Dental impressions are bad enough to make anyone avoid the dentist. If you’ve ever needed a crown, bridge, or retainer, then you’ve experienced the discomfort that comes while waiting for the gooey, putty-like material (alginate) to set for a dental impression. Thankfully, there are new ways to obtain dental impressions using digital scans of your mouth.

Digital impressions create accurate virtual representations of your teeth and bite by taking a series of digital photographs. The resulting virtual model of your mouth allows your dentist or dental specialist to determine the best plan of care for you.

Getting digital impressions is not invasive and takes little time. First, the teeth are dusted with titanium dioxide powder. Then, an intraoral wand scans the teeth and mouth. If you are getting restorations, the scans will be sent to the lab where the bridge, veneer, crown, or oral appliance will be made.

Digital impressions mean:

• Comfort – No more gag-inducing goop to achieve dental impressions.
• Efficiency – Your teeth can be immediately assessed to see if they are ready for treatment, and because digital scans don’t need time to set like traditional impressions, you won’t need to spend as much time at the office.
• Quality – Because digital impressions can give a more detailed representation of your mouth, your new crown, bridge, or veneer will be better suited for your mouth.