Technology and Imaging
Intraoral scanner
An intraoral scanner is a small handheld camera that records the shape of teeth and gums as a 3D digital model. It can replace putty-style impressions.
An intraoral scanner is a wand that the dentist moves over your teeth. It takes many images and joins them into a three-dimensional model on a screen. The result is a digital impression.
Reviews of the research find that digital impressions are comfortable for patients and have a shorter working time. They are well supported for single-tooth restorations. Because a scanner captures only a small area per image, full-arch scans are stitched together, and that step can add small errors.
The digital model can be sent to a lab or used with CAD/CAM systems. This entry explains the tool in general. It does not claim that Town Center Dental uses one.