3D-Printing

The first 3D-printed denture was developed by Dentca in 2015.⁵ 3D printing is also termed additive manufacturing (AM) or rapid prototyping (RP). In 3D printing the denture base is printed in pink material, the artificial teeth may be either printed with the prosthesis (monolithic) or printed individually or as a complete arch in tooth shade material or selected from a prefabricated series and bonded to the printed denture base. 3D-printed dentures are more cost-effective than milled dentures.⁵ 3D-printed dentures have an inferior fit, dimensional stability, flexural strength, and surface hardness compared to conventional and milled dentures.^5,30-33 The advantage of 3D printing is minimal material wastage and that they are more time and cost-effective compared to milled dentures. Currently, 3D-printed complete dentures are indicated as interim or immediate dentures. They may also be used for the fabrication of custom trays or record bases for conventional workflows.