Dentaltown June 2018 - 78

Digital Impressions
and Scanners
"I've heard a number of colleagues say that their digitally impressed, lab-made crowns
are dropping in with better fit and less adjustment than PVS. My question is how much this
has to do with a more efficient workflow and quicker turnaround time? If losing the steps of
pouring, trimming, etc. is leading to less time in a temporary, the teeth have less time to shift
and create difficulties adjusting the lab-made crown to a slightly different occlusal scheme.
I've worked with Cerec before and I must say I prefer two quicker appointments than one
longer appointment to go from imaging to fabrication in one day, but if digital imaging can
create an easier crown seat date, I am very interested."
Dr. Daniel Valicevic, Denver
"dsval"

You've got
QUESTIONS ...
we'll provide
ANSWERS
The Townies listed here are
just a few of those who had
questions related to dental
lasers, digital impressions
and 3D imaging. In our
September 2018 issue of
Dentaltown, we'll provide
suggestions and advice
from experienced users
and industry experts to
help improve the way you
perform dentistry today.

"Digital impressions have many advantages over 'material' impressions. They do have a
few drawbacks (software issues) that I am sure the manufacturers can work out in time.
1. The software must recognize when a finger, tongue, cheek or mirror obstructs the
view and automatically remove them from the image. Cerec is supposed to do that but it does
not happen reliably. In full-arch cases, this becomes more critical.
2. Smallest tissue tag currently obstructs the view and creates an artifact. This is the
major reason we prefer PVS impressions. The software must use the information from
surrounding areas and extrapolate the obstructed spot so that the model can be made intact.
I am looking forward for these issues to be resolved so that we can all put away the messy
PVS stuff."
Dr. Parsa T. Zadeh, Beverly Hills, California
"Parsa"
"I'm curious about how quickly the technology is being adopted by dentists of differing
years in practice, what kind of return on investment others are finding whether through
time savings or impression material costs and what kind of patient acceptance and positive
responses offices are finding. I'm also wondering how easy dentists are finding the incorporation of the tech into their practices. Lastly, are there any standout digital impression platforms that most dentists are using (for instance, certain composites and companies comprise
a majority of what dentists use), and is there finally one data standard that most of the digital
impression providers are using so that they are universally accepted at dental labs?"
Dr. Kevin Ingham, Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
"whizdent"
"What is the best product out in the market currently? Which one integrates best with
Invisalign? How often are these products/systems upgraded? What are the maintenance costs
and any additional fees owning one of these systems?
Are there newer models on the horizon?"
Dr. Christina Klein
"DrKlein79"

JUNE 2018 // dentaltown.com

http://www.dentaltown.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Dentaltown June 2018