Chapters
3D Printing in the Modern Dental Practice
[00:00:00 – 00:01:57]
3D printing is already a working reality in dental practices and laboratories, not a distant concept. It is used across a surprisingly wide range of treatments, from whitening trays and retainers to surgical guides, dentures, and smile design mock-ups.
This episode unpacks how the technology works, what happens in-practice versus in the laboratory, and why patients stand to benefit in terms of accuracy, comfort, and efficiency.
How 3D Scanning and Printing Actually Work
[00:01:57 – 00:04:30]
The process begins with a 3D intraoral scan of the patient’s teeth and gums, which can capture the entire upper jaw in roughly 90 seconds. That digital file is saved to the cloud and can be sent directly to a laboratory or loaded into design software on the same day.
Most dental 3D printing uses resin, built up in layers as thin as 50 to 100 microns — comparable to a single sheet of paper. The result is extremely precise, with no visible layering. This level of accuracy makes it suitable for everything from bite splints and implant surgical guides to printed models used in crown fabrication.
Unlike traditional plaster impressions, which involve messy materials and multiple steps where errors can creep in, the digital workflow provides a far more reliable and repeatable starting point.
Custom Whitening Trays: A Surprisingly High-Tech Application
[00:04:30 – 00:06:32]
Whitening trays are one of the most common uses of 3D printing in practice. Although they appear simple, a poorly fitting tray allows the whitening gel to leak onto the gums, causing irritation and reducing effectiveness.
Digitally designed and printed trays fit far more precisely, keeping the gel on the teeth where it belongs. There is also a practical advantage: if a tray is lost or destroyed — dogs are apparently frequent culprits — a replacement can be made quickly without starting the process from scratch.
Retainers and Bite Splints: Precision That Makes a Real Difference
[00:06:32 – 00:08:25]
Retainers and night guards demand high levels of fit. A retainer that does not seat correctly can allow teeth to drift, while an inaccurate bite splint may fail to protect against grinding or bruxism.
With digital scans taken in the correct jaw position, the laboratory receives everything needed to produce an appliance that simply clicks into place with minimal or no adjustment. Some 3D printed materials used for bite splints are firm at mouth temperature but can be gently softened in hot water to allow a final fit adjustment — a small but clinically useful property.
Supporting Crown and Ceramic Work in the Laboratory
[00:08:25 – 00:09:29]
Even when the final crown is milled or pressed from zirconia or lithium disilicate rather than printed, a 3D printed model plays an important supporting role. Laboratory technicians use it to verify fit at the margins, check contact points, and refine the shape before the restoration ever reaches the patient.
The result is that crowns seat correctly at the first fitting, with little or no grinding required. Patients may never see the printed model, but the improvement in fit and finish is something they experience directly.
Surgical Guides and Guided Implant Placement
[00:09:29 – 00:10:32]
A 3D printed surgical guide acts as a precise template that transfers a digitally planned implant position into the patient’s mouth. Rather than relying on judgement alone during surgery, the guide directs the drill to exactly the right location, depth, and angle.
This approach removes guesswork from implant placement and is particularly valuable in complex cases where adjacent anatomy must be carefully respected. Guides are also used in restorative and cosmetic workflows to improve consistency.
Injection Moulding and Conservative Dentistry
[00:10:32 – 00:11:34]
3D printing integrates well with minimally invasive injection moulded composite bonding. A digital design is created, shown to the patient, and then a printed model is used to produce the mould that guides the final composite placement.
Because the process involves adding to teeth rather than drilling them down, it is a fundamentally different approach to so-called minimal-prep veneers, which can still remove a meaningful percentage of healthy tooth structure. The printed model makes this additive approach more accurate and predictable.
Seeing the Result Before Treatment Begins
[00:11:34 – 00:16:03]
One of the most patient-centred applications is the printed smile mock-up or try-in. A design is produced digitally, a model is printed, and a putty mould is taken over it. At the appointment, a temporary tooth-coloured material is placed over the patient’s existing teeth using that mould, allowing them to see a preview of their new smile in the mirror within minutes.
Patients can request adjustments — a slightly longer tooth here, a different proportion there — before any scans are finalised and sent to the laboratory. This means the final result reflects what the patient has actually approved, rather than something decided without their input.
The episode also raises an important ethical point: showing a patient an emotional mock-up before disclosing the full scope, timeline, and cost of treatment is considered poor practice. Patients deserve to be fully informed from the outset, including understanding the long-term commitment involved in any major smile rehabilitation.
3D Printed Dentures and Implant-Supported Bridges
[00:16:03 – 00:18:38]
Modern denture technology has advanced considerably. For patients requiring full-arch implant solutions such as all-on-four or all-on-six restorations, 3D printing is involved at almost every stage — from the surgical guide used to place the implants, to the trial denture, through to the final printed or zirconia bridge that screws into place.
The realistic appearance of printed dentures can be striking; the digital workflow allows for exceptionally lifelike results. There is also a significant practical benefit: because all the digital records are stored, a replacement denture can be printed within a day if needed, without relying on old plaster models that may have deteriorated over time.
The Main Patient Benefits of 3D Printing
[00:18:38 – 00:20:03]
The advantages for patients are substantial. Appliances and restorations fit correctly the first time, reducing the need for adjustments. Treatment can often be completed faster — in some cases, crowns can be delivered in two days rather than two weeks when coordinated with the laboratory in advance.
There are no messy traditional impressions, same-visit design and mock-ups are possible for patients visiting from abroad, and the entire process supports a more conservative approach that preserves healthy tooth structure. The real value is not the technology itself, but the more precise and predictable treatment outcomes it enables.
The Limits of 3D Printing: When Other Methods Are Still Better
[00:20:03 – 00:22:26]
Not everything should be 3D printed simply because it can be. For final crowns and inlays, milled or pressed ceramics such as zirconia and lithium disilicate still have a longer track record and proven longevity. Printed restorations in these categories are improving rapidly but are not yet considered equivalent for long-term performance in all cases.
The decision about whether to print, mill, or press a restoration should always be guided by what will deliver the best long-term result for that specific patient. Cost and speed are valid considerations, but they should not override clinical quality. The printer is a tool — a very capable one — but not a substitute for sound clinical judgement.
Transcript
Eon Engelbrecht (0:00)
Hello and welcome to Save Your Money, Save Your Teeth, the podcast where we help you protect your smile and your wallet with clear, practical advice. I’m Eon and as always joined by Dr. Clifford Yudelman from OptiSmile, based in Sea Point in the beautiful Mother City, Cape Town. Today we’re talking about one of the biggest changes happening in modern dentistry — and that is 3D printing.
Many people may think this only applies to crowns or futuristic gadgets, but the reality is that 3D printing is already being used in dental practices and laboratories for a wide range of things, including whitening trays, retainers, bite splints, models for crowns, surgical guides, smile design mock-ups, partial dentures, and even full dentures. So today we’re going to unpack how it all works, what can be done in the dental office and what still happens in the laboratory, and most importantly how this technology can make treatment more accurate, more comfortable, and in some cases more efficient and cost-effective for patients. Dr. Yudelman, it’s great to have you back.
Dr. Clifford Yudelman (1:18)
Great to be back. Thank you for that nice intro. In fact, I think we’re done with the podcast now. That sounds like everything I wanted to say.
Eon Engelbrecht (1:31)
No, I still have a lot of questions for you. I hope you’re ready. I’ve got 10 questions coming your way.
Dr. Clifford Yudelman (1:35)
I thought you were giving me the answers and the questions today. You must have a lot of time on your hands.
Eon Engelbrecht (1:43)
Apparently yes. Okay, so when people hear the words ‘3D printing in dentistry’, what does it actually mean in a dental practice or a lab?
Dr. Clifford Yudelman (1:57)
It means that we can scan your mouth with one of our 3D scanners — either the iTero or our latest and greatest, which is called the Shining 3D Aoral Elite wireless scanner, an amazing scanner. We can scan your entire upper jaw, your teeth, your palate, and your gums in about 90 seconds, the same on the lower, and then we save it to the cloud. It takes seconds, but then we can load it onto other software, design something on a computer, and then move it from that computer to our 3D printer or send it to our lab.
Once we finish scanning, we can actually send it directly to the lab through the scanning software, and then they can start designing something on a computer and print whatever it is. Generally in many cases it’s a model, and it’s printed very, very accurately, layer by layer. Most of the 3D printing in dentistry is resin printing. There’s a bath with resin — if you haven’t used it since yesterday you’ve got to give it a stir — and then there’s a plate that comes down, it warms up the resin, and then it makes the layers either 50 microns or 100 microns, which is the thickness of a piece of paper.
It’s super, super thin. You don’t see the lines or anything. It’s very, very accurate and we can actually print a guide for implant surgery, or a splint — which is something different, like a bite splint to wear when you’re grinding your teeth. We can print a denture and now they even have resins for printing inlays, onlays, and veneers. So instead of old-fashioned impressions — the goopy stuff you put in your mouth, the plaster, pouring it up, trimming and hoping nothing goes wrong along the way — we can work from a much more precise digital starting point. It sounds futuristic, but it’s actually been around in dentistry for a long time. It’s just that now the printers are available for individual dental practices, and at OptiSmile we have the latest and greatest, designed in California. It’s called the SprintRay Pro 2. It’s amazing.
Eon Engelbrecht (4:30)
It’s amazing, yes. And I think most people would not expect whitening trays to involve advanced technology. So how does 3D printing help with custom whitening trays, Doctor?
Dr. Clifford Yudelman (4:44)
That’s one of the most common uses, because almost everyone these days wants whitening. And if you go back and listen to the whitening podcast, you’ll hear me say that there’s not much point doing an in-chair whitening if you’re not going to follow up with trays. In fact, if you’re not in a hurry, you can just get whitening trays and skip the in-chair altogether. Some dentists or hygienists that make their living from selling everybody in-chair whitening may not actually like what I’m saying, but that’s actually the truth.
To be honest, a lot of people are in a hurry, so they do the in-chair and then follow up with take-home whitening trays. And while whitening trays may look simple, if they don’t fit properly, the gel leaks out, it irritates the gums, and makes a mess. With digital scans and printed models, we can make trays that fit much more accurately and feel more comfortable. That means the gel stays where it’s supposed to stay — which is on the teeth, not all over your gums or in your mouth. It also makes a remake much easier if the tray gets lost or eaten by the family dog, which actually happens quite often. We can just make you a new one.
Eon Engelbrecht (5:53)
I didn’t know that happens. That’s interesting.
Dr. Clifford Yudelman (5:56)
Dogs love retainers and whitening trays and bite splints. It’s actually happened to me. I had a little dog when I was living in Perth and they’ll literally jump on the bed and get it off the bedside table. Or if it’s too high where they can’t reach it, they’ll go to the cupboard, get a stepladder, climb up the stepladder and get it. They want it more than anything, trust me.
Eon Engelbrecht (6:22)
Oh my gosh.
Dr. Clifford Yudelman (6:24)
Nice toy. I don’t know what it is. Maybe it’s the smell. Make sure you wash it properly.
Eon Engelbrecht (6:32)
I also want to ask you — how are retainers and bite splints benefiting from 3D printing and digital design?
Dr. Clifford Yudelman (6:40)
Again, these appliances need great precision. If a retainer doesn’t fit properly, the teeth can start moving. If a bite splint or night guard is inaccurate, it might not protect your teeth or support the bite properly.
With digital scans and printed models, it makes everything much more consistent and easier to produce. It’s great for patients because, again, if something gets lost or damaged, we don’t have to start all over again. What’s amazing with the 3D printed bite splints for people that grind their teeth is we take your upper scan, we take your lower scan, and then we position your mouth in the correct position with the correct space between your upper and lower teeth. Then we scan you in that position. When the lab gets the scan, your teeth are slightly separated, but it’s in relationship to your own jaw. When we get these back, they just pop right in. They don’t have to be adjusted, which is always a big pain with those things.
Also, the 3D printed materials — there’s something the lab uses called e.stone soft. It’s a very rigid and hard material at room temperature in your mouth. A few weeks ago I had a patient come in and the bite plate we made her was just feeling a little bit tight. I put it in some very hot water for a few seconds. It doesn’t melt, but it just goes a little bit softer. We put it in and it just popped in very comfortably. Then it remoulded onto her teeth. If you’re getting a bite plate, you don’t want one that’s chewy or soft. This isn’t a sports mouth guard. This is a custom Michigan splint — or a proper bruxism splint or night guard, as we call them.
Eon Engelbrecht (8:25)
On the laboratory side, how are 3D printed models used when making zirconia and lithium disilicate crowns?
Dr. Clifford Yudelman (8:36)
Even when the final crown is not printed, a printed model helps the lab do better work. The technician needs it to check the fit at the margins — which is where they join at the gum line — the contact points, how it fits between the teeth, and all the shaping. It usually means fewer adjustments when the patient comes in.
These days with milled or pressed ceramic lithium disilicate or zirconia crowns that are done on a digitally 3D printed model, they’re just perfect. We put them in, we don’t have to grind on them. The patient may never see that 3D printed model, but they definitely benefit from it, as well as from the new technology for making crowns.
Eon Engelbrecht (9:29)
What are 3D printed guides and where do they make the biggest difference in dentistry?
Dr. Clifford Yudelman (9:36)
A guide is basically a template that helps us transfer a digital plan into the mouth more accurately. Where we use them especially is for implants, but also for cosmetic and restorative work. A guide is used to position or help position an implant more precisely and show us exactly where to place it. There’s no guesswork with guided precision dentistry — the implant always goes in exactly the right place. We also use 3D printed guides for other things as well, and I’m sure some of your further questions will touch on that.
Eon Engelbrecht (10:22)
You often talk about injection moulding and minimally invasive dentistry, Doctor. Where does 3D printing fit into that workflow?
Dr. Clifford Yudelman (10:32)
It fits in beautifully. We can design the ideal tooth shape digitally, show it to the patient on a screen-recorded video, and in fact we can even do a video of what it would look like with your new teeth using AI. We print a model of that design and then use it to make a mould for the injection process. The printed item is not always the final filling or restoration — sometimes it’s just a step that helps us create the final result more accurately.
That is one of the reasons why 3D printing works so well with conservative, no-drill dentistry — because it helps us add to teeth rather than drilling them down unnecessarily, like you get with “turkey teeth” or so-called minimally invasive veneers, which can actually remove 5 to 10% of your tooth. With injection moulded composite bonding and one of these 3D printed models with moulds, you’re adding to the tooth where necessary. That’s a great benefit.
Eon Engelbrecht (11:34)
How can 3D printing help with smile design and printed try-ins before the final treatment is actually done?
Dr. Clifford Yudelman (11:45)
The smile test drive, or the smile trial — this is one of the most patient-friendly parts of digital dentistry. There are cases where instead of just showing someone pictures on a screen or asking them to imagine a result, we create a model and then take a putty wash mould over that. The patient comes in and we fill that mould with a temporary, tooth-coloured plastic. It looks like composite resin, like we use for the permanent, but it’s easier to remove. We put that in, it takes a few minutes to set. Then we take it out, clean up any excess, and the patient can walk up to the mirror and see exactly what their new veneers or injection moulding will look like. We can make adjustments and then take photos and fresh scans and send the scans to the lab so the final work can match whatever the patient saw. There’s no guessing.
Without this process, you could drill your teeth, get a mould, and then something comes back from the lab that you’ve had no say in. It might be completely too big or not big enough. This gives the patient a chance to say, “Yes, I love that,” or, “Can we just make this tooth a bit longer or that tooth a bit shorter?”
I don’t use it for injection moulding, because it’s usually very minimally invasive — we’re just adding to teeth very slightly — and patients can get a really good idea from the earlier process I mentioned. But if someone has quite compromised teeth and they’re going to be getting crowns, veneers, and implants and it’s going to be quite a big change — if we’re building up their support or opening their bite — then definitely, printed mock-ups or try-ins are a very important part of the treatment.
I also want to say something else. I don’t believe in or follow what’s called emotional dentistry, where dentists do everything backwards. They scan the patient, then secretly — without discussing it with the patient — plan a full smile makeover with the lab, without giving the patient a quote or any idea of what’s involved. Then the patient comes in, they do this mock-up, fill it up, put it over the patient’s mouth, take it off, and show them in the mirror. They often video this moment. It’s very dramatic. But the patient hasn’t been told yet that they might need implants, or two years of orthodontics, and the cost and everything that’s involved. They get this emotional attachment to this smile.
I feel — and people listening who work with some dentists that do it this way might not agree and they might be upset with me — but I don’t feel it’s very ethical to show someone something without full disclosure. It’s like taking you to the Ferrari showroom, handing you the keys, letting you drive it, and not telling you how much it costs. Maybe that’s not the best example, but I just think it’s the wrong use of this technology. The patient should be taken along on the journey from the very first. They should know the costs involved and what’s going to be involved. They can see some close-ups and before-and-afters of other patients one-on-one. Personally, I don’t believe in putting before-and-afters on Instagram or Facebook either, because it’s the same kind of thing — people imagine what their new smile will look like but have no idea of the commitment in terms of time, cost, replacement cost, or any of the things we’ve spoken about before.
Eon Engelbrecht (16:03)
No, I agree with you. Absolutely. I actually saw a lady on TikTok recently and she had this amazing smile, and they showed it up close, and the next moment she took those teeth out and revealed that it was 3D printed. I was amazed because there was absolutely no way you could tell that it was dentures in the first place. So it is incredibly realistic. If she didn’t take it out, I think it’s her party trick.
Dr. Clifford Yudelman (16:41)
Did she have teeth underneath there when you said she took it out?
Eon Engelbrecht (16:44)
No, no. Just gums.
Dr. Clifford Yudelman (16:47)
Okay, that would have been an implant — like an all-on-six implant bridge that clicks onto the implants. It would have been her try-in. So we can 3D print those as well. I think that’s coming up now — I think maybe that’s question number eight. Let’s see what we’ve got there.
Eon Engelbrecht (17:09)
You’re right. So obviously 3D printing can be used for partial dentures and full dentures. How far along is that technology, Doctor?
Dr. Clifford Yudelman (17:18)
It’s unbelievable. That patient you saw on TikTok — they would have had really terrible teeth, or at least I hope so, because they didn’t just go and pull her teeth out. She would have had all her teeth out. They would have used guided implant surgery to place maybe four — that’s called all-on-four — but normally it’s five or six or even more implants. Then they would have used more 3D printing to design a denture that clips onto the implants, and then finally, a 3D printed or zirconia permanent bridge that gets screwed into the implants and is only taken out every couple of years if they need to check the implants underneath.
So all of this — the printed models, the printed bases, the try-in, even the final denture teeth and the pink part of the denture — that’s all 3D printed these days. And it doesn’t replace good clinical judgement or the skill of a great technician. It just makes everything much more efficient and repeatable. It’s very helpful if the denture needs to be remade. If you have an elderly person who loses their denture, the lab can just print another one within a day because they’ve got all the digital records, rather than cupboards of old plaster models that often chip or break.
Eon Engelbrecht (18:38)
Incredible. Also, from a patient’s point of view, Doctor, what would you say are the main advantages of all this 3D printing technology?
Dr. Clifford Yudelman (18:49)
There are just so many, in addition to what we’ve already mentioned. One of them is accuracy — things just fit the first time. Then there’s comfort — a 3D printed denture, or a new inlay or crown, is accurate, it fits, it’s comfortable. For communication, like we mentioned, for mock-ups, and so on. For convenience — there are times where I’ve actually done designs, printed, and done a mock-up for a patient all in the same visit. They’re visiting from overseas, they sit with me, and we design it, we print a model and then try it in. Which is amazing. There are no messy impressions — you’re having 3D scans. In many cases, it’s much faster treatment. Instead of waiting two weeks for a crown, if we pre-book it with a lab and they know we’re sending it, we can get a crown in two days. It helps us plan conservative dentistry — we preserve more healthy tooth structure.
The real benefit is not that the practice looks high-tech. The benefit is that the patient is actually getting treatment that is more precise and more predictable.
Eon Engelbrecht (20:03)
And just one more question — are there still limits to 3D printing in dentistry, and how do you decide what should be printed and what should not?
Dr. Clifford Yudelman (20:14)
That’s a great question at this very point in time. I don’t think everything should be 3D printed just because it can be. Some things are still better milled or pressed. We’ve spoken about same-day milling of ceramic and then bonding it in, because some of these materials have been around for almost 20 years and we know that nothing can actually be better than Emax or lithium disilicate. A 3D printed crown might be cheaper or quicker to produce. But even though they’re looking really good, I think they’ve still got a little way to go before they reach the same longevity as a milled or pressed zirconia or Emax crown.
There are dentists listening to this who are just printing everything. I do keep up to date, but I don’t like to be the very first one, because I don’t like to experiment on patients. I can see that if someone in the States is listening to this and they go to a medical aid type practice — an HMO or PPO, as they call it in America — and they need eight or ten inlays that can all be printed at the same time and made much cheaper, they’ll be better than a large filling, but maybe a half or a quarter of the price of milled ceramic, and they can be done quicker. I think that time is very, very close. For me, it’s not here yet — even though I’ve signed up and done two very in-depth online courses, each over 12 hours and costing me 20,000 Rand each — one on 3D printing veneers and one on 3D printing fillings. We have done them in certain cases for elderly patients or people on a very tight budget. But definitely, the printer is a tool. It’s not a magician. And I think the decision always comes down to what will give the patient the best long-term result. If it adds value, then we use it. If something else is better — even if it’s older technology and it costs more — we will use that, at this point in time.
Eon Engelbrecht (22:26)
Dr. Yudelman, thank you so much for helping us understand how 3D printing is changing modern dentistry. It was very, very insightful and we thank you for your time.
Dr. Clifford Yudelman (22:38)
Thank you. I really enjoyed today’s show and great questions. Thank you very much. And I look forward to speaking to you next week about something we’ve mentioned briefly — vaping versus smoking. Really looking forward to that.
Eon Engelbrecht (23:00)
Another interesting one coming up next week. But I think the big takeaway today is that 3D printing is not just a flashy piece of technology. When it is used properly, it can make dentistry more precise, more comfortable, more conservative, and more efficient for both the dentist and the patient. If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to Save Your Money, Save Your Teeth on your favourite podcast platform and share it with someone who would find it useful. You can also visit OptiSmile.co.za to learn more about digital dentistry and the treatments we discussed today. But until next time — take care of your teeth and they will take care of you.
Announcer (24:05)
Discover the world of dental excellence with OptiSmile. Join us for a weekly podcast featuring Dr. Clifford Yudelman, a seasoned expert with 40 years of dental experience across four continents. Gain unique insights and expert dental advice by visiting OptiSmile.co.za for articles that illuminate the path to optimal oral health. If you’re seeking unparalleled dental care in Cape Town, get in touch with OptiSmile or book directly online at OptiSmile.co.za. OptiSmile — where global expertise meets local care.
Disclaimer: The content provided in this podcast, “Save Your Money Save Your Teeth” on Medical Mondays, is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to serve as dental or medical advice. The insights and opinions expressed by Dr. Clifford Yudelman and any guests are designed to foster a better understanding of dental health, preventive measures, and general well-being, but should not be interpreted as professional dental or medical recommendations.Dr. Clifford Yudelman does not diagnose, treat, or offer prevention strategies for any health conditions directly through this podcast. This platform is not a substitute for the personalized care and advice provided by a licensed dental or healthcare professional. We strongly encourage our listeners to consult with their own dental care providers to address individual dental health needs and concerns.The information shared here aims to empower listeners with knowledge about dental health but must not be used as a basis for making health-related decisions without professional guidance. Your dental care provider is the best source of advice about your dental and overall health. Please always seek the advice of your dentist or other qualified health professionals regarding any questions or concerns about your dental health.
