A Nottingham man has shared how a groundbreaking 3D-printed denture solution has transformed his life, restoring not only his smile but also his ability to eat, speak and engage with the world again.
Simon, 43, had struggled with severe dental issues, leading to a complete loss of confidence and growing health complications. Thanks to a collaborative approach between Prime Dental Laboratory, Zenith Dental Clinic and SYS Systems, Simon received TrueDent 3D-printed dentures, produced using the Stratasys J5 DentaJet, with stunning results.
“It was massively affecting my life,” said Simon. “My confidence had gone massively, to the point that I’d start mumbling in sentences because I couldn’t speak properly. I couldn’t eat certain things because I just couldn’t chew them. I spent about a decade avoiding people.”
Overcoming Severe Dental Challenges with Digital Dentistry
Simon’s treatment began at Zenith Dental Clinic, where Dr Karan Maini, Principal Dentist, immediately recognised the severity of the situation.
“Simon came to me with a full mouth of decay. He’d suffered a lot. He’d had a very hard life,” said Dr Maini. “When we assessed him, the conclusion we came to was that we had to remove every single one of his teeth because they were rotten. He wasn’t able to eat. He was having infections all the time.”
To support the complex clinical procedure, Dr Maini reached out to long-standing partner Prime Dental Laboratory, a pioneer in digital dental workflows and a proud investor in the Stratasys J5 DentaJet, supplied by UK Stratasys platinum partner SYS Systems.
Tim Jackson, Co-owner and Clinical Dental Technician at Prime Dental Lab, said: “I got a message from Karan saying he’s got this patient, he needs all his teeth taking out and some dentures being fitted as soon as possible.
“We came up with a good treatment plan. The patient needed general anaesthetic to get through the treatment with 17 or 18 teeth being taken out and then dentures being put in on the same day.”
Initial temporary dentures were milled and fitted quickly. But just a few weeks later, natural bone resorption had altered the shape of Simon’s mouth and a more advanced, lasting solution was needed. That’s when the team turned to Stratasys TrueDent resin, a cutting-edge dental material specifically designed for digital denture production.
“We knew we needed to either reline what we’d got or potentially try the new Stratasys TrueDent material,” Tim explained. “We asked the patient and it was a perfect opportunity for us to try it with him. We took a couple of impressions from the inside of his current dentures, then 3D printed some dentures in the TrueDent resin. We fit them two days later, made one minor adjustment on one side, and the patient feedback we got was immense.”
Advanced Digital Dentures: A New Standard in Dental Care
Simon was immediately blown away by the look and feel of the new dentures.
“The TrueDent material, the fit is incredible. It just fits perfectly. It’s snug. It doesn’t feel like plastic in my face like they have done,” he said.
“They feel smaller, but I don’t think they are. I think they’re exactly the same size. And they’re lighter, I guess, but it’s just the fit. It feels more comfortable, more natural in my mouth.
“It’s just making me feel more normal, more confident. They look better than the teeth that I was born with. They look real.”
The feeling Simon had in his mouth with his TrueDent dentures has given him a new lease of life, with a boost in confidence allowing him to live life to the fullest.
He said: “The fact I’ve got 3D printed teeth now is incredible. It’s mind blowing. It looks amazing. It’s better than I imagined it could be because of where I was before.
SYS Systems: Driving Innovation in Digital Dental Technology
The use of the Stratasys J5 DentaJet and TrueDent resin, supplied by SYS Systems, marked a significant turning point in Simon’s treatment. This advanced technology enables labs like Prime Dental to fully embrace digital dentistry, producing monolithic, full-colour, patient-specific dentures in a fraction of the time traditional methods would take.
The benefits are clear: faster production, fewer appointments and significantly improved comfort, fit and appearance for the patient.
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