Dr. August de Oliveira is a household name in CAD/CAM dentistry. A pioneer of early chairside design and manufacturing technologies, we sat down to chat with him about the development of 3D printing in his office. In this video interview, he opens up about his experience with various 3D printers, how to identify which one to buy, and which workflows he uses his printers for. In addition to operating his beloved private practice, Dr. de Oliveira also lectures on CAD/CAM technologies all over the world, helping clinicians bring digital dentistry into their office.
One of Dr. de Oliveira’s key workflows are surgical guides, which he began to bring in-house after he realized that he could pay only a few dollars in materials cost. Prior to printing, Dr. de Olveira could fabricate some implant guides in his 5-axis mills, but this was limited in scope and it placed undue stress on the hardware. With 3D printing, he now pays less than $10 per guide in materials, compared to his $350/per guide lab bill, and is able to fabricate all types of guides in-house. This has allowed him to reduce fees and increase case acceptance for this treatment. Watch the video to see how printing has also revolutionized his workflow for clear aligner therapy.
Thanks to Dr. August de Oliveira for this interview! For more video interviews about dental 3D printing, check out the full series: