What are directly printed aligners?
- santer16
- Oct 21, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 24
Directly printed aligners (DPAs) are gaining in popularity, potentially streamlining manufacturing, decreasing environmental waste, and offering enhanced adaptation and tailoring.
Traditional orthodontic aligners are derived from thermoformed plastics fabricated on sequentially physically printed models. Directly printed aligners (DPAs) obviating the need for intermediate steps, including the use of printed models, were introduced in 2021. DPAs offer several advantages, such as streamlining the manufacturing process and eliminating the requirement for 3-dimensional (3D)-printed models, thereby potentially reducing associated costs and reducing environmental waste. Moreover, enhanced precision and the potential for increased customization also exist.1
By obviating the need for additional steps, direct printing may lead to enhanced tooth-aligner adaptation with the potential for improved control of tooth movement.1 On the basis of optical scanning techniques, absolute discrepancies with DPAs were comparable to those observed with Zendura FLX and lower relative to Essix ACE (Dentsply Sirona, Sarasota, Fla), but overall trueness was superior with the DPA material.1 This advantage has also been applied to limit the usage of bonded attachments, which may streamline the process of aligner therapy, although evidence concerning the clinical effectiveness of this protocol is lacking. The goodness-of-fit may allow DPAs to avail of interproximal undercuts. This could reduce the number of required attachments with these systems, although evidence is required to prove their efficacy in this respect.
A further theoretical advantage of DPAs relates to the potential to control and tailor material thickness and properties selectively once current software is optimized for their specific applications. Thermoformed appliances are also affected by blank material and dimensions, as well as the size of the physical model. The thickness of thermoformed retainers and aligners is known to be site-specific, generally tapering significantly in the midlabial region of the mandibular incisors, for example. The effect of selective thickening of DPAs has shown promise in titrating force levels and moments, although precise prediction of effects is complex.2
Research addressing the effectiveness of aligner therapy is building strong evidence to support their use to address a range of mild and potentially more complex malocclusions.
Dr. Lucila Cherem
CEO SmartPrintOrtho Technology
CEO ClearPrecision Aligners
References:
1- N. Koenig, J.Y. Choi, J. McCray, A. Hayes, P. Schneider, K.B. Kim
Comparison of dimensional accuracy between direct-printed and thermoformed aligners
Korean J Orthod, 52 (2022), pp. 249-257
2- J. Grant, P. Foley, B. Bankhead, G. Miranda, S.M. Adel, K.B. Kim
Forces and moments generated by 3D direct printed clear aligners of varying labial and lingual thicknesses during lingual movement of maxillary central incisor: an in vitro study
Prog Orthod, 24 (2023), p. 23
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