Time well spent is the best gift you can give your patients when they come in for dental treatment. How do we save time in 2023? By using intraoral scanners.
Taking digital impressions instead of going the traditional route can save both you and your patient’s time. It can also be more convenient to have access to those impressions on a screen next to you.
Accessibility
Intraoral scanners give us the gift of instant gratification. With a click you can see the patient’s scan on the screen beside you. If you don’t like the way it scanned or maybe you missed a small spot, you can re-scan in seconds. This also gives you the option to share results with a lab sooner than you could with a traditional impression.
Most dental professionals prefer how much more accessible the digital scans are versus the traditional impressions, which could require days to process. The traditional way of using dental putty for mouth moldings is more time consuming, takes more material and chair time, and you also have to factor in the freight cost of the materials.
Patient Comfortability
Speaking of dental putty, it’s likely that a majority of your patient’s would prefer an intraoral scan over having the “goo” in their mouth for an extended period of time while it hardens.
Intraoral scanners also let the patient see a 3D photo of their mouth. This makes it easier for a dentist to speak with their patient directly about a treatment plan and what to expect moving forward.
Keeping a patient as comfortable as possible during a dental exam will make their experience better, in turn making them want to return for routine visits.
Accuracy
Intraoral scans don’t lend themselves to the inaccuracies that traditional impressions do, such as bubbles, tears, or distortion of a mold.
Most of these scanners generate true color models. This type of accuracy makes it easier for dentists to detect tooth and gingiva shades and texture.
To have these impressions stored digitally also means you don’t have to keep up with the traditional molds of each patient. With a click of a button you can access any of your patient’s charts with those details.
One of the only downsides to switching to intraoral scanners could be the price tag that comes with them. Most cost between $20,000-$30,000. In the long run though you would be saving money on materials required for traditional impressions.
Dandy compared a few of the top intraoral scanners on the market, finding pros and cons in each of them. Click here to read the full list and what they found out about each brand.
Some of the biggest brands of intraoral scanners include 3DISC, 3Shape TRIOS, Carestream 3600, 3M True Definition, iTero Element, Dental Wings, and Cerec Omnicam.
SourceClub can help save you and your practice money by finding the best prices on intraoral scanners and other dental equipment and supplies you may need. Click here for more information on how much money you can save.
