3D printed anatomy models for teaching and display
How to get skulls, hearts, bones and organ models 3D printed for a class or a display: where the files come from, labels, materials and what to avoid.
Typodonts, practice teeth and dental teaching models
By the Medical 3D Parts editors, The Spool List · Published October 14, 2026
The short answer
A typodont is a model of the mouth that dental and hygienist students practise on. Makers with resin printers can print typodont parts, practice teeth, enlarged teeth and jaw models for teaching and display. They do not print anything for a patient's mouth, or working models for a lab's patient cases.
A typodont is "a model of the oral cavity, including teeth, gingiva, and the palate", used as "an educational tool for dental and hygienist students" to practise procedures before treating patients [1].
Why people get them printed
Off-the-shelf practice teeth don't always behave like real ones. Dental Tribune reported on a 2022 study in which "the artificial enamel required more than four times the cutting force than that required for cutting real enamel"; the researchers wanted to scale up 3D printed teeth and share the model data with dental schools [2]. A maker cannot promise any particular feel, but a custom print lets you choose the shape, size and number of teeth.
Teaching models also help explain procedures in general terms. A 2014 Formlabs Dental article says printed reference models help dentists "explain treatment procedures to their patients with more clarity" [3]. For that use, keep the model generic, not made from a particular patient.
What makers here print
- Typodont frames and replaceable practice teeth.
- Enlarged single teeth and cross-sections for lectures.
- Jaw models for classrooms and exam revision.
- Giant display teeth for a practice or an event.
Steps
- Say who it is for: students, a lecture, a waiting room or a display.
- Send the file or describe the tooth set, and the frame it must fit if you already own typodonts.
- Agree the material with the maker: resin for fine detail, and a test print before a full set.
- Ask for the label "Education and display model. Not a medical device." on the base or the box.
- Order a class set once the test print is right.
What these models are not
Dentists and labs print many things for patients: in an ADA panel, the most common uses among dentists with printers were "diagnostic models, splints and occlusal devices, and surgical guides" [4], and dental labs report printing working models for crowns, removables and aligners, and dentures themselves [5]. That is clinical work done to a dentist's prescription, and it is not printed here.
Get a teaching or display model printed
Post the model free on The Spool List with your file, size and labels. Makers with resin and FDM printers send a price and a lead time, and you choose.
Medical 3D Parts is run by The Spool List Ltd. This button opens our own marketplace, which earns a commission from makers on completed orders. Teaching, display, practice and prototype models only: nothing for use in or on the body.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Typodont (accessed October 14, 2026)
- Dental Tribune UK: Dental students need better quality artificial teeth for practice (30 June 2022) (accessed October 14, 2026)
- Formlabs Dental blog: 3D printed teeth (11 December 2014) (accessed October 14, 2026)
- ADA News: ACE Panel report finds 3D printing not common in dental offices (3 May 2023) (accessed October 14, 2026)
- Drevenstedt, NADL Dental Technology Surveys: 3D printing findings, Journal of Dental Technology, Jan/Feb 2025 (hosted by Carbon) (accessed October 14, 2026)
Rules are quoted as the sources state them, checked October 14, 2026. They differ by country and change: check the source before relying on them. This page is general information, not medical, dental or legal advice.
Drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above by the Medical 3D Parts editors. Medical 3D Parts is a guide published by The Spool List Ltd. Its buttons lead to The Spool List, our marketplace, which earns a commission from makers on completed orders. Makers are independent people and small workshops, not registered medical device manufacturers or dental laboratories.