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It's interesting how much micro fabrication technology has infiltrated the dentists' offices. When I needed a couple of crowns a few years back, my dentist was

by drone 13y ago

It's interesting how much micro fabrication technology has infiltrated the dentists' offices. When I needed a couple of crowns a few years back, my dentist was able to make my permanent ones on the spot (while I waited). He used a hand-held 3d scanner and then a small CNC mill machined out the pieces. I'd presume other components will quickly move that way as well.

masonhensley 13y ago
Interesting, my dentist sends the permanent crown out to a lab who apparently guarantees fit based off the mold impressions. The turn around time is about 2-3 weeks. For those of you fortunate enough to not have any crowns, a temporary crown created while in the dentist chair is worn in the interim. A temporary crown takes about 15-30 minutes to make. I bet out sourcing that allows him to see more patients. I wonder what the economics look like between the two options on the dentist's end.
- drone 13y ago
  He previously out-sourced the work, in the traditional way (I'm unfortunate to have 12 crowns done by him). This is much, much better - the machining took 30 minutes, and he worked on other patients in the mean-time. He indicated his profit margins per crown were higher, while the price to me was lower. As I was heading out to Europe the next week, having permanent crowns made my life much more enjoyable. =) I think the big drawback was that he had to pay for the machines and software - he indicated that he would have them paid off in a year or two.
  - toomuchtodo 13y ago
    The handheld scanner and mill are key. My dentist and I also spoke about 3D printing, and he said you need 50 micron resolution or better, which 3D scanning and milling can do, but not 3D printing. You want the best fit possible, otherwise the piece will fail.
    - drone 13y ago
      Yeah, I don't think low-cost 3D printing is yet where it needs to be for this purpose - but PLA definitely is the wrong choice. I wonder if the sinterized metal/ceramic printers have higher resolution. (Admittedly, I have little knowledge of this class of printer. And, generally, I still prefer subtractive machining for precision parts.)

by drone 13y ago

masonhensley 13y ago

Interesting, my dentist sends the permanent crown out to a lab who apparently guarantees fit based off the mold impressions. The turn around time is about 2-3 weeks. For those of you fortunate enough to not have any crowns, a temporary crown created while in the dentist chair is worn in the interim. A temporary crown takes about 15-30 minutes to make. I bet out sourcing that allows him to see more patients. I wonder what the economics look like between the two options on the dentist's end.

drone 13y ago
He previously out-sourced the work, in the traditional way (I'm unfortunate to have 12 crowns done by him). This is much, much better - the machining took 30 minutes, and he worked on other patients in the mean-time. He indicated his profit margins per crown were higher, while the price to me was lower. As I was heading out to Europe the next week, having permanent crowns made my life much more enjoyable. =) I think the big drawback was that he had to pay for the machines and software - he indicated that he would have them paid off in a year or two.
- toomuchtodo 13y ago
  The handheld scanner and mill are key. My dentist and I also spoke about 3D printing, and he said you need 50 micron resolution or better, which 3D scanning and milling can do, but not 3D printing. You want the best fit possible, otherwise the piece will fail.
  - drone 13y ago
    Yeah, I don't think low-cost 3D printing is yet where it needs to be for this purpose - but PLA definitely is the wrong choice. I wonder if the sinterized metal/ceramic printers have higher resolution. (Admittedly, I have little knowledge of this class of printer. And, generally, I still prefer subtractive machining for precision parts.)