A Derbyshire woman has shared how a revolutionary new denture solution made using advanced 3D printing technology has restored her comfort, confidence and ability to enjoy life again.
Maureen, 90, recently received a new set of 3D printed dentures using Stratasys TrueDent resin – created by Prime Dental Laboratory, fitted at Zenith Dental Clinic and powered by the Stratasys J5 DentaJet 3D printer supplied by SYS Systems.
The result? A more comfortable, natural fit, with no need for adhesive and a transformation that’s more than just cosmetic.
After years of using uncomfortable dentures that didn’t fit properly and required adhesive from day one, Maureen found a solution that finally worked thanks to a pioneering digital process that’s redefining the future of denture manufacturing.
“I’ve been wearing dentures now for around seven years,” Maureen explained. “The reason I had to get new ones is because one of my front teeth just fell out. The back ones were getting loose as well and my dentist advised me to have them out.”
A New Standard in Denture Design
Maureen’s treatment was part of a collaborative digital workflow between Prime Dental Laboratory and Zenith Dental Clinic, who together have adopted Stratasys’ TrueDent solution to deliver life-changing results for patients.
Dr Karan Maini, Principal Dentist at Zenith, said: “Maureen presented to us as a long-time denture wearer. She’d had an upper denture for a very, very long time, and also had a lower denture, and recently had some teeth extracted. She wasn’t getting along with her lower denture, struggling quite a lot, so we had to almost start from square one again.”
The team used digital scanning and design software to create a personalised fit for Maureen’s new dentures. These were then 3D printed using the Stratasys J5 DentaJet, a cutting-edge dental printer known for its precision, speed and realism.
“We started the same way as we do for all of our patients,” said Tim Jackson, co-owner and Clinical Dental Technician at Prime Dental. “We scan our patients, take all the measurements we need to take then we produced her a Stratasys try-in.
“That was really good to see as we got to test the fit and the function was all really good. There were a couple of little aesthetic tweaks I wanted to make. I made a couple of tweaks on the 3Shape software, reprinted the same file, and I just had that confidence that I know it’s going to fit, I know it’s going to occlude the second time round.
“I didn’t actually fit the second lot of dentures. I just handed them to Maureen because I had that much confidence in the material and in the process.”
Better for Labs, Better for Clinics, Best for Patients
This fully digital process brings benefits across the board – faster turnaround, fewer appointments and greater accuracy. Crucially, it gives patients a far more comfortable and natural-feeling result.
Maureen said: “They’re brilliant. Compared to the previous dentures, you can’t really tell I’m wearing them. I have no soreness or aches or anything.
“The others dentures, from when they were made, I’ve had to wear adhesive with them and it’s a pain using that. These 3D printed teeth, I don’t have to wear any adhesive at all. Wearing these teeth makes me feel more confident, especially going out for meals.”
Tim’s work at Prime extends beyond the lab as he is involved in the fitting of the dentures in the clinic to get live, chair-side insight into the impact his work is having.
He said: “It’s a real benefit of me being in the clinics and seeing these jobs fitted. Getting instant patient feedback in the clinics when we’re fitting analogue dentures and then giving them a 3D printed set of dentures as a blind test. Every single time they’re saying the 3D printed dentures are the ones they prefer.
“It’s just a testament to the material really, and it shows that we need to only produce what the patient wants us to produce. If they have a choice and they choose one thing over and over again then we need to follow that as a lab and in the clinics as well.”
SYS Systems: Driving Innovation in Digital Dental Technology
The entire process is enabled by Stratasys technology supplied by SYS Systems, the UK’s only dedicated Platinum Partner. By working with SYS, Prime Dental Laboratory has been able to unlock the power of digital dentistry, achieving consistent, high-quality results with the Stratasys J5 DentaJet and TrueDent resin.
Whether it’s improving workflows, reducing chair time, or helping patients like Maureen smile with confidence again, this is the future of dentures.
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