Transitioning to Digital Impressions — Scan Instead of Traditional Impression

While traditional silicone impressions have worked excellently for decades, intraoral digital scanning is changing the reality of collaboration between clinic and lab. This is not 'something cool to try' — it's an operational shift that speeds up work by several days and eliminates errors resulting from material deformation.

Why Digital Impressions Change Lab Work

Traditional impression: the patient comes in, you take a silicone impression, the patient waits 5–10 minutes for it to set, then you send the envelope to the laboratory (2–3 days delivery). The lab technician receives the model, pours it in gypsum, waits for it to harden, and only then begins work.

Digital impression: the patient comes in, you collect data with an intraoral scanner in 3–5 minutes, you send the STL file to the lab by email. The technician receives the data immediately, doesn't wait for a physical model, and starts work in hours, not days.

The difference is not 24 hours — it's an average of 3–5 days acceleration of the entire cycle.

Specific Advantages for the Clinician

Speed of order submission. You send the scan instantly. The lab can begin work even before the patient leaves the clinic.

No material deformation. Silicone impressions undergo slight dimensional changes during storage and transport. A digital file is a pixel record that does not deform.

Archiving. All patient data in the cloud. Patient returns in 5 years? You have the intraoral scan from that period.

Reduction of misunderstandings. The technician sees exactly what you see in the patient's mouth — they don't work based on an interpretation of a gypsum model.

Typical Scanners and Their Capabilities

3Shape Trios 3 — the gold standard in dental practices. Accuracy ~12 µm, full arch scan ~90 seconds. Price approx. 80–100 thousand PLN.

CEREC Primescan — Dentsply Sirona system. Accuracy ~13 µm, full arch scan time ~2 minutes.

iTero Element 5D — Align Technology system. Allows not only scanning but also orthodontic planning. Accuracy ~12 µm.

Planmeca Emerald — highly regarded in Poland — accurate, fast, compatible with most lab software.

All are in the 10–15 µm accuracy range, which is sufficient for any prosthetic work.

What to Avoid at the Start

Inexperience with preparation margins. If the preparation margin is hidden subgingivally, you must expose it before scanning. Use retraction cord + retraction paste.

Lack of full antagonist scanning. Always scan the maxilla and mandible.

Scanning in occlusion by eye only. Guide the patient into a natural centric position and take an additional scan in that position.

Ignoring artifacts on the scanner screen. Double lines or geometric jumps require rescanning.

Does an intraoral scan always replace a traditional impression?

Almost always. Exceptions: full edentulous arches, very deep subgingival margins (>3 mm), patients with a strong gag reflex.

How long does the patient sit in the chair for scanning?

3–5 minutes for a full arch. Faster than a traditional impression.

Can a scan be sent to any lab?

Yes. The standard format (STL) is readable by any modern lab. deltalabs. accepts scans from any scanner.

Will a digital scan lose accuracy when sent by email?

No. A computer file does not deform. Data retention is 100%.