There was always some trepidation with opting for orthodontic treatment in the past. The result was desirable, but the processes involved in getting there weren’t always pleasant. Throughout the treatment, you’d have to get imaging done with uncomfortable bite plates, your impressions taken with uncomfortable bite trays. As if that weren’t enough, your dentist filled these trays with a generally unpleasant-tasting, messy and goopy concoction. For some, this part was the worst; a sensitive gag reflex could make the whole impression process require self-control and even numbing spray.
Digital Impressions Are Changing Everything
Revolutions in digital technology have made much of the previously described experience a thing of the past. While you still have to receive impressions to design your orthodontic treatment plan, they no longer require trays or goopy gels. Instead, these impressions can be taken with an innovative imaging system. This system takes a 3D impression of your oral cavity in mere seconds, and there is no gel or bite plates involved! Instead, you simply sit down in a special chair, rest your chin on a tray, and a special device known as a CRCT system completes the scan instantly.
The resulting images are greatly superior to those produced using traditional imaging systems. To begin with, they’re a 3D image produced using thousands of individual slices created during your scan. These images can be viewed in 3D, rotated, and even printed out using a 3D printer. Even better, your dentist can instantly transfer them to other practitioners, and you can even be given a copy of your own. There’s no risk of losing them; the original is always in your dentist’s records.
There’s more to your mouth than just the bone structure, though! Another device, known as an intraoral scanner, takes images of the visible structures inside your mouth. The scanner is inserted into your open mouth, moved, and rotated around so it can take the necessary images and then stitches them together into a 3D image. These images share many of the same properties as those created with the CRCT system.
These systems improve your dental experience due to the ability to:
- Create a more accurate visualization of your orofacial area
- view these structures in a 3D environment
- Permit the creation of a physical 3D model
- Eliminating the need for bite plates, goopy impression mediums, and trays.
- Improve diagnosis and the resulting treatment plan.
Your dentist is able to improve your dental experience and outcome through the use of these digital impressions. They’re also able to quickly share these files with other practitioners who are involved with your care.
Speak To Your Dental Provider About Their Imaging
With thousands of dentists adopting this technology all over the world, there’s a good chance yours is using it already. Speak to your provider about what devices they use in your care and how they influence the outcomes you receive. The best time to do this is at your next dental check-up, so schedule yours today!
