Bright Future for 3D Printed Surgical Guides

We live in an age of rapid innovation in medical prosthetics and technologies. One of the main drivers of this change is the rise of affordable 3D printing, which is revolutionizing how we design and create individuated equipment for surgery.

This article takes a look at some of the most recent developments, including a promising new prototype for printed bone grafts. It also surveys the state of technology for dental surgery generally, and identifies some of the main advantages of printed surgical guides:

“The material used to make a traditional mold impression is usually a mouthful of sticky goop. It’s unpleasant for some people. Using this new technology, we can make a better fitting and more accurate restoration of someone’s teeth. It’s also going to have a better chance of lasting a long time,” said Eric Monson, DMD.

Accuracy is the key here, along with the flexibility to tweak and adjust each product within the software environment, before it ever sees a patient. Once that surgical guide is deployed in the operating theater, patients and surgeons respond to the perfect fit. Some call it the beginning of a new era:

“I think this is just the start of 3-D printing for medical uses. I think it’ll get better like any other technology. This is just the ground level of where it will go,” said Sean Daem, a lab technician at a Livingston company that uses the new technology.

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