In short: An intraoral scanner captures teeth and gums with a small camera and builds a three-dimensional model on screen. No impression tray, no setting material, no gag reflex and no waiting for the material to harden. The result can be checked immediately and rescanned in one spot if needed, instead of repeating the whole impression.
For many patients the impression is the most unpleasant memory of the dentist — the full mouth, not being able to swallow, the minutes of waiting. For those patients the digital impression is the most noticeable change of recent years.
What happens
A wand-shaped camera is guided along the teeth and takes a large number of individual images per second. Software assembles them in real time into a three-dimensional model that grows on the screen. You can swallow normally and pause in between — the scan resumes where it was interrupted.
The practical advantages
- No gagging: nothing fills the mouth, nothing sets. For patients with a pronounced gag reflex this is often the difference between possible and impossible.
- Immediate check: incomplete areas are visible on screen at once and rescanned specifically. A conventional impression with one fault has to be repeated entirely.
- No distortion from material: impression putty can shrink minimally while setting and in transport. Digital data cannot.
- Faster route to the lab: data travels electronically, with no shipping time for a plaster model.
- More environmentally friendly: no impression tray, no setting material, no plaster model — noticeably less material and waste per visit.
- Archivable: the scan stays stored. A comparison over years shows receding gums and wear — documented rather than remembered.
What we use it for
- Restorations: crowns, bridges, inlays and onlays — the digital blueprint for a precisely fitting lab-made restoration.
- Implant planning: precise implant positioning based on the three-dimensional model.
- Orthodontics: the basis for aligners as well as grinding and snoring splints.
- Diagnostics: comparing scans over time can reveal early changes in tooth structure and gum position.
What you can see with it
One side effect achieves more in consultation than any explanation: you see your own teeth from every side, large and at leisure, on a screen. Wear from grinding, receded gums, the spot the interdental brush never reaches — that can be shown on the model instead of described. With aligner treatment, the planned tooth movement can also be simulated on the model before you decide.
Where conventional impressions remain
A digital scan is not the better choice in every situation. For edentulous jaws, where mobile mucosa and muscle function have to be captured, a conventional functional impression still gives better results. Impression material can also be superior where preparation margins lie deep below the gum line. We choose according to findings and tell you why.
What stays the same either way: the quality of the restoration is not decided by the device but by the care taken in preparation. A precise model of a poorly prepared situation is still a poorly prepared situation.
Frequently asked questions
Does the scan hurt?
No. The camera barely touches the teeth, there is no pressure and no heat. With very sensitive gums, guiding it can be uncomfortable in a few places.
How long does a digital impression take?
A few minutes for a single area, correspondingly longer for a full jaw. Usually less time than a conventional impression including setting time.
Is a digital impression more accurate?
For crowns, bridges, splints and aligners the accuracy is very high and at least equivalent, with the advantage that material distortion and transport errors are eliminated.
Does a digital impression cost extra?
That depends on the treatment. If a private additional service applies, it appears in the cost plan before treatment begins.
This article provides general information and does not replace a dental examination. Medically reviewed by Dr. F. J. Rodríguez Ruíz, MSc., dentist at A+ Dental, Düsseldorf-Oberkassel.