Understanding Dental Impressions
Dental impressions are often one of the first steps your dentist or periodontist will take when they’ve determined that you need a dental prosthetic, like a bridge or a crown. Impressions create an exact mold of your teeth and allow your provider to ensure the synthetic piece will align with your bite, feel natural, and won’t irritate sensitive gum or cheek tissue.
New Solutions
In the past, dental impressions were taken using a heavy molding paste that had to be applied wet and remain on teeth until hardened. The paste was often associated with an unpleasant taste and could slightly hinder a patient’s ability to breathe and swallow naturally throughout the process.
Fortunately, advancements in dental technology have revolutionized the way impressions can be taken. The 3Shape Trios Intraoral Scanner is a wireless, handheld imaging device that creates precise, digital 3-D images of your teeth and gums – thousands a second! The color images can be combined to generate a complete 3-D model of your teeth in minutes. And since the scan is digital, there is little to no discomfort during the process.
How It Works
The scanner wand is rotated throughout the patient’s mouth and captures every intricacy of his or her teeth in a series of natural color photos. An integrated anti-mist heater allows for clear, undistorted images by ensuring optimal scan temperature. After scanning, the photos are sent to a computer that merges them to develop a full 3-D model. The 3-D model can then be evaluated and sent to an on-site lab where a prosthetic will be created.
Benefits to Patients
In addition to eliminating the discomfort associated with the older dental model solution, the 3Shape Trios Intraoral Scanner produces highly detailed images of the teeth, which help your dentist or periodontist identify any additional prep work needed before creating and applying a new prosthetic.
Not to mention, because the scanner is fast and accurate, the entire process – from digital model to prosthetic application – can be completed in a single visit.
