One substandard intraoral scan may delay production, cause unnecessary remakes, and create frustration for both dental offices and laboratories. Have you ever had a bad digital impression? It happens much more often than one might expect. Low-quality scans can be considered one of the most pressing issues faced by laboratories today, but there’s no need to let them influence your production process negatively.
Learning to spot bad scans early on and communicating effectively with dental clinics is a great way to save time and keep producing high-quality restorations.
What You Will Find in This Blog
- How to detect scan problems
- Why low-quality impressions are problematic for laboratories
- Effective ways to deal with bad scans
- How to prevent frequent scanning issues
- What to pay attention to when choosing dental scanner integration solution
- FAQ about digital impression systems
The Problem with Bad Intraoral Scans
Digital impressions have made the whole process of restorative dentistry much faster and more comfortable thanks to replacing impression materials with digital technology. However, good digital technology depends on good data.
Low-quality or incorrect scans can cause issues with design, milling, printing, and restoration fitting. This means that even small problems can become major efficiency challenges when a laboratory deals with dozens or even hundreds of scans weekly.
Common consequences include:
- Delayed completion of the case
- Extra communication with dental offices
- Higher remake costs
- Decreased productivity of the laboratory employees
- Lower customer satisfaction
Understanding why scan quality is important will allow laboratories to build strong collaboration with dental practices and become more efficient.
How to Handle Bad Intraoral Scans
Detect Incomplete Scans at Once
One of the clear signs of a bad scan is the absence of the required information.
When a scan has missing margins, holes in the model, or missing preparation areas, designing an accurate restoration may be problematic. Instead of adjusting the design in order to correct these mistakes, it would be easier to get a rescanned impression first.
Early detection saves a lot of time and efforts of designers.
Pay Attention to Preparation Margin Visibility
The visibility of the preparation margin is crucial for a successful restoration.
If the preparation margin looks blurry, hidden under tissues, or distorted because of poor scanning, restoration accuracy is at risk.
It is necessary to establish specific internal controls to analyze every scan before starting the design process.
Important questions to ask are:
- Are all the preparation margins visible?
- Does soft tissue block any critical areas?
- Are there any distortions caused by artifacts?
- Is the preparation fully captured?
Checking scan quality in advance will help to avoid having to spend many hours correcting the problems afterwards.
Detect Distortions and Alignment Errors
To stitch together thousands of images, the software of digital impression systems uses complex algorithms.
Any movement during scanning or incorrect capture of large parts may result in distorted anatomy and incorrect alignment.
Common signs of distortions include:
- Flat occlusal anatomy
- Imbalanced bite
- Distorted arch alignment
- Distorted tooth anatomy
These problems may not be obvious, but may significantly impact the accuracy of restorations.
Check the Quality of Bite Scan
Along with accurate arches scan, it is important to have an accurate bite scan.
Poor bite scanning may lead to:
- High occlusion
- Incorrect contacts
- Adjustment of restorations during placement
- Extra chairtime
Laboratories should carefully compare the quality of bite scan with the adjacent areas.
Communicate Effectively with Dental Clinics
The best way to minimize the number of scan problems is to communicate proactively with dental offices.
Instead of asking for rescanning a case without providing detailed information about problems with a scan, it is necessary to explain what exactly should be improved.
Some useful examples include:
- Missing distal margin on the tooth #19
- Incomplete capture of the lingual surface
- Incorrect alignment of the bite record
- Obstruction of the preparation margin by the soft tissue
Providing such detailed information will help clinics to produce better scans in the future and to establish a better relationship with the laboratory.
Looking for Good Digital Impression Systems?
Need better technologies for scanning and transferring accurate data to the laboratory? Need better integration of dental scanners in your workflow?
Axsys Dental Solutions provides state-of-the-art technologies for smooth data transfer, efficient production and advanced digital dentistry workflow solutions.
Contact us by phone at (855) 687-7941 to find out more.
Why High-Quality Digital Impressions Matter
Good digital impressions impact far more than the quality of a restoration.
They contribute to:
More Precise Restoration Fit
Accurate digital data ensures proper fit of restorations which eliminates the need for adjustment.
Faster Production Process
Good scans mean less manual corrections which helps to move cases through production process quicker.
Better Collaboration
High-quality digital files allow for productive and clear cooperation between clinicians and laboratories.
Lower Remake Rate
Often, the root of the problem lies in bad impression and improves scan quality helps to minimize the number of remakes.
Greater Confidence in Digital Dentistry
With increasing popularity of digital workflows, good impression quality contributes to greater confidence of clinicians and laboratories.
Myths About Bad Intraoral Scans
Myth 1: All Bad Scans Can Be Corrected in CAD Software
Although modern software is very powerful, it is unable to create data that is missing or incomplete.
Myth 2: Minor Missing Areas Do Not Affect Scans
Even small missing areas can significantly affect the contacts, margin or occlusion and cause remake or adjustment.
Myth 3: All Scanners Provide the Same Results
Different scanners have different features related to accuracy, speed, software compatibility and workflow integration. Proper training and dental scanner integration are as important as the device itself.
Myth 4: Rescanning Is Always Time-Wasting
It is usually faster to ask to get a better scan in advance than to spend time adjusting and redesigning incorrect restoration.
How to Improve Your Digital Dentistry Workflow
The best way to reduce scan-related issues is to follow the established procedure of checking scans.
It is important to pay attention to technology suppliers who offer:
Open Scanner Compatibility
Support for several digital impression systems helps to collaborate with various dental offices.
Reliable Dental Scanner Integration
Seamless integration of scanners minimizes file conversion problems and makes your workflow more efficient.
Consistent Technical Support
Professional support helps to solve questions related to scanner compatibility and workflow problems.
Scalable Digital Solutions
As the volume of production increases, it becomes necessary to use the technologies that can grow with your laboratory production needs.
Conclusion
Good digital impressions are crucial for the efficiency of production process and successful results. Being able to detect scanning issues early, improve communication with dental clinics and choose reliable digital dentistry workflow solutions can help laboratories to reduce remakes, improve productivity and deliver more predictable results.
Looking for technologies that will allow laboratories to integrate dental scanners and work with digital impression systems effectively? Contact Axsys Dental Solutions at (855) 687-7941 and find out how we can help you.