Global and Chinese market trends in dental 3D printing

China: According to CONTEXT, 3D Science Valley’s global market research partner, continued use of 3D printing for mass production remains the key to accelerating growth, with dentistry being one of the key application areas driving growth. 3D printing is already one of the most exciting trends in the dental industry this year.

What kind of technology is behind dental 3D printing, and what is the development of the major players in the dental field?

Rapid technological evolution brings new opportunities

In terms of industrialization, especially in the field of dentistry, the development trend couldn’t be more obvious in Mainland China.

Digitalization has become a catchphrase for the development of China’s dental industry. 3D printing technology is destined to be integrated with the digital upgrading of oral diagnosis and treatment, denture restoration, and orthodontic product processing.

2022 will be a milestone year in the growth of dental 3D printing

Prior to the COVID outbreak, dental clinics around the world have been slow in the adoption of digital 3D printing technology. However, the pandemic has accelerated the adoption, largely due to the benefits of instant patient sharing.

With continued innovation in materials and software, affordable and easy-to-use 3D printing will soon become a highly valued digital asset in an industry rapidly moving towards full digitization. The application of dentistry in the field of 3D printing includes plastic and metal 3D printing. The development of plastics exemplifies the aforementioned rapid growth.

Take for example Formlabs, an emerging enterprise in the plastics 3D printing industry. Since 2016, the sales volume of Formlabs’ printers in the dental industry has increased by 460%.

In 2021, Formlabs validated its Fuse 1 desktop SLS system for 3D printing of dental models, launched a biocompatible dental resin, and announced a new feature in its PreForm software that will directly convert oral scans into 3D printable dental models.

China’s own Shining 3D launched a special dental business department, providing high-performance scanners for dental laboratories and orthodontic clinic, 3D printed equipment, and offers a variety of learning resources and dental service programs.

This year, Shining 3D successfully rolled out its Aoralscan 3 intraoral scanner and the digital intelligent orthodontic iOrtho platform of AngelAlign. From oral scanning, rapid communication between doctors and patients to program design and customized production, Shining 3D has laid out its future map for digital orthodontic treatment process.

Elsewhere, Stratasys introduced its compact multi-material J5 DentaJet printer; Materialise released a software module dedicated to dental additive manufacturing; and SprintRay introduced dental resins and post-curing units.

Interestingly, established industrial company Sandvik has acquired a medical and dental 3D printing company, while Japanese manufacturer Roland DGA has returned to 3D printing with a new dental 3D printer.

Yet another company, Graphy, has developed materials for direct 3D printing of dental aligners.

Rapid iterative dental 3D printing technology

Carbon offers a powerful 3D printing solution for orthodontics through its DLS technology, including a variety of materials and L1 printers that dental laboratories can use to create crisp aligner models. In fact, Carbon has partnered with oral health digital platform Candid to make 3D printed models for clear aligners.

Light curing is a highly competitive industry, with Nexa3D launching its large-format NXD200 3D printer for dental labs in 2021. Nexus3D partnered with Keystone to advance dental applications through 3D printing, and announced another partnership with manufacturing software company Oqton to launch a new dental software to address the need for 3D printed patient-specific dental appliances and aligners.

When it comes to using 3D printing for orthodontics, competition is rife between a variety of 3D printing technologies.

3D Science Valley observes that the adoption of HP’s 3D printing technology has reduced the manufacturing cost of invisible braces, and companies such as Smile Direct Club and Europe’s Impress continue to use 3D printing to push the boundaries of oral care and mass-produce highly personalized products.

Ever since Align Technology’s Invisalign pioneered the research and development to replace traditional metal braces, rising stars have emerged one after another.

Smile Direct Club is one of Invisalign’s key competitors. The company was established in 2014 and its March 2021 quarterly reported revenue of $511 million, a year-on-year increase of 8.28%.

Smile Direct Club

Founded in 2019, Smile Direct Club produces and sells dental braces, which the company claims costs 60% less than other options.

Since its inception, Smile Direct Club has opened more than 300 SmileShops, including partnerships with CVS and Walgreens.

According to 3D Science Valley, the differentiated market positioning of Smile Direct Club is sustainable due to its ability to deliver efficiency and convenience. Its 100% money-back guarantee also stands out in the market – one treatment cycle is 24 months, and the total price is $1950 to $2386, depending on your choice of packages.

In terms of cost control, in addition to the efficient production of molds for invisible aligners through HP’s 3D printing technology, Smile Direct Club also reduces the frequency of communication between doctors and patients. Its self-service scanning kits enable patients to achieve long-distance consultations and follow-up in the comfort of their homes.

3D printed prostheses

Online data exchange also helps to reduce the need for repeated trips to the hospital or clinic to see a doctor. Not only are orthodontic applications developing rapidly, 3D printing is experiencing increased uptake in dental prosthetics.

In 2022, Desktop Health, a subsidiary of Desktop Metal, launched the Einstein series of high-precision 3D printers designed for dental professionals, as well as FDA-approved dental products for permanent use – i.e. Ceramic resin Flexcera Smile Ultra+.

With the combination of 3D printers and materials, dental professionals can use the desired combination to provide individual patients with accurate 3D printed dental restorations for permanent and temporary dental restorations in a variety of applications.

Strategic thinking on dental 3D printing

Digitalization offers an all-round and stable development trend in the global dental industry and dental processing field.

3D printing technology has not only become a major link in the digital processing chain of dentistry, but also connects oral diagnosis, design, and production processes through data flow, forming a process for dental product processing.

For these reasons, 3D printing technology has been valued by many established dental companies, high-end dental clinics and advanced dental laboratories such as Berg and Planmeca.

3D printing realises the full potential of the digital processing of dental products. It is, at the core, a digital processing technology. Through digitizing of data exchange, design, manufacturing and treatment, 3D printing is set to revolutionise the entire workflow of the dental industry, as we know it.