3D printing in dentistry

RAPID PROTOTYPING techniques have been substantially employed in dentistry, but applications of RP in prosthodontics are relatively rare. Dental prostheses can be fabricated layer by layer directly from a computer model easily and rapidly by various RP techniques without part-specific tooling and human intervention. This technique is a revolutionary change for dental prosthesis fabrication. With the development and research of the diversity for RP systems and correspondingly built materials, it is possible to generate different kinds of dental prostheses for different applications. These applications include dental prosthesis wax pattern, dental (facial) prosthesis mold (shell), dental metal prosthesis, and zirconia prostheses. We believe that RP techniques are playing a more important role in prosthodontics and will become one of the mainstream technologies for digital fabrication of dental prostheses.