The coronavirus causing the pandemic spreads rapidly when there is close proximity of people and little adherence to the safety protocols. This is true for everyone and every segment of the industry, including dentistry. With pandemic raging all across, ensuring safe diagnosis in dentistry has become crucial. So, techniques and equipment that protect all stakeholders from the coronavirus are getting more traction. During such times when safety has become a top concern, can integrating a China intraoral scanner in your value chain deliver better results than an analog device in dentistry? Check this blog to get your answer.
How digital scanning system is better than analog scanning devices during COVID?
The reasons why digital scanning devices should be preferred to analog scanning devices for better safety are mentioned below:
# Digital devices eliminate or minimize the need for the stakeholders to handle the materials during the diagnosis and treatment process. In traditional dentistry involving analog devices, the stakeholders need to handle multiple items such as impression material, chewing waxes, and appliances, etc. Thus, in traditional dentistry, it is more likely for the infection to spread as people are required to gather in groups inside laboratories or clinics. On the other hand, China intraoral scanners are convenient and safe, for there is no need to carry the materials from the dental clinic to the lab. This is because thedigital devices transfer the scanned images virtually from the clinic to the lab for processing.
# Chemical solutions are applied to the dental impression to reduce the risk of infection and ensure maximum safety. However, in the case of digital dentistry, only the device and its probe tips are applied with the disinfectant. This is in addition to following other safety protocols such as wearing masks, PPE, gloves, etc. Thus, a strict safety protocol can be maintained in the case of digital dentistry.
# Traditional dentistry requires the patients, doctors, and lab technicians to gather inside the clinic as the impressions are taken using wax-up models, which involve taking impression casts from patients’ mouths. Thus, everyone involved in the process is exposed to the risk of contracting the disease as they have to handle the soiled impression. To ensure safety, the dental impressions received at the laboratory are continuously disinfected so that the casts do not get infected with coronavirus and become a breeding ground for other microorganisms.
# Choosing digital dentistry will enable dentists and their team to control the process remotely without the need to use invasive methods like wax-up. As the China intraoral scanner delivers moving images, they are processed and viewed by dentists on monitors. This process doesn’t need any human contact besides the doctor and patients, thus, the chances of getting infected are greatly reduced.
# As the chances of contamination is higher while creating the dental restoration using the manual method, the materials need to be disinfected more often and that extends the processing time.
Conclusion
Even though safety precautions need to be taken in connection with the pandemic, the patient’s appointment time should not be extended beyond a certain point. This can lead to a bad patient experience and push him or her to the competitors. Using a China Intraoral scanner, dentists and lab experts are not required to handle material for preparing casts for dental implants. Thus, during the pandemic when social distancing is necessary to prevent the virus from spreading, digital aids like intraoral scanners are useful.
