Academic Research: Development Of 3d Printing Technology In Medicine (Essay Sample)

3D PRINTING IN MEDICINE Name Academia Research: 3D Printing in Medicine Date One of the peculiarities of the Medicine industry is its “patient-centered nature of delivering services.”1 It makes it naturally grueling and demanding. While quality service should be guaranteed, cheap may have ceased in its dictionary if it ever was. A physician has to particularize every stage of treatment to suit a particular patient, regardless of a limit in resources. However, “with the development of the 3D printing technology in medicine, costs have become bearable with full customization of resources.”2 Some of the ways in which 3D printing technology has impacted the Medicine industry include digitalizing the dental category, enabling an average cost of prosthesis and fitting in of implants. The dental department has gained much from 3D printing. Whenever a dentist makes a mold of your dental formula, they have to keep it. Besides, the materials used in the molding are seldom pleasant to bear. But with 3D scanning, an orthodontist easily plasters his models and appliances without bothering their client. Also, “the technology saves time, cost and space simultaneously.”3 The 3D scan is stored in a computer system and; thus, no need for further scans in case need be. The cost for storage rooms for the models reduces significantly too. Apparently, “3D printing is the future of dentistry because of the way it digitalizes the career to suit our immediate needs in an intelligent manner.”4 The cost of acquiring a prosthetic body organ has reduced since the invention of 3D printing. For instance, the acquisition that cost one 1,000$ now costs far much less. Volunteers who do it out of passion often make 3D scanned prosthetic body parts, and sell them cheaply or give them out at no cost. “The prosthetics achieved since the discovery are innumerable owing to the low cost.”5 Indeed, we owe gratitude to this wonderful invention. Fitting of implants, too, has been made more achievable by the 3D printing technology. Coming up with the appropriate model of implant consumes lots of time, in conjunction with a lot of money. The “employment of 3D printing together with the proper medical appliances produces the implant shapes faster and cheaply.”6 For instance, a patient suffering from chest cancer will need an implant to substitute for his sternum. Perfect customization is inevitable since the resulting shape should match the patient’s chest cavity. In such a case, 3D printing is the ultimate panacea. A “quick 3D scan is done which guides the immediate creation of a right implant, thereby, saving patients in critical conditions.”7 Obviously, 3D printing and scanning is one of the seminal milestones in the betterment of health that has suited virtually all fields of the Medicine industry. Ranging from making services affordable to making customization easy, it has saved many lives. The “onl...