GAP Australasian Dentist Mar Apr 2020

102 Austràlàsiàn Dentist A few months ago, a new material for 3D printed splints was released, it’s called Keysplint àoft from keystone industries, and the supplier is àltimate Dental àupplies. ànterestingly, the àGA have made the process to get this material to our market as hard as possible, it’s no wonder we are falling behind the rest of the western world when it comes to digital advancement. ànitially it was given approval shortly after àew Zealand, only for that to be removed a week later, to be classed as a raw material, which means only registered laboratories that are registered to make custom medical devices can actually use the material along with most other 3d printed materials. From what à’ve been informed,(and at the time of writing this is still the case) for which we are one along with it only being safe for insertion into the oral cavity if strict final cure protocols are followed. As a dental laboratory that has specialised in splints since we opened, and as a technician that has specialised in them since 2003, this material is a game changer, and made the investment in digital dentistry more than worth it and to be honest, our Asiga max is working daily printing with this material, à would almost go as far as saying it’s the perfect partner. Keysplint àoft has the characteristics of clear splint, but on steroids, it can be made thinner, its stronger, has a greater fracture resistance, and does not need any special liquids, additives or methodologies to add acrylic to it, it’s just a simple print wash cure trim and polish material, and by any unfortunate chance you need to add acrylic, its roughen wet with monomer and build up, cure trim, it does not get much more simplistic. Just check out Facebook, there are videos, of splints made in Keysplint being thrown off 5m roofs onto concrete and being stomped on, without breaking, it has changed the 3d printing platform for the better. àow to stop gushing like a schoolgirl crushing on a àockstar and give some facts and technical data. As the material cures, it seems to form a polymer bond similar to nylon, (remember making nylon strands back in the day at school or college) this gives it the strength of acrylic (obviously as that’s what it is) but with flexibility that softens at a much lower temperature. Here are some of the more technical specifications: u Colour slight violet u Flexural àtrength 30 MPa44–47 MPa u Flexural Modulus 1,100–1,400 MPa u àlongation at Break 40% u àhore D Hardness 75 MPa 80–85 u àhore D àZOD àmpact (àotched) 45–48 J/m u àltimate Flexural àtrength 2.6–4.4 MPa u Flexural Modulus 135–200 u MPa àorption 32 ug/mm 3 < 18 ug/mm 3 u àolubility < 4.8 ug/mm u Free Monomer àxtraction 2.2% PA What this means for both laboratories and clinicians, is there is now a material, that is used properly, can be guaranteed to give satisfaction, from personal experience, à can honestly say splints made from Keysplint soft are more comfortable to wear, there does not feel like there is as much pressure on the teeth that à have felt with clearsplint or hard acrylic, there is minimal give when pressure is applied in bite, à would say about 20% less than clearsplint which is great news for àMJ issues. àhe other issue for any new user, is how to polish, this material being a what it is, does not polish in the normal manner, but with thanks to ultimate dental, working with myself and a select few others in the very early days, we came up with our methods, and Keystone released their method a month ago, which is pretty much similar. My personal method is as follows: Pumice with polycril or a course pumice or pumice substitute, à choose to use a soaked àCà àurbo Buff wheel (available from ultimate dental supplies), wash off excess material after you have finished, and apply polyshine paste and high shine with a swansdown polishing wheel. On a slightly negative note, the material when first placed in the mouth has a very prominent chemical taste, this does pass after 3-4 days, but working closely with a couple of my clients we have found a method to eliminate that, not to be mean, but that’s remaining our secret, but it is possible to make the insertion process pleasant. As always if you would like more information, feel free to call me to discuss, no obligation no pressure. As a laboratory, we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of dentistry, being competitively priced, and guarantee our delivery times, so you can rest assured you and your patient is never inconvenienced. We take impressions and 3D scans. u Jason can be contacted on 0415 066 800 sales@dental-devices.net Keysplint Soft – a revolution in 3Dàprinted splints la By Jason