Great Lakes Orthodontics is using 3D laser scanning, custom-designed software, and state-of-the-art machining to digitally fabricate splints, reducing splint adjustment time and saving chair time, the company announced.
The articulator geometry has been recreated in software. Models are scanned, then oriented on the virtual articulator. In the software, contact points are identified and disclusion ramps are defined. The software then creates a 3D splint with even centric contacts and an anterior ramp with canine guidance, according to the company.
"Great Lakes digital splints are extremely accurate, and it never takes more than 15 minutes to deliver," said B. Clay Keith, D.D.S., of the Center for Implant and General Dentistry in Lindale, TX, in a press release. "The digitally fabricated splint pays for itself in reduced chair time and headaches."
The advantage of the process is that there is no cusp indexing on the splint, according to the company. In addition, digital splints are smooth to allow the teeth to move freely and not lock in any particular position, and there are no divots.
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