A fully digital workflow for the design and manufacture of a class of metal orthodontic appliances

BackgroundTraditional working procedures requires a lot of clinical processes and processing time.MethodsThe orthodontic metal appliances were made by applying oral scanners, digital images, computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD-CAM) printers.ResultsThe computer digital technology simplified the manufacturing process for dental appliances and shorten the duration for clinical operation and technical processing.ConclusionsThe technique described in this paper can guarantee the accuracy of orthodontic appliances and bring revolution the the field.Clinical SignificanceThe CAD-CAM technology provides a fully digital workflow for manufacturing metal orthodontic appliances, which saves a considerable amount of labor and material costs, and significantly reduces heavy metal pollution in the working environment of dental technicians.