Medical-grade silicones for dental impression

How to improve dental care for all patients

There are today huge challenges to improve dental care for all patients. For example, many children suffer from what is known as malocclusion, which means that their upper and lower teeth are incorrectly aligned. This can cause serious problems, both in terms of dental health, discomfort and appearance. In the past, braces were practically the only possible solution (apart from invasive surgery) to deal with this problem. These orthodontic devices are costly, require multiple adjustments, can be uncomfortable and require many years of care.

To counter this difficulty, Sandraw a startup based in Taiwan, China, has been researching and developing new 3D modeling techniques  for rapid prototyping of dental devices and an innovative new therapy, known as DeBrace myofunctional training. This disruptive orthodontic technology aligns patients’ teeth by training their oral muscles. The device is a custom-made discreet dental arch that directs teeth to grow on the right track. To manufacture the trainer, the company has developed its own additive manufacturing printers (also known as 3D dental printing ), using customized silicone materials. The process uses layer-by-layer deposits of materials.

Dental devices, such as the myofunctional trainer, have to be personalized to the patient’s mouth and must be extremely accurate. They also have to meet the following specifications:

• Use of medical-grade materials to guarantee biocompatibility and avoid harming the skin and generating allergies 
• Ensure comfort for the patient, of particular importance when used for children
• Provide abrasion resistance to maintain the position required to realign the teeth
• Offer aging resistance for long-term use
• Avoid yellowing for aesthetic appearance
• Create a balance between tensile strength and elongation to create an efficient track for aligning teeth
• Guarantee compatibility with the strictest standards, nationally and internationally.