LuxCreo
LuxCreo, a company specialising in 3D printed clear dental appliances, has announced an FDA Class II 510(k) cleared end-to-end solution for orthodontists and dentists to produce same-day clear aligners, bypassing traditional model and thermoforming stages. The company says this approach enables orthodontists and dentists to deliver aligners to patients in two hours from an oral scan.
LuxCreo says this process has significant labour and CapEx savings compared to in-house thermoforming.
Mike Yang, LuxCreo CEO said: “After 5 years of collaboration with orthodontists, dentists and dental labs, we are excited to introduce our integrated suite of direct aligner digital fabrication tools. LuxCreo direct print aligners offer higher accuracy compared to thermoformed alternatives which can result in a better patient fit. Furthermore, our patent-pending multi-thickness technology enables customised teeth movements tailored to each patient’s unique treatment needs.”
The company says that despite growth in the global clear aligner market, 5-10% of aligner treatments are cancelled by patients due to lengthy initial aligner lead times of up to six weeks. According to LuxCreo, the LuxAlign platform addresses these issues, and enables patients to try on aligners two hours after intraoral scanning at a dentist’s office.
To deliver the same day direct clear aligner capabilities, LuxCreo is launching a sutie of products that includes: iLux Pro Dental; LuxAlign design software; iLuxCure Pro; Direct Clear Aligner Material (DCA); and LuxScale.
LuxCreo
The iLux Pro Dental is a high throughput, small footprint, heated, chairside DLP printer with 50µm pixel resolution, powered by LEAP technology. One iLux Pro dental is capable of printing up to 175 models horizontally or up to 64 direct aligners in an eight-hour shift according to LuxCreo.
The LuxAlign design software automatically generates aligner retainer designs, adds trimlines, repairs tooth gaps, and allows for varying aligner thicknesses for enhancing aligner efficacy and patient comfort.
The iLuxCure Pro is a programmable, multi-wavelength, multi-direction, high-irradiance post-print cure that the company says can cure 6-8 aligners within 30 minutes.
LuxCreo’s Direct Clear Aligner Material (DCA) is a tough, flexible, and accurate clear aligner material with high transparency without manual polishing, enabled by LuxCreo’s Digital Polishing technology. DCA has been FDA Class II 510 (k) cleared for an aligner indication.
With LuxScale, after patients receive and approve their initial aligners, dentists can order or modify the remaining aligner treatment plan from a LuxCreo smart factory.
“The iLux Pro Dental and LuxAlign design software has been a game changer for my practice; I’ve eliminated the need to print models, thermoform them and cut the aligners. LuxAlign has saved my practice 60-75% in labour costs compared to the traditional workflow and has slashed waiting times for my patients,” said Dr. Mike Pham, CEO of Affordable Dental.
