HOUSTON – If you or your kids have ever worn braces, you know how frustrating and costly it can be to lose a retainer.
New three dimensional technology is saving you not only a trip to the orthodontist's office, but money too.
Houston orthodontic specialist Dr. Raymond McLendon with Clear Choice Orthodontics has heard just about every excise for losing a retainer.
Dr. McLendon told Local 2, "The dog eats them. They wear out. It's really helpful to have a back up.
You've probably put the goo in your mouth and waited for it to harden to make a mold. Then it was sent by snail mail and weeks later, your retainer would be ready.
Three-D technology is changing all that.
Dr. McLendon explained, "That process saves them the need to go in the office and have the goo put in your mouth again for the impression. So literally saves time, effort and money on everyone's part."
A light wand scans the patient's teeth in minutes. Hours later, a 3D printer creates a plastic model of their teeth, unlike the old plaster molds that could only be used once.
Dr. McLendon added, "So with this hard model, we're able to make multiple different retainers over several years. So the patient will simply keep this (model) and they can continue to have a retainer made and we're able to do this at half price because we don't have to do the first half of the work."
It's not just for retainers either.
Dr. McLendon said, "Dentists are using them to create crowns and special restorations of teeth and the doctors able to send this to any laboratory in the world that has this technology on the other end."
Dr. McLendon said more specialists are using 3D printing technology, so hopefully you won't have to panic the next time you lose that retainer while on vacation.