Why I Made the Move to Digital Dental Impressions

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Why I Made the Move to Digital Dental Impressions

A crown seat appointment can really go one of two ways. It’s either going to be quick and easy with the crown dropping right in or it’s going to be a stressful experience for both the dentist and the patient when the crown doesn’t fit the prep.

When you really think about all of the steps involved in making a crown from a dental impression and all the things that can go wrong along the way, it’s really amazing how often we get it right. Still, it does go wrong from time to time and the crummy feeling when those seating appointments don’t go as planned is among my least favorite parts of being a dentist.

This is among the main reasons I recently added a digital dental impression system, specifically the 3M True Definition Scanner, to the practice I opened in my home town of San Antonio four years ago. Adding a digital impression scanner also was a natural fit for my practice where technology such as automated patient communications, iPads for patient registration and other digital systems were already in place. If a computer can do something better and more efficiently, I’ve tried to bring it into the practice, and the True Definition Scanner fit this philosophy.

When I was certain digital dentistry was the way for my practice to go, I did my research into the different systems on the market.

I knew right away a full chairside CAD/CAM system was not for me. I don’t enjoy the lab side of restorative dentistry, and the cost of the systems was too big of an investment for me and my practice to bite off right now. Besides, going that way impacts the practice in a big way because to pay for the system, I’d need to start doing more inlays and fewer composite restorations. On the other hand, a digital impression system would allow the flexibility to prescribe what I feel is the best restoration and best restorative material for each case.

When I started looking at the available digital impression systems, I focused in on the True Definition, Align Technology’s iTero and 3Shape’s TRIOS. The 3M True Definition Scanner stood out for me because I like the idea that it comes from 3M ESPE, a company with a track record and a name that stands behind the quality of its products.

It also didn’t hurt that the True Definition is so aggressively priced at less than $12,000. I mean that’s probably 3 years worth of impression materials. So while the investment wasn’t a total no brainer, the price was a lot easier for me to wrap my head around than a six figure investment into chairside CAD/CAM.

3M True Definition Scanner

It hasn’t taken long to adapt to using digital impressions. While some second molars can be difficult to adequately scan, I’m using the 3M True Definition Scanner for 70 percent of my cases and probably 95 percent of cases involving first molars or forward. Patients get excited to see the technology in action, and they often ask for a lot more detail about what happens with the scan and how their crown will be made.

I’m also finding that colleagues ask about the scanner a lot too. The most common questions are about why the scanner is so inexpensive and is it easy to capture useable images. While I don’t know 3M’s pricing policies, I always assure people the low sticker price is not because the manufacturer cut corners when building this thing, and the scanner captures terrific digital impressions.

As for the ease of use, there was a learning curve, but I’ve really got the hang of it now. Scanning an impression is a new skill because it requires you to look at the screen while using the wand in the patient’s mouth. Getting used to this is similar to getting used to working indirect with a mirror. It takes time for your brain to learn how to move your hands when you’re looking at a mirror. Well digital impression scanning requires learning how to move your hands when you’re looking at a monitor.

Just like I got my physical impression technique dialed in to the point where I could squirt just the right amount of impression material around the tooth and then time out the process just so, I now can zip through a digital impression. And with my preps magnified on the monitor, I’m really able to appraise my work which means my preps are getting better along with my digital impressioning skills.

My lab had to make a few adjustments to work with the scans as well. I was their first account to send in files from a 3M True Definition Scanner. Still the first digital impression crown I got back slid right in, and the patient was heading home in 7 minutes. I now average less than 10 minutes at a seating appointment, and that alone has been worth the move to digital impressions.

While I’m very happy with the scanner I chose, I still hope to see some improvements down the road. It's great to see 3M is already pushing out a software update that is supposed to make it easier to scan, especially in hard to reach areas. Now, I'm hoping 3M adds the ability to scan additional implant systems besides those from BIOMET 3i, but with a company like 3M behind the product I'm confident they will continue to improve the scanner and the number of systems it can connect with.

I’m not looking back to my days using impression trays and VPS. My investment in a digital impression system is exciting my patients, helping me improve my clinical skills and proving to be a sound move for my practice and my piece of mind. It’s true when they say you pay for the scanner with time saved on the seating appointment. However, for me the scanner also means crowns that fit perfectly which equals less stress on my gastric mucosa. The time and other benefits are great, but the less stress part to is what I find most valuable about using digital impressions in my practice.

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