From Dental to 3D printing prosthetic ears: 3D technology might take you into unexpected places

The use of 3D printing might open a range of possibilities for professionals and might make you acquire other competences. The story of Dr. Cory Glenn, digital dentist illustrates it perfectly.

Dr. Cory Glenn began a treatment for a patient who has been severely injured in a car accident. The latter had lost an ear and his doctor wanted to help in any way possible.

The only thing is that the digital dentist was accustomed to using SprintRay’s 3D printer designed for digital dentistry. Nevertheless, he decided to try his hand at making a 3D printed prosthetic ear to replace what had been lost in the accident.

Dr. Cory Glenn and his team firstly 3D scan the patient’s opposite ear in order to get a digital model of what the prosthese might look like. “Using Meshmixer, Dr. Glenn was able to flip the scan and subtract the underlying soft tissue. Instead of just printing the ear and then making a model, he decided to make an injection mold. Using NextDent IBT in his SprintRay 3D printer, he printed out the mold and injected it with PVS to prove the concept. Seeing that the mold was successful, he sent it off to an anaplastologist to inject silicone and finish the ear.

I could never imagined as a first year dental student that my life would take so many crazy turns and I’d end up doing what I’m doing today,Corey Glenn said of his recent foray into creating a 3D printed prosthetic ear.

3D printing is definitely a technology full of suprises.

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