Dental composites have been utilized in dentistry for more than 50 years to restore compromised or mis-shaped teeth. Shaping the dental composite into esthetic restorations is a time consuming and challenging procedure for dentists. Leveraging the technical advances and proliferation of digital tools (scanning, design, and additive manufacturing), we have developed custom matrices from 3D printed polymeric materials to shape light curable composite restorative materials directly on a patient's dentition. The 3M team addressed a major pain point for dentists by developing an affordable, efficient, and minimally invasive alternative procedure for veneers and worn teeth. This presentation will highlight the journey of developing and commercializing a truly novel custom dental matrix system utilizing the unique combination of additive manufacturing and photocurable materials.

Shaping smiles: Utilizing polymer systems to transform composite restorations

Fall 2022 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch in mid-September.

ACS Fall 2022

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.