iTero Scanner
Dental appliances aren’t available in standard sizes like small, medium and large — they must be custom-made. At Victorian Village Dental Care in Columbus, OH, we use an iTero scanner as part of the design process for dental appliances, providing our patients with better treatment outcomes.
What Is an iTero Scanner?
An iTero scanner is a small handheld device that is slowly moved throughout the mouth to capture detailed images of the teeth, gums and other areas of the oral cavity. The captured images are transmitted to a nearby computer, where they are used to create a detailed, 3D model of your mouth.
The 3D model provides us with all the information and measurements we need to create custom-made dental restorations and orthodontic appliances. Some of the things our dental team can learn from the 3D model include:
- How your teeth fit together when the mouth is closed – This is helpful to determine if an overbite or underbite is present.
- Size of your dental arches – Dental arches are the U-shaped curves in the upper and lower jaw that hold your teeth in place.
- Exact placement of the teeth and gums – This allows us to see how the teeth fit together.
- Measurement of gaps, size of surrounding teeth, and areas of missing teeth
When Is the iTero Scanner Used?
We use the iTero scanner whenever a custom-made restoration or device is needed for your treatment. We will use the scanner to take images if we are creating any of the following restorations or devices:
- Dental bridges
- Dental crowns
- Dental implants
- Veneers
- Invisalign
- Retainers
- Athletic mouthguards
Our dental team will also use the iTero scanner to monitor the progression of your treatment. If treatment isn’t going as expected, we will adjust your treatment plan, so you are still on track to getting your desired outcome. This is especially important if you are undergoing orthodontic treatment.
Other Benefits of the iTero Scanner
Some of the additional benefits of using this type of dental technology include:
- iTero scanners replace old impression methods. You no longer have to sit around with sticky goop in your mouth waiting for the impressions to be made.
- Scanning with the iTero scanner can be started and stopped, which allows us to take breaks if our patients get tired or feel overwhelmed.
- It takes just a few minutes to get an entire scan of your mouth. Not only does this make things easier for our dental team, but it helps us reduce the length of your appointment.
- The images captured with the iTero scanner can easily be shared with other providers and specialists. They can also be quickly and easily sent to dental labs where restorations and orthodontic devices are manufactured.
- Patients have a greater chance of achieving a successful treatment outcome because the higher quality, detailed images from the iTero scanner helps us to create better-fitting restorations and devices.
- Our dental team can see the images captured by the iTero scanner in real-time. This allows us to ensure we get clear images that provide all the information we need to make your treatment a success. If the images aren’t clear or we didn’t gather the information we need, a rescan of the mouth can be done in just a few minutes.
Victorian Village Dental Care regularly uses the iTero scanner as part of our restoration, cosmetic and dental services. Request an appointment for a consultation and see how our dental team employs the latest technology to create effective treatment plans for all types of dental services
