OEM News

First 3D Printed Aligner Attachments Introduced in U.S. and Canada

Clarity Precision Grip Attachments are fully cured, pre-loaded, and precisely resemble the digital treatment plan after bonding.

By: Michael Barbella

Managing Editor

3M Clarity Precision Grip Attachments are a fully cured composite attachment system that enables flash-less bonding and durable performance. Photo: Solventum.

Solventum has launched an aligner treatment innovation called 3M Clarity Precision Grip Attachments in two major markets. Available exclusively with 3M Clarity Aligners, Clarity Precision Grip Attachments are designed to solve one of the biggest challenges with aligner treatment—creating durable, accurately shaped, stain resistant attachments.

“With the launch of Clarity Precision Grip Attachments, Solventum aims to solve what matters to our customers and change the course of aligner treatment for good,” Solventum Dental Solutions President Karim Mansour said. “We are driven to deliver innovations to the dental market and support our customers in creating the smiles patients want.”

Clarity Precision Grip Attachments are poised to change aligner treatment because they eliminate the technique-sensitive, time-consuming attachment creation process that can introduce variability into treatment, according to Solventum. Misplaced and malformed attachments resulting from the conventional approach can produce different forces than predicted in a treatment plan. In contrast, Clarity Precision Grip Attachments are accurately positioned, precisely shaped and designed to reduce this risk.

Clinicians have confirmed the value of Clarity Precision Grip Attachments to their practice. “This is a huge step forward for aligner treatment. For the first time in aligner history, attachments on the teeth will actually reflect what we have on the screen, which I believe will allow us to be far more efficient with those tough movements that clear aligners struggle with. My team loves these,” orthodontic specialist Christian Groth, DDS M.S., said.

Further, the procedure for Clarity Precision Grip Attachments eliminates the risk that an overfilled template results in residual cured composite flash on the tooth. Composite flash may attract stains, harbor plaque and inhibit engagement between the aligner and attachment. Because the procedure relies on alternative bonding agents, Clarity Precision Grip Attachments eliminate the risk of composite flash creation.

The 3D printing manufacturing approach for Clarity Precision Grip Attachments lends other benefits to the product offering. The resulting attachments are customized to the fit each patient’s unique tooth anatomy, and the combination of inorganic filler and organic resin, paired with post-processing techniques ensure that the 3D printed attachments are durable and more stain resistant than leading composites used with current attachment procedures.

Clarity Precision Grip Attachments can be added to Clarity Aligners cases on the Oral Care Portal.

3M Clarity Precision Grip Attachments are currently available in the United States and Canada. Additional global regulatory submissions and approvals are pending.

Solventum is striving to enable better, smarter, safer healthcare to improve lives. As a new company with a long legacy of creating breakthrough solutions for customers’ toughest challenges, Solventum pioneers innovations at the intersection of health, material, and data science that improve patients’ lives.  

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