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Boston Micro Fabrication’s dental enterprise unit UltraThineer has documented the usage of no-prep 3D printed zirconia veneers in treating a 36-year-old affected person who offered with each aesthetic and practical challenges.
The affected person exhibited elevated overjet, shade variations starting from A1 to A3, anterior misalignment, and put on in step with a historical past of extreme bruxism. In search of a brighter and extra uniform smile, the affected person requested a minimally invasive answer that prevented orthodontics and enamel discount. Scientific examination confirmed generalized attrition, discoloration, and chunk instability.
After complete diagnostic work, together with radiographs, pictures, and digital scans, the remedy plan was developed for 16 no-prep veneers, ten on the higher arch and 6 on the decrease. The ultimate design used shade BL3 to unify the looks whereas preserving the pure character of the smile. Working with Dr. Tai Ha of Newport Seaside Dental Studio, delicate corrections have been made to the maxillary anterior tooth to enhance symmetry with out altering the individuality of the affected person’s dentition.
Balancing perform with aesthetic outcomes
As a result of bruxism complicates long-term restorative success, specific consideration was given to occlusion and practical stability. Conventional porcelain veneers typically require enamel discount, which might weaken the bonding floor and compromise leads to sufferers with robust occlusal forces.
Extremely-thin zirconia veneers allowed the staff to protect enamel whereas nonetheless attaining sturdy adhesion. Digital smile design enabled managed corrections to alignment and symmetry, balancing practical necessities with the affected person’s choice for a pure look reasonably than a uniform “good” smile.
The medical process started with shade trials utilizing totally different cements, adopted by ultrasonic cleansing and etching of the veneers with hydrofluoric acid. They have been then handled with silane primer and bonding resin earlier than cementation. On the tooth surfaces, preparation concerned pumicing, micro etching, phosphoric acid etching, and software of adhesive.
The veneers have been seated with everlasting cement, tack cured for stability, after which totally mild cured. Extra cement was eliminated fastidiously utilizing hand devices to protect margin integrity, avoiding any rotary devices across the veneer edges. In whole, seating, cement cleanup, occlusal changes, and radiographic verification took roughly 4 hours. Following supply, protecting measures have been emphasised to safeguard the restorations.
The affected person was referred for a sleep examine to research potential sleep-related respiratory issues linked to parafunctional exercise and was prescribed an occlusal guard to be worn nightly. These steps have been thought of important to cut back the chance of veneer chipping or failure and to help remedy longevity.
The result mixed enhancements in alignment, shade, and total smile concord whereas sustaining a conservative strategy. In highlighting the end result, the case demonstrates how no-prep zirconia veneers can deal with each aesthetic and practical calls for in complicated sufferers when supported by detailed diagnostics, digital planning, and interdisciplinary care.
Authors of the report concluded that predictable outcomes are doable when enamel preservation, occlusal administration, and ongoing protecting methods are prioritized.
3D printing enters wider dentistry practices
UltraThineer’s case provides to a rising physique of labor exploring how 3D printing can help veneers and different restorations with each aesthetic and practical precision.
At LMT Lab Day Chicago 2024, Austrian ceramic 3D printing firm Lithoz showcased the most recent improvement of its lithium disilicate materials, created with Ivoclar from IPS e.max powder to allow large-scale, patient-specific restorations.
Utilizing its Lithography-based Ceramic Manufacturing (LCM) course of, the corporate demonstrated 3D printed veneers as skinny as 0.3 mm and crowns designed to imitate pure translucency. A single CeraFab System S65 Medical printer reportedly delivered as much as 50 restorations in a single run, or 350 per day, attaining zero materials waste and eight instances the effectivity of standard strategies.
Final 12 months, Formlabs Dental obtained FDA 510(ok) clearance for its nano-ceramic-filled biocompatible materials Premium Enamel Resin. With the clearance, US dental professionals at the moment are capable of 3D print non permanent restorations together with veneers, crowns, inlays, onlays, and bridges of as much as seven models, matching approvals already granted within the EU.
Suitable with the Type 3B+, Type 3BL, and Type 4B printers, the resin is designed to duplicate the translucency and opalescence of pure tooth whereas adapting to every affected person’s anatomy. In a single case, a brief onlay was produced in simply 16 minutes utilizing the Type 4B system.
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Featured picture reveals post-treatment smile exhibiting UltraThineer no-prep zirconia veneers with improved alignment, brightness, and symmetry. Photograph through UltraThineer.