This imaging allows the dentist to clearly explain needed treatment while showing you exactly what is happening with your smile. The high-definition rendering can show teeth in fine detail so even small chips or cavities can be clearly viewed.
The iTero scanner can display digital x-rays as well as the surface of teeth so you can view the full scope of your dental health.
How Do Digital Scanners Work?
Digital scanners use a small camera that is minimally invasive to get a clear picture in the patients’ mouths using a handheld wand. Captured images can be quickly displayed on a screen without the patient having to leave the chair or the dentist having to go to another room to get printouts.
The wand is small & flexible so that you can be as comfortable as possible while getting scanned. The whole mouth can be scanned at once, so multiple takes are not required.
The display can also show images from x-rays & other imported images. The iTero scanner itself does not produce x-ray radiation.
Early Prevention
Cavities can be detected at early stages when less-invasive treatment options are available. Different spectrums of light, such as those near the infrared part of the spectrum, can illuminate cavities when they would normally remain unseen. This saves you from less comfortable procedures which are often more costly as well.
Cavity detection has been shown in studies to detect caries (another word for cavity) just as well if not better in some cases than traditional bitewing x-rays.
Aiding Treatment
This type of scanning is great for raising patient awareness of their health & needed treatment but it can also help with the treatment itself. Using 3-D images from the scanner, dentists can create digital impressions & show estimations of results. For example, iTero scanners can simulate what clear aligners can do for you to give you a realistic expectation that helps you make an informed decision.
Once you have begun treatment, you can view the progress of longer treatments through time-lapse & other effects.
Being able to do this much with one device also reduces the number of times a dentist may have to sterilize different equipment, each of which would have to go in the patient’s mouth separately.
Digital scanners have the added advantage on bringing imaging into the digital world so that your records can be stored & accessed by your dentist easily. This leads to even less wait time during a visit. Files can also be sent to labs promptly when part of a treatment needs to happen elsewhere, such as fabricating dental appliances.