Surgical Implant 3D has always aspired to use the latest technologies and devices to manufacture dental solutions, more specifically surgical guides, for its patients. However, only a few specialist manufacturers make surgical guides, limiting the options for outsourcing their production. These companies use Stereolithography (SLA), a 3D printing technology, to make the guides, which presents problems.
“The SLA parts we outsourced offered a significantly inferior level of resolution than the optical scanner we used to deliver a detailed scan of the patient’s mouth,” Nicolas Jager, Surgical Implant 3D Founding Partner, explains.“At the time, the SLA parts we received had a resolution of 150-micron layers, while the optical scanner provided a virtual 3D moulding of the mouth to an accuracy of five-micron layers. As a result, the surgical guides did not always fit precisely in the patient’s mouth and, in the worst-case scenarios, their instability during surgery made drilling work less accurate.” These inadequacies resulted in more difficult surgeries and long lead times.
Finding the Filling
Looking for an alternative 3D printing solution, Jager began talks with engineers from a subsidiary to SMOP, a virtual planning software that delivers improved bespoke surgical guides. Using SMOP, the jaw is recreated in 3D and dental implants can be positioned with exceptional accuracy. Impressed with the new benefits offered by the solution, Surgical Implant 3D began ordering its surgical guides from SMOP providers in conjunction with Stratasys PolyJet™ 3D printing technology.
Surgical Implant 3D was pleased enough with PolyJet technology to invest in its own Objet Eden260VS Dental Advantage™ 3D Printer. In-house 3D printing enabled the company to expand its business, including opening a 3D printing dental service focused on manufacturing guides for implantology for other dental surgeries.
