PRINT US A SMILE

B.J. Kowalski of ROE Dental Laboratory discusses 3D printing’s advancements in the dental industry

ROE Dental Laboratory has been lending its expertise to dentists since 1926, and has been at the forefront of dental technology throughout the following decades. Having been involved with the laboratory since his teenage years, B.J. Kowalski took over the family business from his father in 2001 and has been spearheading its progression across the 21st century. A recent part of that progression is the adoption of 3D printing technology in the creation of a wide range of dental products. “3D printing has been a serious tool for the last five years,” Kowalski tells 3D World, “and it has been an active part of our business for the last 15 years.” Currently ROE Dental Laboratory runs 50 3D printers 24 hours, seven days a week in order to produce a number of its products at a high level of precision. These products include dentures, replacement teeth, prosthetics and more. Even some of the components of ROE’S flagship product, CHROME GUIDEDSMILE, are 3D printed. Since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, they’ve even been producing PPE and nasal swabs. “[3D printing] became popular as a method to replace the lost wax technique first in cast partial dentures then in crowns and bridges, then for temporary devices such as surgical guides,” Kowalski explains. “In the last four years final materials such as dentures and interim restorations are being adopted by the market.” The growth of 3D printing in the dental industry is so huge that it’s predicted to grow by almost 29 per cent between 2020 and 2025. In fact, 3D printing improves on traditional methods of manufacturing dental products with greater speed (with most appliances), more consistency and, with some materials, superior material properties. Kowalski agrees that the potential is there for longterm devices that have the aesthetics of the current milled or hand fabricated alternatives. With that said, there are still some factors preventing 3D printing from becoming the standard method of manufacturing dental products and the technology is still in its relative infancy. New dentists are trained using traditional practices in dental schools, becoming more exposed to digital technologies in the outside world. There’s also a need for more and better-quality printing materials, with an increased selection of materials likely to open up additional opportunities in dental 3D printing. However, as the technology improves and the dental industry, along with the whole world, becomes more digitised and technologically aware, 3D printing is certain to become a major way of producing all kinds of dental products and materials. What’s more, you can be sure that ROE Dental Laboratory will be leading the way.