3D Printing an Emerging Technology for Dentistry and Dental Surgery

One of the contemporary technologies poised to transform manufacturing techniques across a wide range of industries, including healthcare, is 3D printing. Rapid prototyping was initially created to produce quick and affordable prototypes for developing products inside industries (RP). Since then, it has grown and broadened its uses, moving beyond only building a prototype to delivering the finished good. Due to its ability to quickly make precise dental implant parts such as crowns and bridges, screws and abutments, and temporaries, it is now widely employed in the dentistry industry. It has been estimated that there are already one million 3D-printed dental implants in use worldwide. Designing three-dimensional solid dental models like implants, dentures, surgical guides, braces, crowns, and bridges using dental 3D printing is a technique. Dental 3D printing is an additive process that entails adding layers of material in a particular order dictated by a digital file to create 3D models. As technology has evolved and allowed dentists to conduct dental operations with more precision, efficacy, and little trauma to patients, there has been a surge in demand for 3D printing in dentistry. The Advent of New Technology to Flourish the 3D Printing Market. The need for dental implants, crowns & bridges, and dentures is being fueled by the global rise in the prevalence of dental illnesses like tooth loss, decay, malocclusion, and periodontal diseases, as well as a greater emphasis on aesthetics. Thanks to technological advancements and the creation of new software, dentists can now efficiently build dental models that are quick, slick, and precise. This contributes to a workflow for dental 3D printing that is smooth. Therefore, technological advancement is essential for expanding the global dental 3D printing market. Utilizing cutting-edge technologies, dental products of the highest quality are being produced quickly and with a minimum of resources and labor hours. Two new sophisticated professional Low Force Stereolithography (LFS)-based 3D printers, the Form 3 and Form 3L, were introduced by Formlabs, Inc. in April 2019. The NextDent 5100, a Figure 4-based SLA 3D printer created exclusively for dentistry labs, and the FabPro 1000, a low-cost, highly productive DLP-based 3D printer for dental purposes, were released in February 2018 by 3D Systems, Inc. Therefore, it is anticipated that improvements in dental 3D printers would increase the demand for dental care. The market for dental 3D printing is predicted to grow in the near future.   3D Printing Enables Cost-efficient Development of Custom-Made Dental Equipments Dentistry is changing due to 3D printing. This is clear from the fact that developments in the worldwide dental 3D printing industry are generating value-grab possibilities for businesses, from dentures to Invisalign retainer braces. Using 3D printing, it is now possible to create dental implants specifically tailored to the consumer's demands. Manufacturers now recognize the one-size-fits-all method for dental implants as frequently requiring numerous iterations of the same mouthpiece. Manufacturers in the dental 3D printing industry can quickly and affordably create distinct surgical guides, crowns, and trays. The time-consuming procedure of making a plaster replica of a patient's teeth from physical imprints is being replaced with 3D printing.   Market Highlights The vat photopolymerization market is expected to grow over the coming years as more photopolymerizing materials are used digitally, thanks to its low cost, high resolution, and quick print times. Numerous prosthodontic applications use dental 3D printing. Dental clinics and laboratories now have access to precisely crafted prostheses for prosthodontic applications, such as full and partial dentures, crowns, personalized trays, and try-ins, thanks to dental 3D printers. The possibility of manufacturing intricate prostheses with a dense structure and fixed surface roughness from various raw materials, including metals and alloys, polymers, and composites, is a crucial advantage of 3D printing in prosthodontics. Due to the rising demand for crowns and bridges, the rising incidence of dental caries, the increasing incidence of tooth loss, and the rising customer acceptance of sophisticated dental technology, the prosthodontics category accounted for the highest share. Additionally, the advantages of 3D-printed dental implants, the advancements in materials used for 3D printing implants, and the expanding usage of 3D printing in dental implantology all contribute to the growing preference for employing dental 3D printing to manufacture dental implants.   North America Maintains Lead while the Asia Pacific to Record Highest Growth Rate in the Dental 3D Printing Market. In terms of revenue, the North American dental 3D printing market led the world in 2021. Up until 2030, the area is anticipated to hold its position. High purchasing power, a growing edentulous population, the availability of appropriate reimbursement policies, and strong government backing for high-quality healthcare in the U.S. and Canada are all contributing factors to the region's supremacy in the worldwide market. For instance, the Patient Protection and Cheap Act (PPACA), known as Obamacare, offers its residents in the United States access to high-quality and affordable health insurance plans. Additionally, the adoption of dental 3D printing technology is accelerated by the growing favorable government policies encouraging R&D for healthcare. The American College of Prosthodontists (ACP) estimates that there are currently 12 million Americans missing all of their teeth and another 23 million completely edentulous in the United States. About 15 million Americans yearly have crown and bridge replacements to restore lost teeth. This will probably drive the market in North America in the foreseeable future. In North America, dental caries is the main reason for dental illnesses. As the population ages and more people lead unhealthy lives, it is anticipated that this trend will continue in the near future. According to the American Dental Association, more youngsters are obtaining dental treatment. This motivates the public and private sectors to offer dental insurance coverage products. The Asia Pacific area is anticipated to experience considerable growth at a CAGR of 4.7% and will see the most fruitful development. The expansion of major industry players' business initiatives, an increase in the number of patients undergoing tooth replacement surgeries, and the continued development of the healthcare infrastructure in emerging economies are all factors that have contributed to the dental 3D printing market's growth in the Asia Pacific region. Several factors, including an increasing elderly population, booming medical tourism, rising incomes, and effective government policies, are propelling the local market's growth. Market companies anticipate investing in China and India since they are expected to drive expansion in the Asia Pacific region.   Companies Adopting Organic Growth Techniques to Expand their Market Share Companies operating in the dental 3D printing market are concentrating on introducing cutting-edge goods as a key growth strategy. Due to the existence of both large and medium-sized businesses, the industry is a highly competitive market. The market's manufacturers are encouraged to broaden the scope of their current R&D operations by spending large sums of money to include sophisticated technologies due to the rising demand for innovative technologies in dentistry. These firms also put a lot of effort into different growth tactics, including product launches, mergers, and acquisitions. 3D Systems, Stratasys Ltd., Renishaw, Roland DG, SLM Solutions, Dentsply Sirona, Straumann, Form Labs, and Planmeca are a few major companies in the global dental 3D printing market.