3D Printed Braces

[Silent Cool]

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[free99]

This was news a month or two ago, but I just saw it pop up on Facebook again today. Naturally, I started skimming through the comments and was not particularly surprised at the deluge of dentist bashing. Most of the criticism centered around the cost of orthodontic care and how orthodontists are "ripping the public off." I respect the ingenuity and research Amos Dudley put into doing this, but I think most of the news surrounding it fails to recognize some key information.

He had braces in junior high, and was correcting crowded teeth as a result of not wearing his retainer in the years after his care. He probably has a class I bite, was fairly straight forward and didn't require any major changes in occlusion. He also has advanced training in 3D printing and design, and also had access to a lot of equipment, computers, and software that the general public doesn't. So the $100, or whatever the media says it cost him to fabricate the models/guards, is misleading. The cost of orthodontic care covers all of the overhead of a business (buying this equipment, training/compensating staff, paying rent, stocking the office with dental/business materials, malpractice insurance, benefits, etc, etc, the list goes on), and of course the training and expertise required to treat orthodontic cases comprehensively -- none of these expenses are ever mentioned by the media.

Another misinformed response that I've heard in reference to this case is how this technology will somehow revolutionize orthodontics... this technology is utilized in dentistry and orthodontics every day and is nothing new. Digital impressions, CAD/CAM crowns, bridges, onlays, etc, are becoming increasingly common - I was surprised that after seeing news of Dudley's case people think this will turn the practice of dentistry upside down. Dental care is expensive, and I sympathize with those who struggle to afford proper care, but I think the media's portrayal of this news story is seriously unbalanced.

 

[Sublimazing]

People will not print/fabricate their own braces, but I think it's pretty safe to assume that eventually a system will be available for dentists and orthodontists to make the trays in office and cut out invisalign. Companies like invisalign will continue to exist to provide consultation/expertise for GPs, but an ortho "cerec"-like printer will be available. I imagine the only thing stopping them now is that invisalign holds the patent.

I predict something similar will be available for surgical hardware at some point as well.

 

[DamonSelfLigation]

What the news and this video fails to mention is the amount of money that goes into Research and Development to do these tooth movements.

They also fail to mention that this student does not have the information on how to produce optimal forces, optimal timing, optimal treatment design in order to get a good result beyond the physical appearance. They do not mention the risks of root resorption, they don't mention anything other than alignment. They also fail to mention anything regarding tip, torque, extrusion, intrusion, all of which invisalign has spend several generations of their program optimizing.

I can spend a year going into the details, but this is why we get paid the money to educate our patients and this is why the treatment costs 5-10k.

 

[Firm]

People will not print/fabricate their own braces, but I think it's pretty safe to assume that eventually a system will be available for dentists and orthodontists to make the trays in office and cut out invisalign. Companies like invisalign will continue to exist to provide consultation/expertise for GPs, but an ortho "cerec"-like printer will be available. I imagine the only thing stopping them now is that invisalign holds the patent.

I predict something similar will be available for surgical hardware at some point as well.

The technology is already here.

The story left out the free labor that Dudley put in to make these aligners.

 

[Sublimazing]

The technology is already here.

The story left out the free labor that Dudley put in to make these aligners.

The technology for the orthodontic trays certainly is, but I'm pretty sure invisalign holds the patent. Like I said, individuals won't ever be making their own braces, but eventually dentists and orthodontists will have it in their office or local dental lab.

 

[Firm]

The technology for the orthodontic trays certainly is, but I'm pretty sure invisalign holds the patent. Like I said, individuals won't ever be making their own braces, but eventually dentists and orthodontists will have it in their office or local dental lab.

The use of clear aligners to move teeth has been around long before Invisalign. There is software now that allows you to move teeth. You're on your own printing 3D models and making Essix aligners.

 

[Sublimazing]

The use of clear aligners to move teeth has been around long before Invisalign. There is software now that allows you to move teeth. Your on your own printing 3D models and making Essix aligners.

As it stands there are really only 2-3 companies providing the send-off service and technically the ones other than Align are violating copyright. And I am sure the technology has been around in under developed modalities longer than invisalign has been around, but it certainly isn't common place. My point is that eventually there will be widespread use of localized 3D printing of clear trays coupled with easy to use orthodontic treatment planning software. Just like dental implants which continue to gain popularity with general dentists because they have been repeatedly improved and SIMPLIFIED, so to will clear tray orthodontics.

What a time to be alive.