![]() Milling tends to be more accurate, but a precision 3-D printer can also be a good option for dental fabrication. It is this file which the fabricating laboratory uses to actually build the required dental appliance.ĭepending upon the laboratory’s equipment, the digital file can be used to drive computer-controlled milling machines to create the required appliances, or to control 3-D printers capable of extruding dental-quality material. The scanning action is important, but so is the STL file produced by the scanning equipment. The scanner-bearing wand is truly the “business end” of the system, needing to be acceptably shaped and relatively unobtrusive for the patient’s comfort, as well as lightweight and a good fit for the hands of the professional using it. This wand is connected to a hardware module that both powers the scanner and receives the digital imagery being generated. The equipment required to perform these state-of-the-art oral scans consists of a hand-held scanning wand that houses a miniature imaging system. The best systems, like those from Itero, no longer even require patients to powder their teeth with titanium dioxide. This compares favorably with older methods of modeling teeth and gums that required having to wait several weeks before hearing back from the lab about any problems, glitches, or inaccuracies in the mold-making process. It also records the digital data for later review, study, sharing with colleagues and staff, and eventual transmission to any suitably-equipped fabrication facility.Īllowing the dental practitioner to view the digital images at the moment they are being captured provides a simple, intuitive opportunity to verify that the scan is both accurate and complete. Some of these systems are stand-alone and self-contained, while others are designed and built to connect with a separate – perhaps already existing – computer of the dentist’s choice.Īs the practitioner guides the scanning wand, the system displays whatever it is seeing on a conventional TV screen or computer monitor in real time. These “wands” are extremely light in weight, comfortably shaped, and equipped with important and useful features like an anti-fog lens, auto-focus, zoom, freeze-frame, auto power-off, and super-wide-angle viewing. Today’s dental scanners are centered around a toothbrush-sized probe that the dental professional carefully runs along the surfaces of a patient’s teeth in order to record with remarkable precision their size, shape, and exact placement. In the past few years, a surprising number of dentists have converted their practices to these new dental scanners, and already have successfully recorded millions of dental scans with remarkable results that are much appreciated by their patients. What’s more, from the patient’s perspective, the ease and comfort involved with using the new generation of intraoral scanning devices provide major improvements over traditional, relatively time-consuming, cumbersome, and messy oral modeling technologies. Orthodontists can also use today’s updated scanning technology to diagnose dental problems and provide the best possible treatments. This modern digital technology is easily applicable to crowns, veneers, bridgework, and implants. These digital files can then be quickly transmitted to suitably-equipped laboratories, which can utilize them to fabricate prescription appliances much faster, easier, better, and cheaper than ever before. Intraoral digital scans provide highly accurate dental measurements in the form of secure, compact digital information files. Today’s high-quality intraoral scanner systems simplify and speed the task of accurately modeling a patient’s oral cavity and utilizing this model to aid in performing restorative work. ![]() One technology that deserves considerably more attention from quality-seeking dental professionals is the internal oral digital scanner, such as the Itero family of Element™ Intraoral Scanners. As digital technology advances, it offers a variety of new methods for dentists who seek to provide better experiences and more satisfactory outcomes for their patients.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |