For many people, having an impression taken is one of the most unpleasant parts of a dental visit. Thanks to new, innovative impression-taking technologies, however, the traditional dental impression is now a thing of the past. At our practice in Zurich, we use digital impression-taking to make your treatment even more comfortable and stress-free.
Our dentists would be happy to advise you in person on when a digital dental impression is recommended and what advantages the digital 3D scan offers compared to traditional methods.
What is a digital dental impression?
A digital dental impression is an impression of individual teeth or the entire dentition that is taken digitally. Instead of creating a physical model of your teeth from impression material, we scan your teeth using an intraoral scanner. This device—similar to an electric toothbrush—captures the teeth using light and converts them into a digital 3D model.
The digital impression is displayed on the screen in real time. The dentist can then use the digital model to plan your dental restorations or orthodontic treatment.
What are the advantages of digital impressions?
For the patient, a digital dental impression offers the highest level of comfort. The impression-taking process is painless, largely contact-free, and does not require traditional impression material. This makes treatment easier, especially for anxious patients and those with a strong gag reflex, for whom a conventional impression can only be taken with great difficulty.
Digital impressions are also a valuable tool for dentists. They receive a precise 3D scan that is immediately available for diagnosis, treatment planning, and monitoring progress. The dentist can also use the 3D model to clearly explain individual treatment steps to you.
Last but not least, a digital dental impression can also be used directly for the fabrication of dental prostheses. So-called CAD/CAM procedures, such as Cerec-3D—which we use in our practice in Zurich—transmit the scan data directly to the grinding and milling unit. This simplifies and speeds up the treatment.
How is a digital dental impression taken?
Unlike traditional impression-taking, a digital dental impression requires no preparation. The impression is taken using an intraoral scanner, which is mounted on a cart and connected to a monitor.
To capture the teeth, the dentist slowly guides the scanner along the rows of teeth. A tiny camera captures all the details of the teeth and automatically converts them into a 3D model of the dentition.
The scan is then immediately available for evaluation. If individual areas were not captured, the scan is repeated in those areas. Your dentist can now explain all the important details to you and precisely plan your dental treatment based on the scan.
Are there any risks associated with a digital dental impression?
Digital dental impressions pose no health risks. The impression-taking process is painless and virtually contact-free. There is no impression material that could enter the throat. The intraoral scanner uses LED light and emits no radiation. Since this is a digital procedure, the only risk is that, under unfortunate circumstances, data could be lost and the scan would need to be repeated.
FAQ
A digital dental impression is essentially suitable for all patients who are scheduled to receive a dental prosthesis. The procedure is particularly beneficial for anxious patients and those with a strong gag reflex, for whom traditional impression-taking is very stressful.
Digital impressions taken with an intraoral scanner are ideal for making the impression-taking process easier for children and turning it into a fun experience. Most children find the 3D scan much more exciting and less stressful than having an impression taken with impression material. In addition, we can clearly explain many details to our young patients using the 3D model.
In Zurich, we primarily use digital dental impressions for the fabrication of dental restorations. This allows us to plan ceramic crowns, inlays, onlays, bridges, and dentures with precision and efficiency.
Another area of application is orthodontics. A digital dental impression can serve as the basis for planning orthodontic treatment with aligners or braces.
Taking an impression usually takes only a few minutes. The exact duration depends on the technician’s experience and whether all or only some of the teeth need to be scanned. The 3D scan is then available immediately.
In rare cases, anatomical factors make it impossible to capture all the teeth completely. In such cases, the dentist may decide to use the traditional method of taking an impression with impression material.