Custom designed orthodontic attachment manufactured using a biocompatible 3D printing material

Abstract

Treatment of impacted teeth often implies placing a bonded attachment and using orthodontic forces to move the tooth into occlusion. The aim of the paper is to describe a novel methodology of manufacturing orthodontic attachments for impacted teeth using the latest CAD software and 3D printing technology. A biocompatible acrylic based resin was used to print a custom made attachment designed based on the volumetric data aquired through cone bean computer tomography. Custom design of the attachment simplified clinical insertion and treatment planning and 3D printing made its manufacturing easier. Being a first trial, more reasearch is needed to improve the methodology and materials used.