3D : Q & A with Rik Jacobs

Rik Jacobs leads 3D Systems' dental team as vice president, general manager of dental solutions. In addition to decades of experience in the dental industry, Rik gained considerable insights into the dental market through co-founding and leading NextDent, an innovative dental materials company with a broad portfolio of 3D printable material options that was acquired by 3D Systems in January 2017.

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In this interview, Rik shares his thoughts on the current state of the dental market, opportunities he sees for continued advancement using additive technologies in the dental profession, and key impact areas of digital dentistry for both practitioners and patients.

How long have digital technologies been part of the dental workflow, and what is driving their adoption?

Rik Jacobs: For more than a decade, computing technologies and digital formats have become a pervasive part of modern life, and the dental profession is no exception.

Dental professionals have been watching and evaluating 3D technologies over the years and understand that they offer compelling benefits in terms of time and cost efficiency, better accuracy over conventional methods, and high predictability of results. For instance, intraoral digital scanning has made collecting patient data faster, more accurate and more comfortable than it has been historically. In my view, the acceptance of milling as a dental industry standard has paved the way for 3D printed solutions, which also rely on 3D data, but are faster and more cost effective by comparison.

To me, access to 3D printable materials that are safe for in-mouth use was the next critical step to drive the adoption of additive in dentistry. This material component was the core focus of my company NextDent, which developed a broad portfolio of certified materials to address a large number of dental application categories. Since our acquisition by 3D Systems, we have combined our leading dental materials expertise with 3D Systems' prowess in additive production technologies. Now, as we combine NextDent materials with 3D Systems' Figure 4 technology, we are making fast and reliable end-use production possible, and providing a capable and compelling alternative to milling.

I think that when you can make more effective use of everyone's time and money, you are doing something right; that's why 3D technologies are taking hold.