Recently, the fabrication of orthodontic clear aligners by 3D printing has been made possible by the introduction of 3D printable photocuring resins. 3D printed aligners offer several advantages over conventional thermoforming aligners. 3D printed aligners allow for greater precision and customizability in designing and manufacturing aligners. Skipping the intermediate steps for fabricating resin staged models and the subsequent thermoforming process can minimize the potential cumulative errors. Being able to control the geometry, 3D printed aligners can change the fundamentals of clear aligner biomechanics. Additionally, 3D printed aligners can be more environmentally sustainable, as it reduces the amount of waste generated from printing resin models and thermoforming clear plastic sheets. This presentation will introduce the digital workflow of the manufacturing process of 3D printed aligners and discuss the biomechanical aspects of 3D printed aligners.
Learning Objectives:
After this lecture, attendees will be able to:
Understand the difference between thermoforming aligners and 3D printed aligners.
Demonstrate the biomechanical advantages of 3D printed aligners.
Propose the potential clinical applications with 3D printed aligners.
