UK-based dental lab Bant Dental has adopted a Stratasys J5 DentaJet to additively manufacture dentures, surgical guides and models.
The company, founded by husband-and-wife team Steve and Susan Bant, is said to have experienced a ‘major surge’ in business after integrating the additive manufacturing capability.
Having moved to a new ‘state-of-the-art’ facility in Beech Lane, Macclesfield, Bant Dental is now ‘95% digital.’ Multiple components can be printed in a single run, with dentures produced with realistic depth and translucency, removing labour-intensive steps and reducing potential errors.
Stratasys reseller SYS Systems supplied and installed the J5 DentaJet machine, while also providing technical guidance and assistance as Bant Dental stood up the 3D printing capability.
“Initially, the J5 DentaJet could produce models, implant models, guides and special trays, and this made us a lot more efficient as a business,” said Steve Bant. “Then SYS Systems received approval for its groundbreaking TrueDent CE-marked resin in the UK, and this opened up a whole new range of possibilities, including 3D printing full-colour monolithic dentures.
“The ability to print in colour is next level. You can alter the colour of the gingiva, you can give it depth, and you can add translucency on the tips of the teeth. They’ve actually got real depth and, importantly, look fantastic.”
Bant Dental says that the integration of 3D printing technology has ‘revolutionised’ its workflow, with the volume of output the company generates necessitating the need for at least three times the number of staff if it had continued with analogue processes.
Chris Fulton, Managing Director of SYS Systems, added: “Embracing digital dentistry has been a game-changer for Bant Dental and helped it set the foundations for the next thirty-five years in business. The family-run company is a great example of how our revolutionary 3D printing technology isn’t just for the big laboratories but can be deployed to offer real quality and efficiency savings for fast-growing, innovative labs too.”
