Improving Treatment Capabilities With 3D Printed Permanent Restorations
Pac-Dent’s Rodin™ Sculpture produces strong restorations with exceptional esthetics
When Chonway Tram, DDS, decided to become a practice owner, he chose to start a new business from scratch rather than purchase an existing one. "I wanted to open a practice that would cater to my philosophy and allow me to take care of patients in the way that I saw fit," he says. At Kaio Dental in Rancho Cucamonga, California, Tram does just that. "Our vision is to provide our patients with quality dental care and options," he says. "We try to do things better, faster, and sometimes more affordably for patients while always providing the highest quality care possible."
According to Tram, it has been challenging to build a reputation in the community, but after 10 years of practice ownership, he finally is seeing word-of-mouth referrals flow in. "Patients are finding us now as opposed to us finding them through marketing efforts," he says. "That is a blessing." In part, patients are finding Tram's practice because he invests in the latest technology and materials to offer them state-of-the-art treatments, such as 3D printed permanent restorations fabricated from Pac-Dent's Rodin™ Sculpture 3D printing resin. With its nanohybrid ceramic formulation, Rodin Sculpture possesses superior mechanical properties and esthetic characteristics that facilitate the production of lifelike permanent restorations. "The Rodin™ line of 3D printing resins includes a number of great options, including Rodin™ Splint, Rodin™ Denture Base, Rodin™ Surgical Guide, Rodin™ Model, and Rodin™ Try-In, but Rodin Sculpture is the material that really shines," Tram says. "The ability to 3D print a restoration that is considered permanent from a material with ceramic filler, great color retention, a high level of accuracy, and an excellent success rate is so impactful." Rodin Sculpture is FDA 510(k) cleared as a Class II medical device and fulfills all of the necessary regulatory requirements for use in both permanent and temporary dental restorations. In addition, its best-in-class radiopacity provides superior clarity on radiographs, and its high concentration of true ceramic fillers ensures maximal fracture resistance and minimizes the need for repair visits.
Tram utilizes Rodin Sculpture for veneers, including the no-preparation variety, as well as for onlays and crowns in certain situations. He handles the digital design and the staining and glazing himself—using Rodin™ Glaze—and his assistants manage the washing and curing steps. From anesthetization to final delivery, Tram estimates that the process takes approximately 90 minutes. Furthermore, unlike milling, 3D printing permits the fabrication of multiple restorations simultaneously. "For many patients with recurrent decay, we are performing quadrant dentistry and treating multiple teeth," he says. "When we can still offer that short of an appointment time in those situations, that immensely benefits both the patient and the practice."
Perhaps the most significant benefit, Tram notes, is the fit of these 3D printed restorations. "I know it will be perfect," he says. "I know that the margins will be perfect. Even with no-preparation veneers, the mechanical retention that is obtained without try-in paste is remarkable. I do not need to worry about anything popping off. The anatomy and fit remain so true to the design that I am able to deliver a better-quality restoration than a typical direct Class II or mesial-occlusal-distal restoration."
Minimal or no-preparation veneers are viable because of the strength of the material. Rodin Sculpture exhibits a flexural strength of 160 to 182 MPa, a flexural modulus of 6,500 MPa, and fracture toughness of 1.4 ± 0.12 MPa • m1/2 "The material is super strong, and no patient wants aggressive tooth preparations," Tram says. "An onlay printed from Rodin Sculpture is much stronger than a direct composite restoration. It still has the ability to flex to accommodate the bite, but it is strong enough to not chip or crack like direct restorations often do."
Regarding Rodin Sculpture's esthetics, it is now available in 16 shades to facilitate accurate shade matching, and Tram emphasizes that just a bit of glaze makes the restorations look highly lifelike. Rodin Glaze is a biocompatible, Class II, light-cure resin that has been meticulously designed to deliver a stunning, glossy finish. "Once glazed, Rodin Sculpture demonstrates a very natural color; it is not just blasting out white," Tram says. "These restorations can go anywhere."
Any time that Tram has had questions or wanted feedback, Pac-Dent has been there to provide support—a factor that is essential to success for any digital dentistry product. "I like that Pac-Dent is a California-based company," Tram says. "Their team provides excellent customer service and is very much in tune with what dentists like and use. I can reach out to them and usually get a response within a couple of hours. Because there are so many different types of resins on the market, support is really important with these products. Having someone to guide you is critical, and Pac-Dent provides some of the best support in the business."
Importantly, the Rodin line of resins can be used in a variety of 3D printers, including those from Asiga, Ackuretta, and Phrozen, with more being validated each day. Tram uses an Ackuretta SOL to print his restorations. "We are getting close to the point where 3D printed resins will replace traditional restorative materials," he says. "Pac-Dent is making major strides toward that end by producing their Rodin resins as open-source materials so that they can function with many types of printers. Making their product available to as many dental professionals as possible is helping people see that 3D printing is the future of dentistry. This is amazing stuff." Tram encourages any dentist who is reluctant about venturing into 3D printing to simply try it. "We are at a juncture where 3D printing is becoming more mainstream, so I recommend at least learning the basics," he says. "It opens entirely new doors in terms of what is possible."
For Tram himself, reaping the benefits of 3D printing is validating his decision to open a practice from scratch and do everything his way. "With this tool added to our armamentarium," he says, "we can treat teeth better and be more conservative in our approach. We can treat patients the way that they deserve to be treated."
Key Points
•Rodin Sculpture's nanohybrid ceramic formulation possesses superior mechanical properties and esthetic characteristics.
•Produce lifelike permanent restorations on par with those made from traditional materials while streamlining the production process and reducing manufacturing costs.
•FDA 510(k) cleared as a Class II medical device that fulfills all necessary regulatory requirements for use in both permanent and temporary dental restorations.
•Best-in-class radiopacity provides dentists with superior clarity on radiographs.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Pac-Dent • pac-dent.com • 909-839-0888
