Pandemic Sparks Key Improvements in Digital Orthodontics at SLU’s Heart for Superior Dental Schooling

Ki Beom Kim, D.D.S., Ph.D., program director within the Orthodontic Division at CADE, locations a newly 3D-printed aligner within the centrifuge. Picture by Sarah Conroy.

Now, dental professionals from varied international locations are touring to SLU to be taught extra about two technological developments not out there anyplace else on the earth.

ST. LOUIS – The COVID-19 pandemic galvanized researchers at Saint Louis College’s Heart for Superior Dental Schooling (CADE) to discover key improvements in digital orthodontics and normal dentistry.

Ki Beom Kim, D.D.S., Ph.D., the Dr. Lysle Johnston Endowed Chair in Orthodontics, and this system director within the Orthodontic Division at CADE, says the pandemic intensified the necessity for digital orthodontics as many clinics had been shut because of lockdowns and motion restrictions. COVID-19 swept away many of those limitations, resulting in the speedy adoption of digital options and reworking methods of working and repair supply.

“Orthodontics is a considering sport, like chess. You’re consistently maneuvering items to resolve issues that won’t solely enhance a affected person’s smile however their high quality of life,” Kim mentioned.

By means of a partnership with Graphy, a South Korean 3D printing materials firm, SLU researchers have spent the previous three years testing direct 3D–printed aligners.

The researchers discovered that controlling materials dimensions, construction, and properties of aligners straight — in comparison with thermoforming plastic sheets like Invisalign — has the potential to make the method of tooth motion sooner, much less wasteful and extra exact.

Ki Beom Kim, D.D.S., Ph.D., program director within the Orthodontic Division at CADE, with 3D-printed aligners. Picture by Sarah Conroy.

Their findings had been lately printed within the Progress in Orthodontics paper “Power Profile Evaluation of Direct-Printed Aligners Versus Thermoformed Aligners and the Results of Non-Engaged Floor Patterns.”

Kim says it’s a major improvement with the potential to take 10%, or greater than $5 billion, of Invisalign’s market share.

“Invisalign is a $25 billion firm. There’s industrial curiosity from many firms attempting to develop such a materials, however we’re the primary faculty to take action,” Kim mentioned.

Dr. Kim highlights that retention in orthodontics has lengthy been a difficult side. Whereas many orthodontists acknowledge the benefits of utilizing fastened retainers, there are sometimes two elements that hinder their widespread adoption. The primary concern is the time-consuming nature of the method, and the second revolves round potential tooth motion because of wire untwisting, as highlighted in case experiences of improperly bent wires.

Addressing this concern, YOAT, a medical know-how producer primarily based in Seattle, has efficiently revolutionized the sector of orthodontics. By collaborating with YOAT, Saint Louis College is presently testing an on-site retainer-bending machine that guarantees to create exact retainers whereas drastically lowering the time required for alterations. Early outcomes from the examine have already proven that sufferers expertise improved stability in comparison with conventional retainers.

Up to now, orthodontists needed to manually bend retainer wires. SLU’s partnership with YOAT extends to creating a ending wire bending machine, scheduled for testing this fall. The introduction of this new machine is anticipated to additional elevate remedy high quality by providing personalized ending wire choices, pushing the boundaries of orthodontic care.

Different researchers on the paper embrace Evan Hertan, D.D.S.; Julie McCray, D.D.S.; and Brent Bankhead, D.D.S. from Saint Louis College. The paper’s digital object identifier is: https://doi.org/10.1186/s40510-022-00443-2.

About The Heart for Superior Dental Schooling

The Heart for Superior Dental Schooling’s mission is to attain the very best degree of excellence in scholarship and affected person care whereas educating dentists within the specialties of orthodontics (tooth straightening), endodontics (root canal remedy), pediatric dentistry and periodontics (gum illness remedy). The middle goals to serve its college students, the career of dentistry, the neighborhood of St. Louis, and the communities by which the graduates of CADE will observe their dental specialty.

About Saint Louis College

Based in 1818, Saint Louis College is likely one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious Catholic establishments. Rooted in Jesuit values and its pioneering historical past as the primary college west of the Mississippi River, SLU provides greater than 13,500 college students a rigorous, transformative schooling of the entire particular person. On the core of the College’s various neighborhood of students is SLU’s service-focused mission, which challenges and prepares college students to make the world a greater, extra simply place.