Revolutionizing Dentistry: The Future of Digital Impressions
Are digital technologies giving dentistry a facelift? Better believe! One of the latest hot trends catching on quickly is taking advanced intraoral cameras and imaging systems to create digital impressions for restorative procedures such as crowns and veneers.
The process involves no invasive thoughts – instead, this non-invasive process increases comfort, convenience, and precision by removing those messy impression material trays.
Where instead of a dental impression poured up in alginate or silicone substances, a physical stone model is produced, digital scans will directly create a virtual 3D rendering of the patient’s teeth right on a computer.
Advanced mapping will also rebuild tooth detailing down to a microscopic level with a resolution that is accurate within just a few microns in size. Such a life-like digital model can then easily be accessed and enhanced within imaging software.
Because of time-saving chairside clinic time, digital impressions preserve precious minutes for both doctors and patients without losing any precision. There is no awkward impression stage as clenching down into a gloopy substance or fear of an “oops” retake. Patients appreciate the easy process requiring only a few intraoral scans with immediate visualization of their teeth on laptop displays.
Behind the technology, a handheld wand or small camera captures hundreds of photos per second while slowly passing over each tooth surface. Specialized scanning protocols and proprietary algorithms reconstruct those raw images into seamless 3D renderings.
Complex tooth anatomies like roots and bite registration are well represented digitally versus potentially missing fine details with physical impressions.
The most impressive aspect of these technologies is the possibility of having restorations done all in one visit to the dentist! The same precision and fabrication as can be obtained by using in-chair CAD/CAM mills are possible with crowns or veneers created directly from digital models. Permanent restorations can then be professionally tried just hours later after temporization.
Other exciting applications include the ability to share these virtual models and treatment plans anywhere – whether remote from experts or dental laboratories. Digital records capture changes over time, allowing for effective long-distance monitoring and more predictable orthodontic results. Stay tuned because digital innovations will only continue revolutionizing the future of dentistry!
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