3D Metal Printing in Orthodontics: Looking Back on 10 Years of Failures and Progress

In 2014, Dr. Simon Graf bonded the first 3D metal printed rapid palatal expander in the mouth of a patient. In this presentation, he will recapitulate his failures and errors, and what finally lead to a successful treatment. He will sum up the differences for virtual planning, the progress with printing procedures, and clinical applications over the past 10 years. A special aim will be the bonding and debonding procedures for metal printed appliances, as they become more and more common in daily clinic use. 3D printed molar bands behave different than classic bands. There is no way printed bands will go below the equator of a tooth, and there is no primary hold with a tight fit of those. In order to have a good hold, it is eminent to use the correct bonding procedure, according to the need of the appliance.