3D Printing and Dentistry: 2024’s Progress, 2025’s Promise

Few industries have embraced technology as naturally as dentistry did with 3D printing. From faster workflows to new materials, additive manufacturing has cemented itself as a cornerstone of modern dental care. Dentists and dental labs have embraced the technology to boost precision, lower costs, and improve patient care. Heading into 2025, experts who spoke with 3DPrint.com agree on one thing: 3D printing is transforming not only how dental devices are made but also how care is delivered. What trends defined this year, and what’s coming next?

Reshaping Dentistry with Advanced Materials

The dental industry made significant strides in 2024 thanks to a surge in dental-specific materials.

Boston Micro Fabrication’s (BMF) CEO John Kawola explains: “There are new advances in resins and materials approved for dentistry, making additive manufacturing a more attractive, versatile, and realistic option. We’ve also seen 3D printing push new bounds in applications where there’s a need for higher precision and thinner materials, such as veneers. In 2025 and beyond, dental labs and practices will increasingly look to high precision 3D printing to solve longstanding pain points for patients, providing better outcomes and enhanced satisfaction, especially in cosmetic dentistry.”

Formlabs‘ Rachel Ramos builds on this, highlighting the transformative potential of new materials like BEGO™ VarseoSmile® TriniQ® Resin and the brand’s proprietary Premium Teeth Resin. These materials, Ramos explains, are allowing dental labs and practices to expand their capabilities, from producing implant crowns to creating natural-looking denture teeth.

Ramos highlights that introducing versatile, high-performance resins has been a game changer, allowing dentists to meet growing demands for precision and aesthetics while improving efficiency. These advancements, however, wouldn’t be as impactful without equally powerful hardware to bring them to life. This is why Ramos says that when paired with faster hardware, these advances in materials have streamlined workflows and elevated patient care to new levels.

In addition, Ramos points to the brand’s Form 4B Series printers as a key example of this progress. Released in the Spring of 2024, the machines are setting a new benchmark for speed and efficiency in dental care.

Economic Accessibility and Efficiency

Cost-effectiveness is a critical driver of 3D printing’s adoption in dentistry. According to George Freedman, dental surgeon and regent director at the International Academy for Dental Facial Esthetics (IADFE), 3D printing offers a “naturally accessible paradigm shift” for practitioners navigating rising operating expenses. Compared to milling, 3D printing systems boast significantly lower setup costs, material expenses, and learning curves.

“In the current environment of digitization and automation, additive manufacturing not only delivers higher quality and more customized dental treatment but accomplishes this at a significantly lower cost to the dentist. The practitioner is thus faced with a very pleasant dilemma: after adopting 3D printing, they can either maintain current prices to improve profit margins or lower treatment prices to attract more patients—both of which ultimately enhance the bottom line,” explains Freedman, who is also professor of dental medicine at Western University in California.

According to the expert, the complete 3D printing office setup is readily affordable for the single practitioner, with initial investments far lower than traditional milling systems—often up to 10 times less expensive for comparable accuracy. Additionally, the materials used for 3D printing cost 10 to 30 times less than milling blocks, making it a highly cost-effective option for dental practices, explains Freedman.

This affordability encourages dentists to upgrade to newer technology as it becomes available, further driving adoption. Such accessibility is reshaping workflows across the industry. Freedman points to the advantages of in-office manufacturing, which eliminates reliance on labs and enables same-day solutions.

In fact, Christopher Baer of Colorado-based Baer Dental confirms this, stating, “We can go from a scan to a printed model and fabricate an appliance very easily within 10 minutes, so we have it before a patient leaves.”

Expanding Applications in Dental Healthcare

3D printing’s impact extends far beyond efficiency. Jeffrey Graves, CEO of 3D Systems, highlights its profound role in creating patient-specific solutions that deliver superior precision and customization.

“Whether we are looking at medical devices for orthopedic applications or for the dental market to align, protect, repair, and replace teeth, it is likely the trend to deliver patient-specific solutions will proliferate. AM’s ability to enable the simultaneous production of unique complex parts can help surgeons and clinicians deliver a better patient experience. I expect the advancements AM has already made in these areas will also enable great strides in newer fields over the coming months, with the potential to improve the quality of life for countless patients,” adds Graves.

In the dental industry specifically, AM has revolutionized the production of trays, models, surgical guides, dentures, orthodontic splints, retainers, crowns, and bridges, explains Reji Puthenveetil, EVP of Additive Solutions at 3D Systems.

What’s more, the expert indicates that “As the capabilities of 3D printing technologies and materials continue to grow, I expect to see even more applications addressing the alignment, protection, repair, and replacement of teeth.”

Puthenveetil also points to adding U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-cleared AM solutions, such as the ability to 3D print PEEK, as a major driver of innovation in dental implants. With advances in materials and technology, the scope of dental applications is rapidly expanding, offering significant benefits to clinicians and patients.

While expert insights point to major advancements, 2024 also introduced other developments to 3D printing in dentistry. The rise of AI-powered workflows and biocompatible materials streamlined the production of dental restorations, from crowns and aligners to bridges. The industry also saw substantial growth, with the dental 3D printing market surpassing $3 billion in 2023 and expected to grow by more than 20% annually through 2032. Meanwhile, the shift from traditional analog techniques to digital processes—such as intraoral scanning and CAD/CAM—continued to streamline workflows, making dental care cheaper while meeting the growing demand for personalization.

Looking Ahead: 2025 and Beyond

As 2025 nears, industry leaders see a continued emphasis on materials innovation and workflow integration. The accessibility of open-platform systems, as noted by Freedman, will encourage even greater adoption among small practices. Meanwhile, High-speed systems and flexible materials will make dental care cheaper and better.

Graves anticipates that advances in AM will unlock new possibilities for cosmetic and restorative dentistry. The trend to deliver patient-specific solutions will proliferate, he claims, signaling an era where precision and customization become the norm.

In 2024, 3D printing in dentistry evolved from an auxiliary tool to a central technology, reshaping workflows and patient care. As materials and machines grow more sophisticated, 2025 promises a landscape where efficiency and personalization continue to define dental treatment. Dentists who embrace these changes will not only boost their practices but set new standards for the industry. The future is clear: 3D printing is not just transforming dentistry—it’s perfecting it.