The world of dentistry and tooth repair dates back about 9000 years to the Indus Valley Civilization where evidence of tooth drilling has been found in a Neolithic graveyard. In 1840, the first dental school opened in the US, and over the last 160 years, preventative dental care has advanced signficantly.

Now modern dentistry is on the verge of a revolution with help from 3D printing and related technologies.

Imagine walking into your dentist’s office. She says: “You need a new crown.” She pulls over a machine that takes a 3D digital scan of your teeth and annotates that scan in her computer. Instructions are then sent to a 3D printer located in the dental office, which prints your crown onsite in 60 seconds. Your dentist can finish the job without you leaving the chair to get a magazine.

This real-world application is a good example of how 3D printing will be the catalyst for major change in the medical arena, leading to explosive growth and a $5 billion 3D printing industry by 2020.

Read more about dental advances at Today’s Medical Developments.