With the advent of dental intraoral scanner devices during the early 90s, the world of dentistry has been transformed in multiple ways. From changing how digital impressions are obtained to increasing accuracy and making the process faster, these scanners have completely altered the dynamics of relationship shared among doctors, laboratories, and patients. Moreover, these scanners are user-friendly, healthier, and safer, which have ensured that the patients do not run the risk of gagging and choking unlike with the traditional impression taking methods. So, by investing in a dental intraoral scanner in your dental clinic, you can offer a host of benefits to your patients in terms of quick and precise diagnosis and treatment. However, before exploring the benefits, let’s take a look at the different types of intraoral scanners that are available in the market.
Different types of dental intraoral scanners
There are many types of digital scanners available in the market as new variants are being released from time to time. While some variants are powder-free, the other models require the application of powder for scanning the teeth. The powder-free variants are available in both colour and monochromatic versions. Other than these variants, you can also find wireless scanners and models that are tethered to the workstations using a USB or cable. Also, with some scanners, a base station is attached containing the software to generate 3D images of the patients’ teeth and gums. The price of these scanners depends on their features and functionality – the more the features the higher is the price of the scanner.
Why dental scanners are growing in popularity?
Dental scanners are growing in popularity among patients and doctors alike because of many reasons as mentioned below:
Patients
- Patients’ waiting time at the clinic can be considerably reduced.
- Patients don’t run the risk of gagging, choking, or getting exposed to harmful radiations.
- The results obtained are highly accurate and help to capture the exact shape and size of the teeth leading to better diagnosis.
- Dental digital impression systems are very convenient and easy to operate when compared to the traditional impression systems. This is because they are non-invasive, comfortable, and only take a few minutes to complete the entire process.
Dentists
- Dentists can achieve more patient footfalls in a short period of time, while the same is not possible with traditional scanners given that the latter is clumsy and time-consuming.
- The efficient technology allows dentists to treat more patients in a short time and also offers accurate diagnosis.
- Dentists can accurately capture the structure of the teeth and the buccal cavity with the help of the 3D technology-equipped digital scanner. Thus, dentists can offer better tooth restoration services.
- Digital impression system has simplified the process as the dentist can always recapture the image of the patient’s treatment area in no time.
Conclusion
The dental digital impression system has changed the world of dentistry and its application in dental clinics in many ways. Although, digital scanners are mostly used for diagnostic purposes, they can be used in other areas such as prosthodontics, prostheses, and surgery. So, it is clear that digital scanners have helped deliver great patient experiences, increased trust and transparency in diagnosis and treatment, and increased revenue for the clinics.
