3D printing allows a whole set of dentures to be made in one day

3D printing allows a whole set of dentures to be made in one day

2023-07-30

Dentures are increasingly common in Taiwan’s aging society. Now digital technology provides more options to produce dentures quickly and easily. 3D printing allows a whole set of teeth to be made in one day. A patient can walk into the dental clinic in the morning and leave with dentures in their mouth that afternoon. In the past, that process would take a minimum of two weeks. Let’s now step into a clinic to see the work in action.

a dentist scans the patient’s mouth with a tiny camera. In real time, a 3D model appears on the computer screen. These days, a set of dentures can be made in one day. Dentists work with dental technicians to immediately 3D print the new dentures in the clinic.

Hsieh Yi-hsun
CAD/CAM engineer
The doctor scans the mouth, and then sends us the file. The advantage of digital is that when you look at it here it’s very clear.

The image is magnified again and again. Every corner of the mouth is clear. The model can forecast how the jaws will meet in a bite. After the technician has designed a denture, the ceramics are put into a grinder and cut into shape in about six minutes.

Voice of Hsieh Yi-hsun
CAD/CAM engineer
The teeth which are cut for us by the machine are about 80% finished. Then they need to be worked on in post by the technician.

It’s the technician’s time to shine. They correct the grain on the dentures’ surface in 10 minutes. A photo is used to dye them in another 10 minutes, mimicking the translucence of tooth enamel. Finally they go in a high-temperature ceramics oven to fix the color.

Hsieh Yi-hsun
CAD/CAM engineer
Compared to the traditional method, mistakes are likely to be smaller. We can complete a single molar in about half an hour, including the design and processing. If we need to do a full set of 28 teeth for the patient, it’s no problem to finish it all in one day.

Lin Yu-shu
Dentist
Some older people may be infirm, and it’s inconvenient for them to come into the clinic. We can now complete the dentures for them in one day. Traditionally, for example, there might be issues with the fitting and we would have to send the dentures back to the technicians.

In the past, dentures would be made by hand in a technical workshop. It would take about two weeks, and longer if adjustments were needed. But with a 3D printer, it just takes one day and is all done on the spot in the clinic, increasing efficiency and reducing errors. The only catch is the cost.

Liu Sung-ho
Industrial Technology Research Institute
Digital design and 3D printing basically use the same materials as traditional methods, or even better. Now we’re bringing titanium alloys into various applications. Compared to traditional metals, it’s lighter in weight but stronger.

As Taiwan’s population ages, demand for dentures is always growing. These digital technologies can make the production of false teeth easier and swifter, and give patients more options.

3D列印假牙一天就能拿到成本相對高一點

2023-07-30

過去裝假牙，動輒要10天、半個月，現在時間可以縮短不少！因為牙醫診所引進3D列印技術，取代過去印模、人工雕刻的繁瑣程序，以全口假牙為例，製作時間從14天縮短成1天，不少診所，甚至有牙技師進駐，早上看診，下午就能裝上假牙。

牙醫師拿著迷你鏡頭，在病人口腔裡掃描，電腦同步出現3D數位模型，現在想做假牙，當天就能完成，因為牙醫師與牙技師合作，直接在診所裡，導入3D列印數位化科技。

[[CAD/CAM 技術長謝怡珣]]
“醫生就是口掃完，就會把檔案傳過來，數位的好處就是在這邊看可以很清楚”

放大再放大，每個角度都很清楚，還能模擬咬合情形，牙技師在電腦設計好後，將瓷塊放進研磨機裡，交由鑽針，約六分鐘切割完成。

[[聲音來源:CAD/CAM 技術長謝怡珣]]
“機器幫我們車出來的牙齒，大概成品是80%，這時候就需要靠技師去做後製”

輪到牙技師上場，10分鐘修整表面紋路，10分鐘比對照片染色，模擬半透明琺瑯層，最後放進瓷爐高燒定色。

[[CAD/CAM 技術長謝怡珣]]
“相比傳統可能比較誤差不會那麼大，單顆後牙我們在設計加製作，大概半小時內就能完成，病人全口就是有28顆要做的話，可以在一天內完成是沒有問題的”

[[牙醫師林禹書]]
“有一些長輩他有時候行動不方便，他來一趟診所也不太方便，我們也可以選擇用當天完成的假牙，幫他完成，傳統的話，比如說我們在裝戴的時候，有一些狀況，我們必須還要再送回去給技工所”

傳統假牙，要交給牙技所手工製作，花費約兩周時間，若要修改還要來回，3D列印一天就能拿到，也能現場修正，提高效率、減少誤差，不過成本相對高一點。

[[工研院南分院組長劉松河]]
“數位設計加上3D列印的話，它基本上它的材質跟傳統比起來是一樣，甚至更好，那現在其實我們都有些應用上面，都導入鈦合金，跟傳統的金屬比起來，它的重量更輕，強度更強”

面對台灣人口老化，假牙需求越來越高，數位化技術，讓假牙製作更快速精準，也給病患多一個選擇。

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Kim Yang
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