Selected from the archive for the 3D Printers collection — a quick, visual way into the topic before you go deeper.
Perhaps you were one of the lucky kids in your neighborhood who had to get braces. There is nothing like sharp metal pieces constantly in your mouth to lacerate your lips and tongue then cause discomfort while trying to eat. Eventually that faithful day came where you finally got to have your braces removed! And you probably thought that would be the last time you would have an uncomfortable piece of hardware in your mouth for an extended period of time... Then came the fitting for a retainer. The majority of folks use a Hawley retainer. The video above shows how these are currently made. The orthodontist would take a casting of your mouth, wait for it to harden, then send it to another company to create a brand new retainer out of wire and plastic. Well not only does this process cost quite a bit of money, man hours, and time, but it is now very much outdated with the introduction of 3d-printing and scanning. The casting can now be replaced with a 3d scanner that analyzes the inside of your mouth around both sides of your teeth. Instead of sending this mold to another company and waiting for the eventual product, a 3d printed model could now be created on the spot. Less time, money, and effort and eventual cost and headache to the eventual user. Actually, there is already a company doing this right now. Stratasys actually came out with their dental 3d-printer in March of 2013.