Mastering Intraoral Scanning

Mastering Intraoral Scanning:
Tips for Dentists to Ensure Precision and Perfect Restorations

Intraoral scanning has transformed modern dentistry, offering improved accuracy, patient comfort, and efficiency in creating restorative dental work. However, obtaining a perfect scan requires practice and attention to detail. A high-quality intraoral scan sets the foundation for the entire restorative process, ensuring better-fitting crowns, bridges, inlays, and other dental appliances.

Here’s a guide on mastering intraoral scanning, along with tips on how a perfect scan helps ensure the ideal restoration for each patient.

1. Proper Patient Positioning

Positioning your patient correctly is the first step toward getting an optimal scan. Ensure that the patient is comfortable, with their head slightly tilted and stabilized. This gives you better access to the oral cavity, reduces patient movement, and allows for consistent scan capture.

Tip:

Position the patient in a reclined position at a 45-degree angle. Use pillows or neck supports if necessary to minimize discomfort.

2. Control the Environment: Dry Field

Moisture can interfere with the quality of intraoral scans, leading to inaccuracies. Before scanning, ensure the patient’s mouth is dry. Use cotton rolls, saliva ejectors, or cheek retractors to keep the scanning field free of saliva.

Tip:

A consistent airflow using a low-speed suction or an air blower can help reduce moisture buildup in the patient’s mouth during scanning.

3. Start with Key Areas First

Start by scanning the critical areas of the patient’s mouth first—occlusal surfaces, interproximal spaces, and prep margins. These areas are essential for ensuring a perfect restoration, and scanning them early helps capture the finest details when the patient is at ease.

Tip:

Begin with the occlusal surfaces, followed by the buccal and lingual aspects of the teeth. This method captures key anatomical landmarks and facilitates easy stitching of images later.

4. Maintain Consistent Scanner Movement

The quality of your scan depends on how smoothly and steadily you move the scanner. Keep a consistent speed and distance from the surface you're scanning. Jerky movements or excessive gaps between scans can result in image distortions and missing data.

Tip:

Hold the scanner at a distance of 5-15mm from the tooth surface. Avoid back-and-forth scanning over the same areas unless absolutely necessary.

5. Use the Preview Feature

Most modern intraoral scanners provide real-time feedback and display a preview of the scan. Leverage this feature to spot any missing areas or scan inconsistencies before completing the procedure. A quick review during the scan can prevent the need for a second pass or re-scanning the entire mouth.

Tip:

Train your eyes to recognize color changes in the preview image, which often indicate gaps or incomplete data.

6. Manage Soft Tissue and Tongue Movement

Soft tissues like the tongue and cheek can interfere with the scanning process. Use cheek retractors to keep soft tissue away from the scanner and focus on capturing tooth and gum details without obstruction.

Tip:

Have an assistant hold retractors or manage suction while you perform the scan to free up your hands and maintain focus.

7. Perform Post-Scan Refinement

Once the scan is complete, use your scanner’s software to review and refine the scan. Some systems allow you to trim excess soft tissue or blend areas of the scan more accurately.

Tip:

Make use of automatic trimming tools provided by your scanning software to remove artifacts and ensure clean scan data.

How a Perfect Intraoral Scan Ensures Ideal Restorations

A precise intraoral scan is the backbone of successful restorative dentistry. Here’s how it impacts the quality of your restorations:

• Enhanced Accuracy: A perfect scan captures the exact topography of the tooth and surrounding areas, ensuring restorations fit seamlessly without needing extensive post-placement adjustments.
• Improved Marginal Integrity: When scan data is precise, the lab can create restorations that meet the tooth margins perfectly, preventing gaps that could lead to decay or gum irritation.
• Streamlined Workflow: A flawless scan reduces the need for impression remakes, chairside adjustments, and communication back-and-forth with the lab, ultimately saving time and money.
• Increased Patient Comfort: High-quality intraoral scans reduce the need for traditional impression materials, leading to a more comfortable experience for the patient.
• Better Predictability of Outcomes: With accurate data, both you and your lab technicians can predict the success of the restoration, reducing the likelihood of failure and ensuring long-term patient satisfaction.

Conclusion

Mastering intraoral scanning ensures that every restoration you deliver is a success. By following these tips and prioritizing precision at every step of the scanning process, you can enhance the quality of your dental restorations, resulting in happier patients and a more efficient practice.

By investing the time to perfect your scanning technique, you’re also investing in the long-term success of your dental restorations.