Customize High-Quality Appliances for Better Care & Lower Costs
Recently, the orthodontic industry has fully embraced in-house 3D printers. With a growing demand for orthodontists’ services, efficient and cost-effective appliance production is necessary if your practice wants to keep up.
With an in-house 3D printer, your practice can take a DIY approach to some of the most popular services you offer—eliminating shipping, inaccuracies, extended chair time, and extra costs. You may use the latest digital scanning and impression technologies to achieve great results, but you’re still not making much progress if your lab outsources aligners from somewhere else.
Now that EasyRx is introducing even more 3D printer integrations, it’s time to learn more about the hype. Here’s why using this tool can benefit your orthodontic practice and help you grow.
Faster Without Mistakes
If you’re relying on third-party labs to print appliances, there’s no way for you to monitor their accuracy. Sending back misprinted aligners puts your practice way behind schedule, leading to multiple visits with extended chair times.
But if you have an in-house 3D printer, you can create custom appliances quickly and easily, reducing the need for multiple visits and potentially speeding up treatment times. And since you’re able to monitor the production of each appliance, you’ll have better accuracy. Ultimately, you won’t need to keep returning misprinted aligners and waiting for corrected versions.
Happier Patients
Patients seek orthodontic treatment because they want to see change and having them wait longer than necessary can reduce patient satisfaction. Furthermore, outsourced aligners that don’t fit patients’ teeth correctly can cause discomfort. Moreover, sending these ill-fitting aligners back extends treatment times—forcing them to wait longer for results.
In-house 3D printing is an asset to your practice because it eliminates these barriers to your patients’ happiness. Since you’ll have complete control over the design and production of appliances, you’ll be able to meet each patient’s specific needs. And accuracy leads to more satisfactory results, improving patients’ experiences with your practice.
Certainly, patients appreciate spending less at your office and paying less for prolonged treatment times caused by extra lab fees.
Reducing treatment times also means:
You’ll Cut Unnecessary Costs
Eliminating the middleman can save your practice a significant amount of money. One study notes that dental offices spend nearly $61,000 yearly on lab expenses. Creating appliances in-house eliminates costs like service fees, shipping, and handling.
With EasyRx, printer integration is worth it: Practices save at least $1 on every printed model. Given the rising popularity of clear aligners, these savings can add up to a significant figure.
Not to mention, you may net greater profits. With shorter treatment times for patients, you’ll see more of them in each period, adding to your revenue. And since you’re faster and more accurate, patients will likely hear more good things about your practice, driving growth.
Become Your Own Orthodontic Manufacturer Lab
There are limitless possibilities and customization options with in-house 3D printing. With even more EasyRx printer integrations coming soon, you can choose the right tool that will benefit your orthodontic practice prescription workflow the most.
With your new tools, you can quickly create high-quality appliances for the best results—saving you money, making patients happier, and growing your business.
References
3D Printing Applications in Dentistry You Should Know. (2020, September 1). New.parkdentalresearch.com; Park Dental Research. https://new.parkdentalresearch.com/shop/index.php?route=extension/d_blog_module/post&post_id=3
GVR Report coverClear Aligners Market Size, Share & Trends Report Clear Aligners Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Age (Adults, Teens), By End-Use (Hospitals, Standalone Practices, Group Practices, Others), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 – 2030. (2022). Www.grandviewresearch.com; Grand View Research. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/clear-aligners-market
Sanchez, M. S. (2018, February 16). 3D Printing and In-house Aligners. Orthodontic Products. https://orthodonticproductsonline.com/treatment-products/aligners/3d-printing-house-aligners/
Shannon, T., & Groth, C. (2021). Be your own manufacturer: 3D printing intraoral appliances. Seminars in Orthodontics, 27(3), 184–188. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.sodo.2021.09.004
Tamer, İ., Öztaş, E., & Marşan, G. (2019). Orthodontic Treatment with Clear Aligners and The Scientific Reality Behind Their Marketing: A Literature Review. Turkish Journal of Orthodontics, 32(4), 241–246. https://doi.org/10.5152/TurkJOrthod.2019.18083