Intra-oral Digital Dentistry & X-rays
Digital Dental Scanners
Digital dental scanners are revolutionising the way dentists take impressions. The technology is simple, low cost and very effective.
A digital scan is an exact replica of the teeth, mouth and soft tissues. The scanner creates a 3D model for you to review and saves it on your computer. This can then be used to make a traditional plaster cast or a digital impression which can be sent to a dental laboratory for making crowns, bridges, veneers or dentures.
Digital Impression Taking
No more Gooey Material in Your Mouth
With a digital impression system, the dentist or dental assistant captures an image of a tooth/teeth preparation.
The digital impression typically is captured using an intraoral wand (camera) that is inserted into the patient’s mouth and moved over the surface area of the tooth or teeth. Most digital impression systems use a chairside monitor to display the impression image as it is captured.
Additionally, most digital impression systems also rely on point-and-click capture, which requires the images to be pieced together to create the final digital impression.
It takes approximately a minute and a half to capture a digital impression of prepared teeth. An impression of the teeth in the opposite arch takes just 45 seconds.
As the dentist reviews the electronic real-time image, he or she can enlarge and manipulate it for enhanced detail to ensure that any possible mistakes are identified and corrected onscreen before sending the digital impression electronically to the dental laboratory.
Benefits of Intra-oral Digital Scanners
Digital scanners are beneficial in a number of ways when planning for Implant treatments, cosmetic dentistry and teeth straightening eg: with Invisalign treatments.
- They provide an accurate diagnosis of your dental health
- Time-saving and safe process and enable you to see your digital dental images immediately.
- No external substance is required to scan unlike the previous technologies.
- You can also scan up to the back of your mouth which was difficult to reach earlier with old technologies.
- Accurate models are created for restorative work.
Digital Dental Implant Planning
The main objective of restorative dentistry is to create restorations that function properly and have a positive long-term prognosis.
Accurate planning and placement of implants plays a significant role in the success of implant-supported restorations. Using digital technology for planning implant placement ensures that you will achieve the desired outcomes.
Advantages of Digital Planning in implant surgeonry:
- By optimizing implant placement and minimizing the chances of damage through clear imaging of anatomic structures, you can help ensure the success of your dental implants. Adjacent roots, sinus membranes, nerves, and blood vessels can all pose serious risks to the success of your implants, so it’s important to be aware of them and take measures to avoid them.
- Having a clear image of the surrounding anatomical structures helps to optimize implant placement and minimize the chances of damage. This is done by looking at things like the roots that are nearby, the membranes in the sinus cavities, any nerves that might be in the way, and finally the blood vessels.
- This software allows you to see how much bone there is, what quality it is, and how much space there is for implants. If there isn’t enough bone or the quality isn’t good enough, it will help you find a place to put the implant.
- More predictability means more precise diagnoses and treatment plans for implant patients.
- Reveals limitations for treatment options early in the process so that you can better plan for what’s to come.
Digital X-rays
Digital x-rays offer many benefits over traditional x-ray film. For one, digital sensors produce higher quality images that are saved onto a computer.
This means that more information is available for the dentist to use. In addition to computer images of the teeth, digital x-rays can also capture images of the gums and other oral structures.
Another advantage of digital x-rays is that they can be enlarged. This gives the dentist the option to zoom in on potential problems.
Benefits of Digital X-rays:
- Better quality Images
- Can be enlarged
- Immediate viewing
- Improved diagnostics
- Reduced radiation
- Can be quickly viewed
- Environmentally friendly
