,Empower your team, improve your care, and enjoy significant ROI with a dental 3D printer,
,Many dental practices have “gone digital.” They’re using digital radiography and, in many cases, intraoral scanners and CAD/CAM equipment. But what about 3D printing?, ,Dental 3D printers enable dentists to create night guards, clear aligners, castable and pressable restorations, splints, and dentures. However, for Sully Sullivan, DDS, the most valuable use and best ROI comes from the things dentists do every day—models and surgical guides. “If you’re doing 10 surgical guides a month, each between $150 and $300, that can add up to $3,000 per month,” Dr. Sullivan explained. “When you bring that in-house with 3D printing, the cost is around $20 per guide, saving you $1,800 per month.”, ,For Dr. Sullivan, one of the biggest reasons 3D printing has worked well in his office is because it’s team-driven. “Team members are empowered and the assistant’s role now encompasses both chairside care and lab work,” he said. “They take ownership of the process, which keeps them engaged and excited about their work.”,
, ,Dr. Jonathan Ng, a prosthodontist in Vancouver, believes the 3D printer is the essential new component of a dental practice. “Night guards and models are only the starting point—there is so much potential in the 3D printing space. It will open up the doors to a digital world that dental offi ces will need to embrace as the future continues to move toward digitization.” The ROI is easily quantifi able, Dr. Ng said. “The simple fact that we’re able to make prosthetics and models in-house eliminates the need for lab bills often associated with these steps.”, , ,Considerably less expensive than some of the other dental technologies, a dental 3D printer in the $5,000 to $10,000 range provides ample support, resin options, and accuracy verification. Further, it is inexpensive enough to provide break-even on investment after only a few months of operation., ,Dr. Sullivan says now is the time to jump onboard. “If you asked me a year ago, I would have said the technology and market were still changing, but now the tech is stable enough to be reproducible with our team and robust enough to work in a busy practice.”
