Kids often experience fear and anxiety during dental procedures. Therefore, dentists cannot expect the same level of cooperation from children as they do from adults. For this reason, dentists are always looking for better and more efficient ways to care for children’s unique needs. Among the recent technologies, 3D printed teeth is one of the most promising advancements in pediatric dentistry.
It is known for its precision and accuracy. This technology offers a less invasive approach to treatment. Research shows that 3D printing can reduce chair-side time, which is a major advantage when treating young patients.
This blog offers several practical examples of 3D printing applications in pediatric dentistry.
Page Contents
ToggleCreating 3D-Printed Jaw Models
Dentists often use intraoral scanners to create 3D-printed master models of the jaw. Making a master model isn’t always necessary, but many dentists still prefer it. They feel more comfortable seeing restorations on a physical model, even with digital options available. Then, they are free to archive the digital patient data and print when required.
3D-Printed Educational Models
3D printing in dentistry also helps with generating innovative tools for dental education. By combining 3D scanners, cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), and 3D printers, dentists can produce highly accurate lifelike replicas of teeth and jaws even simulating caries. These models are excellent for teaching and offer valuable clinical practice.
The goal is to improve dental students’ hands-on skills and enhance the practical abilities of dental practitioners, but at the same time minimizing the risks of treating real patients. Besides pediatric dentistry, these 3D models are valuable for training even in other fields such as prosthetics, surgery, endodontics, and trauma management.
3D-Printed Space Maintainers
3D printing is also used to produce space maintainers in pediatric dentistry. These digital versions could replace traditional space maintainers. The advantages of digital space maintainers include high strength, smooth surfaces, quick production, light weight, and a lower risk of gingival trauma. This method provided high precision and fewer errors compared to traditional band-and-loop maintainers.
Various materials for 3D-printed space maintainers have been tested in different experiments, and here’s a quick summary of results for each type:
- Titanium-Based Powdered Metal: 3D-printed space maintainers made with this material fit just as well as traditional ones. However, traditional maintainers lasted longer. Both types showed similar gum health and plaque levels.
- Cobalt-Chromium (CoCr) and Titanium Alloy: These materials work well but are hard, inflexible, and less aesthetic.
- Clear Resin: 3D-printed space maintainers with a claw design were strong but didn’t stay in place as securely as traditional ones.
Prosthetic Restorations
3D printing is now widely used to create esthetic dental crowns for children. The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends full-coverage crowns for kids with large cavities or a high risk of tooth decay.
Stainless-steel crowns are the most common choice for fixing children’s teeth. However, zirconia crowns are becoming a popular alternative for primary molars because they offer better esthetics and improved clinical performance. Unfortunately, zirconia crowns are more expensive and can wear down over time, which limits their use.
Researchers have tested different materials for 3D-printed crowns. Here’s a quick summary of what they discovered:
- Composite Resin Crowns: These crowns are the least likely to break compared to stainless steel and zirconia crowns.
- Composite Celluloid Crowns: They provide good esthetics, good marginal integrity and gingival health.
- Temporary Composite Resins: The way these materials wear down depended on the type of resin used in 3D printing.
- Permanent 3D-Printed Resin: These crowns bond to teeth as well as other common dental cements. Glass-ionomer cement do not bond as well.
- Resin-Based Crowns: 3D-printed crowns have a good fit. Crowns designed using AI technology have the best fit around the edges.
3D-Printed Surgical Guides
Additive manufacturing creates precise 3D models for orofacial defects (problems with the mouth, jaw, and face). These models help with planning surgeries and making surgical guides. They are useful for seeing maxillofacial defects (jaw and facial issues) and planning implant placement. Although 3D printing supports pediatric orthognathic surgery, these surgeries are typically done on fully grown patients.
Here are several ways 3D-printed guides are used in various experiments to improve surgeries:
- 3D-printed guides were used to help with removing extra teeth in children. The guides made the surgery faster and reduced the amount of tissue removed.
- 3D scans and 3D printing were combined to find and treat teeth that hadn’t grown in properly. The guide helped pinpoint the exact tooth location and made it easier to plan treatment and explain it to parents.
- Used 3D scans and 3D-printed guides, screws, and plates were used to treat jaw joint problems in children. Using the guides improved accuracy during surgery and helped place the jaw parts correctly.
- 3D-printed surgical guides were used in a jaw surgery in infants with Pierre Robin sequence (a birth condition with a small jaw, tongue that falls back, and often a cleft palate). Compared to regular guides, 3D-printed guides made the surgery safer, quicker, and reduced hospital stays.
- 3D printing and digital scans were used to create devices (obturators) for fixing large gaps in the mouth. The 3D-printed devices fit better, were made faster, and were more comfortable for patients. They used a material called polymethylmethacrylate, which is light, affordable, durable, and biocompatible.
3D-Printed Splints for Broken Teeth and Jaws
A dentoalveolar trauma splint is a device that holds injured teeth in place and supports tissue healing. It also helps guide teeth back to their correct position. Dentists use CT scans to design 3D-printed splints, which are then placed directly in the injured area.
Treating broken jaws in children can be tricky because kids may not always cooperate. Also, their jawbones are different from adults — they are thinner and more flexible. For small jaw fractures with little movement, simple treatment usually works well. But if the jaw is out of place, careful and precise surgery is needed to avoid problems with jaw growth or permanent teeth. There’s an example of application of CT images to create a 3D-printed model of a child’s jaw. In this example, titanium plates and screws were designed to fit the jaw perfectly and protect the growing teeth. This method helped place the plates and screws exactly where needed.
Experts say it’s hard to create a stable occlusal relationship (how the upper and lower teeth fit together) in children. This is because their permanent teeth haven’t fully come in, their baby teeth have short crowns, and their roots are getting loose. To help with this, dentists use 3D-printed splints and bite plates (custom-made tools that help hold teeth in place). These tools can fix bite issues, support jaw surgery, and help realign broken bones.
However, in emergencies like dental injuries, dentists might not have time to do a CT scan beforehand. This can make using 3D-printed tools harder in urgent situations.
3D Printing for Better Fluoride Application
Fluoride treatments can be tricky because saliva and food wash the fluoride away quickly. To fix this, 3D printing offers a new solution. It can create custom fluoride coatings that form a thin layer over the teeth. These thin films slowly release fluoride, giving teeth longer-lasting protection.
3D-Printed Tooth Transplants for Kids
Autogenous dental transplantation (moving a tooth from one place to another) helps kids and teens with missing or damaged teeth. 3D printing makes this process easier and more accurate by creating a replica of the tooth. Dentists use this replica to prepare a new socket (space in the gum) before removing the real tooth. Once the socket is ready, the tooth can be placed directly into it. CBCT scans provide accurate 3D measurements, and the tooth data is saved as a digital file for 3D printing. Using this method help in decreasing the time the tooth was outside the socket for less than a minute.
3D Printing for Fixing Front Teeth
Using 3D printing offers an effective way to restore front teeth by using 3D-printed templates and tooth-colored resin. Results show that the 3D-printed templates work well and offer a reliable option for dental restoration. This method helps achieve the right color, shape, and shine for the teeth.
Another technique, called the composite injection method, uses a fully digital process to fix front teeth. It is especially helpful for restoring teeth after braces or for those with small teeth (microdontia). 3D-printed guides make the process easier by accurately transferring the design to the teeth. This approach reduces the time spent in the dentist’s chair and simplifies the procedure.
3D Printing in Children’s Root Canal Treatments
Understanding the details of a child’s root canal using regular 2D X-rays can be hard, especially when the canals are blocked or have unusual shapes. Using 3D-printed models made from detailed CBCT scans can make it much easier to plan treatments and prepare access to the canals. These models are especially helpful for tricky cases or surgical procedures like apicoectomy (removing the tip of a tooth’s root).
3D Printing in Tooth Healing and and Regenerative Dentistry
Regenerative endodontics is a way to help damaged teeth heal and grow naturally. In this process, 3D printing plays a big role by creating tools that help new tissue grow inside the tooth. Here’s how it works in simple terms:
- Delivering Stem Cells: Stem cells are special cells that can grow into different types of tissues. 3D printing helps place these stem cells exactly where they are needed to repair the tooth.
- Creating Pulp Scaffolds: A pulp scaffold is like a tiny support structure that helps new tissue grow inside the tooth. 3D printing makes these scaffolds, which give the cells something to attach to and grow on.
- Carrier Membranes for Healing: 3D printing also makes carrier membranes that deliver platelet-rich plasma — a substance that helps with healing and tissue growth.
- Injectable Materials: 3D printing helps develop special materials like injectable calcium hydroxide and growth factors (proteins that promote healing). These materials are injected into the tooth to help repair the damaged inner layers, known as the pulp-dentin complex (the soft tissue and hard tissue inside the tooth).
- Porous Scaffolds: 3D printing creates porous scaffolds (tiny, sponge-like structures) using materials like calcium hydroxide or calcium phosphate cement. These scaffolds support the growth of new tooth tissue and help with the regeneration process.
In summary, 3D printing helps dentists create precise tools and materials to support the natural healing and growth of teeth, making it easier to repair damaged teeth in children and teens.
Conclusion
3D printing in pediatric dentistry is an exciting new technology that makes treatments more precise and comfortable for children. However, there are still challenges, such as printer resolution, material strength, and slow printing speeds. The cost of specialized equipment and the need for skilled operators also limit its use. Despite these challenges, improvements in materials, software, and techniques are helping to solve these problems.
In the future, 3D printing will change the way dentists care for children and teach dental students. Realistic 3D-printed models will give students better practice and help dentists explain treatments to kids and their parents. As the technology gets better, dental procedures will become more accurate, faster, and easier. These advancements will ensure better treatment outcomes and prepare future dental professionals with the skills they need in an ever-changing field.
If you are interested in pediatric dentistry, please also check out our comprehensive blog on Pediatric Dental Exams.
References
- AktaÅŸ, Nagehan, and Volkan Ciftci. (2024). “Current Applications of Three-Dimensional (3D) Printing in Pediatric Dentistry: A Literature Review.” Journal of Clinical Pediatric Dentistry 48(5): 4–13.
- Alaoffey, A. S., Asiri, M. A., Alhazmi, T. A. A., Alshetaiwi, A. A., Almobarak, A. M., Alqasir, Y. H., Algazlan, S. A., Aloufi, H. S., Zakri, H. H. M., Al-Amri, F. G., Alshammari, A. H., Al Mutairi, M. S., Alharbi, I. A. L., Aldawsari, J. F., Alharbi, F. N., … Alharbi, F. N. (2024). Digital dentistry: Transforming diagnosis and treatment planning through CAD/CAM and 3D printing. Egyptian Journal of Chemistry, 67(SI), 4–13.