Is scanning technology supporting your work?

If you are attending this month’s British Dental Conference & Dentistry Show I am sure you will meet the manufacturers of 3D scanners keen to sell you their products. As a dental laboratory, here at Ultralight, we use an in-house 3Shape scanner and 3D printer, so we are TRIOS ready. This technology makes our work even more accurate and very speedy, whilst retaining our levels of high quality. If you have scanning technology in your practice we can receive your intraoral scans within minutes of you scanning your patient and the product (clear aligners, crown & bridge, or biteguard) can be back with a quicker turnaround than the traditional method of sending an impression via the post. This method will involve the initial outlay of the scanner but over time will save you the expense of taking impressions i.e. the cost of materials and surgery time. 

 

Another advantage of scanning technology is that an increasing number of patients can access a Clear Aligner programme whether you have scanning technology or not. For many people a monthly treatment plan is a more financially viable option so it’s worth explaining to your patients that they can start on a clear aligner programme without the need to commit to a long-term programme. At the lab we scan the impression (or use your intraoral scan) and print a short-term course of clear aligners for whatever time period the client can afford. If they want to see further movement another plan can then be scanned and printed. I believe this short-term programming is increasing the number of people able to access clear aligner programmes and hope that you can make use of our technology to deliver this. 

 

As always, if you have any queries about this blog please contact me via our website or give us a call. 

 

Giles Bradley