What is an intraoral scanner and why do we use them?

Here at Tranquility Dentistry we have an intraoral scanner that we find incredibly beneficial for both our patients and for ourselves. In general, intraoral scanners are used to improve the accuracy, speed, and overall quality of dental treatment and to provide a more comfortable and convenient experience for patients.

An intraoral scanner is a device used by dentists and dental technicians to capture three-dimensional images of a patient’s teeth and gums. It is a small, handheld wand-like device that uses lasers to create a digital impression of the patient’s mouth.

The scanner is placed inside the patient’s mouth and moved around to capture images of all the teeth and gums. The whole process takes about 2 minutes per arch (less than 5 minutes total) to scan your whole mouth perfectly. The images are then processed and combined to create a 3D digital model of the patient’s mouth, which can be used for a variety of dental applications such as restorative dentistry, orthodontics, and prosthodontics.

Intraoral scanners have many advantages over traditional dental impressions, including increased accuracy, faster processing times, and greater patient comfort.

Intraoral scanners are used in a variety of dental applications, including:

Restorative Dentistry: Intraoral scanners can be used to create digital impressions of a patient’s teeth and gums, which can then be used to create custom dental restorations such as crowns, bridges, and veneers.

Orthodontics: Intraoral scanners can be used to create digital models of a patient’s teeth, which can then be used to plan and design orthodontic treatment such as braces or clear aligners.

Prosthodontics: Intraoral scanners can be used to create digital impressions of a patient’s mouth, which can then be used to design and create custom dentures, implants, and other prosthetic devices.

Cosmetic Dentistry: Intraoral scanners can be used to create digital images of a patient’s teeth and gums, which can then be used to plan and design cosmetic dental procedures such as veneers.

Intraoral scanners are considered an amazing technology for several reasons:

High accuracy: Intraoral scanners are capable of capturing highly accurate and detailed images of the teeth and surrounding tissues, with precision in the range of microns. This level of accuracy allows for better treatment planning and improved clinical outcomes.

Time-saving: Intraoral scanners are much faster than traditional dental impression techniques. They can capture digital images of the teeth in just a few minutes, eliminating the need for multiple appointments and reducing chair time for patients.

Comfortable: Intraoral scanners are much more comfortable for patients than traditional dental impressions, which can be messy and uncomfortable. Scanners use a small wand-like device that is gently moved around the mouth, without any messy impression material.

Improved patient communication: The digital images created by intraoral scanners can be displayed in real-time on a computer screen, allowing dentists to show patients exactly what is happening in your mouth. This improves patient education and helps you to better understand your treatment options.

Increased efficiency: Intraoral scanners eliminate the need for physical impressions, which must be shipped to a lab for processing. This reduces the turnaround time for the creation of dental restorations and allows for faster treatment completion.

Overall, intraoral scanners are considered to be a valuable tool in modern dentistry due to their high accuracy, time-saving capabilities, patient comfort, improved communication, and increased efficiency.

If you’d like to see our intraoral scanner at your next check-up at Tranquility Dentistry let us know!

What is an intraoral scanner?