Digital Impressions Specialist

What are digital impressions?

A dental impression is a replica of your mouth that helps Dr. Smith to plan your orthodontic treatments. Whether you’re getting traditional braces or Invisalign®, Dr. Smith needs an impression of your mouth to determine your treatment plan.

Traditionally, dental impressions are taken with putty. You bite into the putty, effectively creating a negative impression of your teeth. 

Dr. Smith, however, believes in operating with the newest and best equipment at Freedom Orthodontics, so he takes impressions digitally with a 3-D intraoral scanner. 

The intraoral scanner is a wand-like tool that takes a series of pictures of the inside of your mouth and constructs a virtual replica of your hard and soft tissues using computer technology. 

When do you use digital impressions?

Digital impressions are necessary for the planning stages of orthodontic treatments. If you’re getting braces, for example, Dr. Smith takes a digital impression of your mouth to map the precise details of your treatment.

Digital impressions are also vital for Invisalign and plastic retainers. Both of these treatments use removable trays designed to fit snugly around your teeth. To ensure an accurate fit, Dr. Smith models them after your digital impression. 

What are the advantages of digital impressions?

There are several reasons digital impressions are better than traditional dental molds. 

It’s easier to take a digital impression, which makes for a pleasant experience. Traditional dental molds are also notorious for making patients gag since the putty can sometimes slide down the back of your throat. With digital impressions, Dr. Smith simply moves the intraoral camera around your mouth for a few seconds, and you’re done.

The technology involved with an intraoral camera is more advanced than that of a dental mold and therefore produces a more accurate replica. Also, because Dr. Smith can easily upload your digital impression to a computer, he can send it to the labs and the specialists fabricate your orthodontic appliances immediately.

If you’re interested in learning more about how Dr. Smith can improve your orthodontic experience with digital impressions, schedule a visit at Freedom Orthodontics today by phone or reserve an appointment using the convenient online booking tool.