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[–] 93 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (11 children)

Dentistry has made quite a few leaps. When I was young fillings were metal. Now they are a putty that dries within seconds with uv light shine upon it.

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  • [–] 40 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    Yup, and when I needed a new brace the dentist made a 3D scan of my teeth to have a custom one made.

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  • [–] 8 points 2 months ago

    I had the same for my last guard (to keep me from grinding teeth at night). The previous guard relied on a mold, which I swear loosened a filling that fell out a week or two later.

    The tech is pretty amazing. They still need a drill though.

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  • [–] 12 points 2 months ago* (7 children)

    Also, braces are practically invisable now and 3d printed

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  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago (4 children)

    That is curious. I wonder what type of 3d printer and what type of material

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  • [–] 14 points 2 months ago (2 children)

    UV resin, basically, just super high resolution that makes it incredibly expensive (even the cheaper models used for quick check measurements by dentists cost $20k+ - that is, latest tech, brand new from manufacturer, before someone drops a link for a used unit from 2018 for 10 grand). But the sheer volume makes up for it, a single printer like that can be generating pure profit within a year.

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  • Eh, I'm not sure about that. I have an Invisalign retainer and have been 3d printing for a few years now, and from the looks of it they just did a regular FDM printing of the teeth then vacuume-formed plastic over that. Having printed the same files myself (dentist was happy to give the scan to me), and seeing as the retainer has very visible layer lines on the inside (too thick for resin printing), that seems more likely.

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  • [–] 1 point 2 months ago

    Incredible, and thanks for the reply.

    I was thinking it had to be a resin printer. What I thought was curious was the potential for bacteria in the layer lines, I guess with this type of printer, whatever proprietary material they're using (lol), and the proper sanitation methods, it's probably not an issue.

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