Case Study: Absolute Dental Services Creates Premium Dentures Using Carbon’s 3D Printing Technology

3D printing technology has been gaining popularity in each and every industry and dentistry is also not behind. With the scalability of technology-based manufacturing, digital production of dentures has seen tremendous growth in recent years.

Absolute Dental Services is a dental lab that was established in 1994 at the Triangle area of North Carolina. It supplies dentists with consistent, functional, and highly aesthetic fixed prosthetics and high-end removable products.

Absolute has been crafting artisan since 2008. Its workflow was antiquated and labor-intensive. It was in a search for an automation solution to shorten the fabrication process, reduce material cost and turnaround time without compromising aesthetics or quality.

After observing Carbon’s M2 Printer’s process at the 2019 LMT Chicago Trade Show, Absolute started to think about choosing Carbon’s printer. It was impressed by high accuracy of parts, speed and increased throughput delivered by Carbon M2 printer and Digital Light Synthesis technology. But it was not sure about the quality of materials that was used to print dentures.

Then Absolute saw the printing of digital dentures on Carbon M2 printer by using Dentsply Sirona Lucitone Digital Print resin. And it observed that these dentures were looking more natural than other printed resins. They were exceeded an ISO impact and flexural strength standards with capabilities like high strength, fracture and stain resistant. And that’s why Absolute decided to opt for Carbon’s 3D Printing technology that could satisfy its customers.

Conrad Rensburg, Owner and Head of Digital Implants at Absolute Dental Services expressed that, ''I didn’t believe that 3D printed dentures would ever be good enough to meet our standards. After seeing the new Dentsply Sirona Lucitone Digital denture from Carbon, I ordered a Carbon printer on the spot.''

Carbon offers a digital assistance to laboratory business with Digital Light Synthesis technology to cater all dental production needs. Carbon provides materials, software updates to improve the speed and accuracy of hardware, and a validated workflow.

Implementation of the solution allowed Absolute to speed up various processes such as tooth set-up, wax-up and processing. It also reduced the time needed to finish the final product. This technology enabled the lab to finish a denture in minimum two days.

As compared to milled acrylic and conventional hand processing technique, this installation of 3D printer helped Absolute to increase efficiency of its labor. The lab also saved materials of approximately 30 % over milled denture products and save the total cost of about 40 % over conventional hand processed techniques.

Since the digital transition, creating dentures replacements for customers has become easier for Absolute. With technology’s help, clinicians and technicians are now able to scan an existing denture and import its data, streamline the process and save the time. This has cut the requirement for bite rims and offers the valuable start to create new prosthesis. So that, Absolute can now instantly print a new set from a digital file so that patients don’t need to wait long.

Rensburg added, “I have found many clinicians shy away from restoring dentures because of the challenges posed by establishing a correct VDO. The extremely predictable clinical workflow that Carbon’s process offers has been an absolute game changer!”

Carbon software also provides a traceable workflow that insights into quality issues from printer level to the post processing workflow. Because of this benefit of transparency, it became easy and cost efficient for absolute to recognize and remove the parts that don’t meet its standards.