Intraoral Scanning for Removable Dentures

The adoption of digital dentistry began with aligners and has evolved into fixed restorative work, such as crown and bridge. As dental practices advance in intraoral scanning, there's a growing focus on enhancing efficiency in scanning for removable dentures.  

However, the learning curve associated with scanning edentulous patients is steeper than that for aligners, crowns, bridges, or implants. The anatomical landmarks in edentulous arches are less defined and can float or move with mouth movement, making it challenging to capture a perfect scan that labs can use for fabrication. Despite these initial challenges, overcoming the learning curve can unlock numerous efficiencies, significantly enhancing both operational workflows and patient experiences.

Our comprehensive guide will delve into considerations for adopting intraoral scanning for removable dentures, its benefits, and how it can revolutionize your dental practice. Equip yourself with the essential knowledge to broaden your digital dental practice today.

What Makes Intraoral Scanning of an Edentulous Patient More Difficult?

Transitioning to digital solutions offers exciting opportunities, yet it presents its own challenges. Scanning for removable dentures in edentulous patients requires more skill compared to aligners, crowns, or implants. The landmarks guiding accurate scanning are less prominent, and they tend to float and move as the mouth moves, complicating the task of obtaining the precise digital impressions necessary for effective denture fabrication.  

Nonetheless, these challenges should not deter practices from embracing this technology. The long-term benefits of digitizing your removable case volume greatly outweigh the difficulties. Once the learning curve is surmounted, practices can tap into significant efficiencies that enhance operational workflows and improve patient experiences.

Enhancing Patient Comfort and Communication

Intraoral scanning offers greater comfort for patients, eliminating the need for messy and uncomfortable traditional impression materials that can induce gagging. The non-invasive scanning process allows patients to relax, resulting in a more pleasant visit. Additionally, the digital scans enable dentists to share detailed 3D images with patients, facilitating clearer communication and building trust in the treatment process. This transparency helps patients understand the procedures better, leading to higher satisfaction levels.

Digital Workflow vs. 3D Printed Denture Technology

If you're accustomed to using scanners for crown and bridge, transitioning to removable dentures requires understanding key differences in digital workflows and fabrication methods. The process begins similarly with capturing a digital impression of the edentulous arch using your intraoral scanner, but focuses on different anatomical landmarks, including the hard palate, residual ridges, and frenums.

Traditional acrylic removable fabrication usually involves milling from solid acrylic, which can be time-consuming and may require manual adjustments for a good fit. Conversely, the latest 3D printed digital denture technology offers significant advantages. 3D printing allows for intricate designs and details that milling might struggle to achieve. This additive process builds dentures layer by layer, often resulting in quicker turnaround times and fewer manual adjustments, leading to a superior fit and increased patient satisfaction.

While you may have a solid foundation in digital workflows for crown and bridge, adapting to removable dentures requires mastering the unique challenges of scanning edentulous arches and leveraging 3D printing benefits. Embracing this next phase in digital dentistry can lead to enhanced efficiency and improved patient outcomes in your practice.

High-Precision Imaging

When adopting any new technology, productivity impact is crucial. One of the significant advantages of using intraoral scanning for removable dentures is its precision. Digital scanners capture highly detailed 3D images with sub-millimeter accuracy, reducing the risk of errors associated with traditional impression materials that can distort or shift during the molding process. This level of detail ensures that final dentures fit perfectly every time.

Unlocking Efficiency

TrueDent is an advanced dental technology solution that streamlines the denture creation process. By combining 3D printing and milling techniques, TrueDent produces high-quality dental prosthetics more efficiently than traditional methods. It eliminates the need for uncomfortable physical impressions and allows for milling the base while simultaneously printing the teeth, drastically reducing turnaround times. This innovation enables dental professionals to focus more on patient care rather than labor-intensive fabrication processes.

Speeding Up Initial Impressions

Improving process speed in a practice is vital, but not at the cost of precision or patient comfort. Intraoral scans provide immediate, accurate results, minimizing the inefficiencies of analog impressions that often require retakes. The scanning process is typically quick, taking only a few minutes to capture all necessary data, enhancing patient comfort and allowing dentists to accommodate more patients.

Efficient Data Transmission to Dental Labs

Digital impressions can be transmitted instantly to dental laboratories, eliminating delays associated with physical impression trays. This swift data transmission results in quicker turnaround times for denture fabrication, allowing patients to receive their new dentures sooner.

Streamlined Workflow for Dental Practices

Digital workflows enable quicker adjustments and revisions. For instance, if an intraoral scan reveals the need for changes, dentists can rescan specific areas with errors or voids directly in the digital model, reducing the need for additional patient visits. This efficiency can lead to higher patient satisfaction and increased practice profitability.

Overcoming the Learning Curve

It's understandable that upgrading to digital solutions like intraoral scanning can feel daunting. Like any new technology, there’s a learning curve involved, requiring dental professionals to invest time in training and familiarization. While this may initially slow operations, the long-term benefits far exceed the temporary inconvenience. Once practices overcome the learning curve, the resulting efficiency and precision are invaluable.

Implementing Intraoral Scanning in Your Practice

While scanning edentulous patients poses challenges, the long-term benefits—improved efficiency, enhanced patient satisfaction, and streamlined workflows—make it a crucial step for progressive dental practices.

As dental practices adapt to the digital age, intraoral scanning for removable dentures is poised to become standard. Embracing these advancements not only ensures competitiveness but also elevates the quality of care. Intraoral scanning for edentulous patients represents an exciting frontier in digital dentistry. The benefits far outweigh the challenges, and our comprehensive guide will help you transform your dental practice, improve patient care, and streamline workflows.

Adopting this technology also ensures you can properly communicate with dental labs that can use digital impressions and scanning. For example, at DDS Lab, we can work with your practice to develop removable partial dentures accurately based on your intraoral scans.

If you’re ready to take the next step in modernizing your dental practice, consider integrating intraoral scanning technology for removable dentures today. Your patients—and your practice—will thank you.