Quite clear: Super splint printing with the new SHERAprint-splint taff and flex

At the top of patients' wish lists are braces that are comfortable to wear and last a long time. They should still look good and remain transparent even after being worn for a long time. It is a great advantage for the treating dentists if the braces fit immediately when they are first inserted. This saves them the time-consuming grinding and polishing. The dental technicians commissioned to produce these must produce them quickly, economically and reliably.

High demands on material and workflow

In dental technology, anything that goes into the mouth is always a medical product. The highest quality standards are placed on it. This applies both to the technical properties of the raw material used and to the expert manufacture in a validated production process.

Printing splints with SHERAprint-splint

SHERA has launched the 3D printing plastic SHERAprint-splint to meet all of these requirements. The material is validated for the workflow in the SHERAprint system. This allows splints to be manufactured additively that are comfortable to wear and last a long time. The advantage of printed splints: They can be easily designed digitally without the need for a physical model as a basis. Another advantage of 3D printing: Once designed, splints can be reproduced at any time without any effort.

Teeth grinders and crunchers can relax

SHERAprint-splint is designed for reliable, precisely fitting dental splints as a mouth guard, as an adjusted splint for the treatment of bruxism and chroniomandibular dysfunctions or for adjusting the bite position. The printing material is developed for DLP printing at a wavelength of 385 nanometers. It is available in two levels of flexibility, taff or flex - for high-precision splints, repositioners, mouth or night guards.

SHERAprint-splint is available in two flexibility levels: taff and flex

Biocompatible and in two Shore hardnesses

As a class IIa medical product, it is biocompatible and meets the highest quality standards. Splints made of SHERAprint splint can withstand long periods of wear and high loads. They can be easily inserted and removed because the material is flexible. The splints do not become brittle and remain transparent without discoloring. They differ in terms of Shore-D hardness (taff 78 and flex 65). Even the "tougher" material results in splints that can withstand a lot: the impact strength of taff is 85 kj/m ² , and flex 125 kj/m ² . When designing the splint, wall thicknesses of up to a minimum of 0.8 millimeters can be achieved for the taff material. In general, the thicker the wall thickness of the printed splint, the more rigid the material becomes. With the two variants taff and flex, the technician has a wide range of options for the treating dentist. For thick walls, the Flex material may be the better choice, while for very thin constructions, the Taff material may be optimally suited for the patient.

Optimally nesting rails

The splints are printed portrait with a layer thickness of 100 my. SHERA recommends nesting the splints on the build platform at an angle of approximately 60 degrees, resting on the front tooth area. This means that the center of gravity of the splint with the greatest material requirement is at the bottom. Overall, fewer and shorter supports are required than when printing splints that are arranged the other way around on the build platform. To avoid having to grind the surfaces on the splint that come into contact with the opposing jaw, supports should not be placed occlusally. This reduces the effort required for post-processing, but above all the risk of accidentally changing the occlusal contacts.

Important: Nest the rails vertically, with an inclination angle of 60 degrees, for optimal center of gravity distribution.

Up to 7 rails in 65 minutes

Depending on the shape and size of the jaw, for example, up to seven splints can be arranged on the construction platform in the SHERAprint 30 3D printer and printed in 65 minutes. The viscosity of the materials of 1250 mPas (taff) or 2000 mPas (flex) allows fast printing times, very thin support structures and precise results. So far, the material has been approved for printing with the SHERAprint system, the Rapidshape and Asiga printers. Other printing systems are in the validation process.

Print up to seven rails simultaneously in just 65 minutes

Validated process

In the workflow for printed splints, cleaning and curing after printing is also part of the MDR-compliant and validated process. It is important to note that the cleaning fluid is only to be used for printed objects made from SHERAprint splint, whether in the ultrasonic bath or in the wash-and-cure unit. SHERA thus offers a complete process for the safe production of splints as medical products. Anyone who would like to be convinced of the quality of the splint material has the opportunity to request a test print from SHERA.

Further information is available online at www.shera.de