The convenience of in-house 3D printing is cost effective, streamlines workflow, and saves time and effort, allowing you to produce same-day crowns, custom surgical guides, and clear aligner models and dentures within minutes, with an extremely high degree of accuracy. 

We spoke to Henry Schein Senior Fast Track Specialist, Mosin Aboobaker, about the rise of the 3D printer, and how you can incorporate 3D printing into your dental practice or laboratory. Starting his Henry Schein career as a Laboratory Specialist almost 10 years ago, Mosin has extensive industry experience and is now the Connect Sales Specialist for Scotland and the Advanced Rebate Finance manager, while overseeing digital equipment for dental practices and laboratories. He summarises the basics of 3D printing, addresses common concerns, and explains how Henry Schein can help you join the 3D printing revolution.

What are the key benefits of incorporating a 3D printer into your dental practice?

MA: One of the key benefits of incorporating a 3D printer into your dental practice is that you can reduce your lab costs. If you are planning an implant for a patient, you will require a surgical guide, and dental laboratories can charge anywhere between £50-£150 for this. With a 3D printer, if we look at just the base cost of the resin, a surgical guide could cost you as little as £2-£3 per guide. 

3D printers have the functionality to print digital crowns as well, whether that’s for temporary or permanent resolutions. So if you need a temporary crown for a patient, you can scan and design it, send it to mill, and produce a much more cost-effective temporary crown, without the need for any additional temporary materials. 

Digital workflows also reduce storage costs, particularly in orthodontic practices. 3D printers go hand in hand with intraoral scanners: if your orthodontic practice has an intraoral scanner, you don't need to keep digital models for 10 years, and if you've got a 3D printer and require a digital model, you can print one out in the space of 20 minutes or less.

What should you look for when choosing a 3D printer? And what considerations differ from practice to practice? 

MA: The main things to consider are what you're looking to print, how accurate of a model you need to print, and what your budget is. Whether you're a starter surgery or a high-end surgery, Henry Schein’s selection of 3D printers are designed to fit the needs of every practice. For example, if we look at the full SprintRay package, you get the printer, the wash and dry unit, and the curing unit, as well as 1kg of resin.

I would advise that you start off small by printing models, temporary crowns, and surgical guides, for instance, before exploring the printing of temporary dentures, denture bases, and teeth. SprintRay have developed a new tank for the Pro 2 that allows you to print a denture base and teeth at the same time on its specially devised platform, as opposed to doing two individual prints.