After we discovered that we could digitize the extracted tooth using our 3D scan app r3DPhoto, the next step was to find the right material for 3D printed dental implants. Where is the best place to start? What material is used for dental implants in humans? What materials does the market offer?
We quickly settled on two materials to test. First, there was the conventional dental material from human medicine that is used to make 3D printed crowns & bridges in human dentistry. Then there was the bio-UV resin, made from soybean oil, that has multiple applications due to its environmental friendliness, and complies with the EN 71-3:2013 safety standard.
Together with the Zentrum für Werkstoffe und Technik GmbH (ZWT GmbH) of the PHWT in Diepholz, we started a series of tests to test the hardness in comparison with horse tooth.
With an abrasion test according to ISO 4649, the behavior under friction of the implant should now be tested in comparison to the original horse tooth.
How can this be imagined? Sample bodies were created from each material and from the comparison body. These are about the size of a thumb.

However, molar teeth in horses are not simply smooth on the upper surface, but have a wavy structure that makes each tooth look different.

Therefore, simple cylinders could not be used and printed as sample bodies. ZWT GmbH used its in-house CT machine to create exact 3D models that had exactly the same dimensions as the sample body "tooth".

So we were able to quickly print sample bodies in tooth material (ZM) and bio-UV resin (BM) for three tooth models.

The sample is then tested on a roller with emery paper that rotates. The sample is then moved over a guide over the emery paper to be abraded.

But how can we check which material was harder? The standardized emery paper is weighed before and after the test. So the abrasion is weighed and tested.
For our test, the results were as follows: nothing is as hard as a horse's tooth. But the BM had an average of 29.96% less material abrasion compared to the ZM. Since tooth abrasion plays an important role in horses, we had found the optimal material for our 3D printed dental implants: Bio-UV resin, which we offer with our 3D printing starter set.