A digital impression system or dental scanner works by taking the intraoral images of a patient’s oral cavity and gums to fabricate a digital 3D model. Due to the simple scanning process, minimum processing time, flawless treatment, and quick and smooth conversation with the lab technicians, such hi-tech systems are increasingly becoming popular among dentists. The digital impression technique helps to eliminate the discomfort of patients who undergo conventional scanning techniques where alginate materials are used.
Furthermore, digital impression allows a more detailed and accurate diagnosis of the oral cavity and enables non-invasive and safe treatment. If you are a dental practitioner who did not integrate your clinic with such a system, then it is high time you consider this and add to your workflow. This is to ensure your patients receive the best patients’ experiences.
In the traditional system, the impression material is placed on the tray to create the model or cast and it is designed to fit the dental arches. The material is generally semi-solid and when the patient is required to hold it in his or her mouth, it becomes elastic and takes the shape of his or her dentition. While this is how the traditional system works, a digital impression system eliminates the physical impression material as the image works as the medium, which is sent directly to the lab virtually and referred to for creating the crown or other restoration objects.
What are the different types of digital impressions?
The digital impression systems or scanners available in the market are of two types.
- One category of optical scanners uses blue led lights that are placed on the reflective surface and requires a contrasting medium like powder to fabricate the representation of the morphology of the patients’ teeth.
- On the other hand, the other type of digital impression system uses laser technology for scanning the oral cavity of the patients and uses no powder before scanning.
What are the advantages of using a digital impression system?
A digital scanner offers an array of benefits to both the dentist and patients as mentioned below:
- Aids crafting high-quality impressions that perfectly fit the patients’ dental cavities and arches
- Ensures minimum chair time for patients
- Get rid of the wax-up model that had the chances of triggering gagging
- Ensures increased comfort for the patients
- Minimizes or eliminates errors in the dental impression
- Lets patients view the entire process on the side-monitor, which makes the process more engaging and transparent
- Have the advantage of storing the impression electronically thereby saving space and promoting a paper-free environment
- Do away with the need for impression materials, disposable trays and more elements that generally end up in landfills and cause pollution
The majority of the digital scanning devices rely on a point and then capture it by clicking. The images obtained in this technique are put together for creating the final digital impression. However, today, with the help of advanced scanners, three-dimensional video images of the oral cavity can be captured in real-time and displayed on the monitor. The need to put the images together is not required as the video produces the final digital impression system. Furthermore, the dentist can analyse the images with a detailed view and detect every minute errors.
Conclusion
Today, in the digital age, more number of dentists are adopting digital impression systems to offer better dental diagnoses and treatments to their patients. An initial investment can help dentists get both short and long term benefits.
