Ⅰ What is a dental scanner?
A dental scanner is a device that uses optical or laser technology to scan teeth and other structures in the mouth and turn solid information into high-precision three-dimensional digital models. CAD/CAM systems can directly import digital models to make dental crowns, bridges, dentures, invisible aligners, and implant guides.
Dental scanners can be put into two primary groups based on how they are used and what they do:
Intraoral Scanner (IOS)
Scan the patient's teeth and soft tissues directly in their mouth.
Digital imprints and fast temporary restoration creation are often employed in clinical diagnosis and treatment.
Scanner for the lab
Scan plaster casts, dental models, or impressions of the mouth
Mainly used in dental technology companies to make a lot of dental restorations or orthodontic models at once
Ⅱ How a dental scanner works
Digital optical imaging technology is what makes dental scanners work. It uses light reflections or laser projections to build a three-dimensional picture of the teeth and mouth. The most common ways to scan teeth right now are:
1. Technology for Laser Scanning
Principle: A computer makes a three-dimensional model by scanning the surface of teeth with a laser beam and then capturing the laser reflection with a receiver.
Characteristics: Very accurate, works well with complicated dental architecture, but scans slowly.
2. Technology for Structured Light Scanning
Principle: Shine regular grating or stripe light on the teeth and figure out the three-dimensional shape by how the light bends
Fast, easy to use, and common in intraoral scanners are some of its features.
3. Technology for stereophotogrammetry
Principle: Software combines images of teeth taken from different angles by several cameras to make a three-dimensional model.
Features: No need to touch, good for scanning delicate tissue, but sensitive to light and reflections on surfaces
4. A summary of the scanning process
No matter what method is used, dental scanning usually follows these steps:
Get the mouth ready: Keep it clean and dry, and clean the teeth's surface.
Scan teeth or the mouth area: Get information in the sequence that was set up
Make a digital model: The software automatically turns point cloud data or photos into a three-dimensional STL model.
Import CAD/CAM system: utilized to make dental crowns, bridges, dentures, guides, or invisible aligners.
Ⅲ Situations in which dental scanners can be used
The use cases for dental scanners include the whole process of clinical and technician production in dentistry, and they mostly include:
1. Making crowns and bridges from digital impressions
Oral scanning replaces traditional silicone impressions to get accurate three-dimensional data about teeth.
Benefit:
High accuracy, which cuts down on the number of repairs
Quickly make digital models that may be used right away in CAD/CAM to make temporary or permanent restorations
A single dental crown, dental bridge, or inlay (inlay/inlay) is a common situation.
2. Designing and making the planting guide plate
Use: Scan dental arches and missing teeth to make exact guidelines for implants
Pros:
Be able to precisely manipulate the implant's position, angle, and depth
Make implant surgery safer and more likely to work.
3. Making orthodontic appliances that can't be seen
Use: Scan dental data, make digital orthodontic models, and make invisible orthodontic appliances
Good thing:
Fully digital, which cuts down on the need for traditional gypsum model production
Can mimic how teeth move, making orthodontic work more accurate and predictable
4. Bite plates, braces, and interim fixes
Use: The dental scanner gets correct dental information and swiftly prints night braces or temporary restorations.
Good thing:
Customizable to match your needs perfectly
Make the production cycle shorter and the patient experience better.
5. Teaching and showing cases
Use: Scanning cases for educating, showing, or talking to patients
Benefit:
The screen shows a three-dimensional view of the tooth structure in real time.
Show treatment plans visually to get patients to agree to them more.
Ⅳ Benefits of dental scanners
Very accurate and able to be repeated
Digital models may be accurate to the micrometer level, which cuts down on mistakes that happen with traditional impressions.
Digital workflow
Connect directly to CAD/CAM systems to make production more efficient
Make patients more comfortable
You don't require silicone or alginate impressions, and they're more comfy and smellless.
Save on materials
Collect only the data you need and use less of things like gypsum and silicone that you throw away.
Make diagnosis and treatment faster and more reliable.
Digital models can swiftly look at gaps between teeth and how they fit together, which makes treatment more accurate.
Ⅴ Tips for choosing dental scanners
When picking a dental scanner, you should think about the following:
Accuracy of scanning
For clinical single tooth restorations, the level of precision needed is very high (10–20 microns).
Speed and efficiency of scanning
Big dental technology factories or orthodontic clinics need to quickly scan batch models.
Program that works with
Does it work with popular CAD/CAM systems and printers?
Ease of use
It's easy to get started with doctors or technicians, which lowers training expenditures.
Service and maintenance for equipment after the sale
The long-term cost of using something depends on how stable it is and how good the after-sales service is.
