. Where do you see this going inthefuture?Atthemoment,wearestilltalkingabout modelsonly. This is the million-dollar question. We have the ability to print real-life models, dentures, crowns, bridges—everythingthatyouseeinthehumanorgans. Now,whatisthenextstep?Iamnottalkingspecifically aboutStratasysoraboutdentistry.Thenextstepisthat you are going to be able to print any end-user part. It couldbeanything.Thisisjusttoshowyouwhatasig- nificant advancement we have achieved. Issues from here onwards are materials, properties, medical ap- provals, and US Food and Drug Administration ap- provals.Butthisshowsthedirectionthatthemarketis going in. It could take one year, two years, five or ten. Thedentalindustryhasexistedformanyhundreds of years already, and now take a look around: in only afewyears,wehavedevelopedscanningincolourand printing in colour. What comes next? Use this as an end-product in colour. With our technology, not only can you print in colour, but you can also print every pixel of a tooth in a different colour tint. If, for exam- ple, you have a missing tooth, I could make you one with every pixel of it the same as one in your mouth. That is really the future that lies ahead for the indus- try.Thedaywillcome,maybeinthree,fiveoreventen years,wheneverythingthatisneededinthedentalin- dustrycanbeprintedandputin—itisaroundthecor- ner. Fig. 2_The new Objet260 Dental Selection. I 33implants2_2015