Category:
Thermoforming Basics
Dental thermoforming is the process of heating a thermoplastic dental sheet until it becomes formable and adapting it over a dental model using vacuum or positive pressure. Once cooled, the material retains the shape of the model and can be trimmed and finished to produce appliances such as occlusal splints, retainers, aligners, sports mouthguards and bleaching trays. Modern workflows can use either conventional stone models or 3D-printed models produced from an intraoral scan.