Why Digital Dental Impressions are Superior to Traditional Impressions

As anyone requiring a crown, bridge, or aligner can attest, collecting a traditional dental impression can be invasive, uncomfortable, and time-consuming.

Patients often spend several minutes waiting for the slowly hardening goop in their mouth to solidify, an unpleasant process that clearly doesn’t make people feel enthusiastic about their next dental visit. 

However, new technologies are improving this experience. Digital impressions, which are computerized molds of a patient’s mouth created by an intraoral scanner, allow dentists to use a small, handheld scanning device to capture a 3D snapshot of the patient’s mouth. 

The digital model can be viewed on a screen, allowing the dentist to analyze a patient’s teeth and gums more closely, plan treatments, and share the images with other dental specialists, if necessary.

It’s a transformative approach to a critical oral care procedure, offering several benefits to both patients and providers. Here are five ways digital impressions are superior to traditional dental impressions.

Speed

Digital dental impressions are faster and more efficient than traditional imprints. With digital dental impressions, the dentist forgoes the processes of mixing mold materials, inserting the mold, and waiting for it to harden.

Instead, the dentist simply moves the scanning device around the patient's mouth, capturing images in real time. This process usually takes only a few minutes, making it much faster and more comfortable for the patient.

What’s more, these digital images can be electronically shared with dental labs, significantly reducing the time it takes to start working on the patient’s treatment plan. 

Finally, If adjustments are needed to the model or treatment plan, digital impressions allow for immediate modifications on the computer without creating a new physical model. Traditional impressions would require a new mold to be taken, which adds time and inconvenience for both the patient and dental professional.

Accuracy 

Digital dental impressions are more accurate in most cases than traditional imprints. 

For starters, digital impressions create high-resolution images that provide a detailed and precise 3D model of the patient's mouth. This level of detail is difficult to achieve with traditional impressions, which may be affected by the material's consistency, how it's mixed, and how it sets.

Digital impressions also reduce the likelihood of human error derailing the treatment process. With traditional impressions, there are many opportunities for error, such as air bubbles in the impression material, uneven spreading of the material in the tray, or distortion when removing the tray from the patient's mouth. 

Digital dental impressions eliminate these factors by using light and imaging technology, minimizing the risk of human error and providing a more accurate representation of the patient's oral structures.

Other factors, including real-time feedback, lack of material deformation, and easier collaboration all help make digital impressions more accurate and more actionable than their traditional counterparts.

Workflow Management 

Digital dental impressions offer several workflow management advantages that streamline processes, increase efficiencies, and enhance communication. 

For example, not only are digital impressions easier to attain and distribute, they are, as the name implies, digital, making everything from recording keeping to cross-company communication more effective. 

When coupled with their easy-to-modify framework and its integration with other digital tools, such as CAD/CAM systems for designing and manufacturing dental restorations, digital dental impressions can greatly enhance workflow management in dental practices and laboratories.

Material Savings 

While digital dental impressions rely on technology that requires an up-front investment, dental service providers don’t pay per case, allowing providers to quickly recoup their investment and enhance profitability. 

At the same time, digital impressions don’t require any physical ingredients, so providers no longer need to purchase trays, materials, or mixing supplies. Just as importantly, they don’t have to handle those ingredients anymore, saving time and increasing efficiency. 

“Wow” Factor

Patient experience is critical to maintaining long-lasting client relationships that produce sustainable dental care services. Digital impressions help dentists provide the “wow” factor by offering a more modern, comfortable, and engaging dental experience that delights and surprises patients.

Notably, digital impressions create detailed 3D models of the patient's mouth that can be displayed on a screen. This allows patients to better visualize their dental situation and understand their treatment plan, fostering better communication between the patient and dental professional.

An expansive collection of 11 industry studies encompassing 471 dental patients found “a statistically number of patients favoring digital impressions,” prompting The National Library of Medicine to issue “recommendations forming a basis for possible hardware and software upgrades of the digital systems that can produce significant improvement in the acceptance rate for both the patient and the clinician.”

By offering a more comfortable, efficient, and technologically advanced dental experience, digital dental impressions can improve the "wow factor" for patients, leading to higher satisfaction and a stronger relationship between patients and dental professionals.

Take the Next Step Today 

Digital dental impressions are revolutionizing the way dental professionals provide care to their patients. They offer numerous benefits, including faster and more accurate impressions, improved workflow management, material savings, and an enhanced patient experience. By embracing this cutting-edge technology, dental practices can stay ahead of the curve and offer a level of care that not only meets but exceeds patient expectations.

If you're a dental professional interested in providing the best possible experience for your patients, Dental Science is here to help.

Our digital scanning technology helps you modernize your practice and improve patient experiences and outcomes. Contact our team to learn more today.