Digital Impression and Digital Dentistry

Developing technologies have begun to take the system to a whole new level in dentistry, as in all areas. It has enabled patients to access higher-level treatments by minimizing the margins of error caused by subjective communication or human touch. Digital systems are now showing great developments at every stage from examination and facility to taking measurements, from designing prosthetics to production. In this article, we aim to explain and make understandable the digital measurement stage in the digital workflow.

What is a digital measurement?

Areas of use of digital measurements

• During the examination, evaluate the relationship between the teeth not only from the outside but also from the inside (from the tongue).
• Thanks to the artificial intelligence algorithm, it is possible to see which teeth carry more load during chewing and at which points they come into contact with the opposite outside.
• To enable the patient to better understand the treatment and ask any questions they may have by seeing the inside of the mouth.
• Taking small internal measurements for the production of porcelain fillings (inlay, onlay), full zirconium or emax prostheses, porcelain laminates, implant-supported prostheses, surgical plates (surgical guide) for implant surgery with digital 3D systems.
• To archive the patient's oral condition in a digital environment without any deterioration and to compare the old measurements in the archive with the current measurements to determine the changes in the patient's oral condition over the years.

What are the digital measurement stages?

• The intraoral scanner is turned on and the system is made ready for use.
• The patient file is created and the record is opened to avoid confusion with other measurements.
• The patient is placed in the arm position and an intraoral examination is performed to determine the suitability of the measurement.
• After the examination, the teeth are dried before starting the scan to make the image clearer. Then, the six upper jaws are scanned in order according to the digital system used. During the scan, the back and chewing surfaces of the teeth are introduced to the device with a systematic method.
• After scanning the upper and lower jaws with the correct method, the patient is asked to bite tightly with their back teeth and not move them at all for the bite measurement. After the correct bite is fixed, the tooth relationships (occlusion) of the right and left sides are scanned separately.
• After the scans are completed, the compatibility of the 3D model with the oral cavity is checked and the final process is carried out. In this way, all scan data is transformed into a form that can be sent to the technician and 3D designs can be made on it.

What are the advantages of digital measurement?

I think we will fill this title a bit too much. Because not only using a device in its raw form but also knowing the features of the devices we use and combining them with our clinical vision opens us another window. One of the biggest advantages of digital measurement is TIME. In a period when time is valuable and flows quickly, this loss of time is a loss of productivity for people. Both shortening the treatment and appointment time and accelerating the production process are very valuable advantages offered to our digital systems. Another advantage, the minimization of the margin of error, supports the time advantage by reducing the number of sessions.

The artificial intelligence warning system significantly reduces our margin of error in the measurement phase as well as in the entire process. Making presentations on 3D models during the examination clearly shows the problematic area to our patient, clears the question marks in the patient's mind, helps them understand their treatment better, ask questions and increase their trust in their doctor.

Thus, it eliminates the stress of receiving treatment with question marks in mind. In the past, we used to provide this by taking measurements with the traditional method and explaining it to the patient on a plaster model. However, thanks to the digital method, we eliminate the waiting time for creating a plaster model. In addition, we save patients from nausea, suffocation and discomfort problems that occur when taking measurements with a dough-like impression material.

Finally, the ease of archiving and the difficulty of storing protected plaster models eliminate the risk of breakage and loss. Thus, when our patients come back years later, we can compare their old scans with their current scans and examine the changes more clearly. It provides the opportunity to make comparisons especially for patients with teeth grinding (bruxism) problems and to design a design that can bring worn teeth back to their previous dimensions using old scan data and then to make a prosthesis accordingly. If you want to be examined with intraoral scanners or receive treatment with the precision of digital systems, do not forget to make an appointment with our clinic. We wish you healthy days!