J ourney to the G reat B ackyar
Summer is drawing to a close, but there’s still time to make some great memories. Camping trips are a summer staple. Fortunately, you don’t have to drive hours into the mountains to find the perfect campsite. Your backyard is right there waiting for you! Here are a few tips to help your family say farewell to summer with a perfect backyard camping trip. PACK FOR AN AUTHENTIC EXPERIENCE. Your back door is literally a few yards away, which can be great in the event of an emergency. But if the kids are running in and out of the house all night long, they might end up deciding they’d rather be inside playing video games after only an hour. Be sure to pack everything you would need if you were really going into the woods for the night so no one is tempted to go back inside. This means tents, sleeping bags, flashlights, pajamas, books, binoculars, a compass, water bottles, and a cooler of food with snacks and dinner. Treat this like a “real” camping experience right from the beginning! FIGURE OUT THE CAMPFIRE. Don’t have an in-ground fire pit? No worries! You can still enjoy hot dogs and s’mores with a charcoal grill or a store-bought fire pit. If you Finish the Summer With
PRINTING TEETH
How 3D Printers Are Revolutionizing Dentistry
Six years ago, the media buzz surrounding 3D printing technology was intense. Soon, we were told, we’d be able to print diamonds, vital organs, smartphones, slabs of prime rib, even piping hot bowls of delicious soup — the potential of this wild new technology seemed limited only by our imagination. While we haven’t quite reached the lofty heights promised in those heady days — and though the use of 3D printing has actually begun to decline in many industries — when it comes to dentistry and orthodontics, we really are only beginning to scratch the surface of the technology’s potential. To many of us, 3D printing still seems like science fiction, but it’s already started to revolutionize the dental industry, ushering in a new age of convenience and cost-effectiveness for patients. Today, if you go to a dentist or orthodontist and need braces, crowns, a night guard, or any other dental appliance, the first step is to take an impression of your teeth. Generally, the technician puts putty into an arch-shaped plastic device and has you bite down on it for a few seconds. Before long, the impression solidifies and can be used for all sorts of things, such as a mold to create a model that (almost) perfectly represents your teeth, or a template to form a custom-fit night guard.
In most modern practices, creating these dental appliances requires sending the molds off to a third-party dental lab, where they use machines (often 3D printers) to create the devices that you ultimately take home. This process can take a few days and adds a small premium onto the price, since the practice is forced to pay the “middleman.”
But as 3D printers have become more sophisticated and inexpensive, this process is beginning to change. Soon, dental and orthodontic practices may be able to print appliances in their own offices, drastically cutting down on time and cost, and pass those benefits on to patients. Whatever the case, one thing’s for certain: The future of dentistry and orthodontics is bright, with 3D printers poised to make treatment quicker and cheaper for patients than ever before.
2 • Perrigo Dental Care • www.perrigodentalcare.com • 205-545-8008
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