Impression Scanning for Fixed Restorations

Fixed dental restorations are used to restore or repair damaged teeth. This is a general operation conducted by dentists. The two main types of fixed restorations are crown restorations for single missing teeth and bridge restorations for several missing teeth.

Digital Scanning Benefits

Digital scanning significantly reduces the amount of time technicians spend on individual cases. It also simplifies workload and, in turn, increases 3D printing productivity. Technicians save time preparing and converting their scans into printable files using HeyGears Cloud software for pre-processing and print management services. A team of dedicated HeyGears dental designers can assist in your dental appliance designs.

Fixed Restorations

There are specific steps dentists must take to create a fixed restoration for their patients. This generally begins with a dentist making an impression tray of the patient's mouth. Once completed, the clinic must send the impression tray to a dental lab to produce it into a fixed restoration. When an impression tray arrives at a dental lab, technicians can create the fixed restorations in 2 ways.

Plaster Model Process

  • 1. Technicians pour the gypsum dental material into the impression tray.
  • 2. Technicians begin to trim the gypsum model into a cast.
  • 3. Add a base pin.
  • 4. Align the plaster cast maxillary (upper) and the mandibular (lower) jaw using an articulator.
  • 5. Section the cast.

Once the cast is created, technicians must scan, design, mill, and sinter a usable fixed restoration model. Glazing the fixed restoration model, in addition to model placement and quality checking, are additional steps technicians must do to ensure the final model is accurate for the patient. The overall process is laborious and can take 3-4 days, depending on the requirements and complexity of the model.

Digital Scanning Process

1. Place the impression tray in a holder.

2. Begin 5 axis scan of the impression tray.

A digital scan takes 5 minutes to create and can be automatically uploaded to HeyGears Cloud. From there, the technician can send it to HeyGears designers to complete the design process. The file does not require data from a whole gypsum model, making it fast and convenient for scanning. The software simulates bite registration, making it easy for adjustments, if needed, and features tray usability assessment tools to assist designers. More than 200 dental designers can assist technicians with their design orders. Once complete, the dental designer will review the accuracy and precision of the file. The designer will then slice the file and send it back to the technician within 24 hours of the original time the technician placed the order. Technicians also have the option of creating the file in-house. Rather than sending the scanned file to HeyGears, technicians can upload, design, review, and slice the file themselves with HeyGears Cloud. This process is significantly shorter because it does not require sending out and increases dental lab production for technicians.

Oral Arts Dental Lab Uses Impression Scans to Increase Dental Production

Oral Arts Dental Lab is a large scale dental facility that uses HeyGears UltraCraft 3D printers for the production output of dental appliances. Oral Arts lab technicians benefit from the digital production workflow created by HeyGears to scan, design, and 3D print fixed restorations. To learn more about how this process is possible, click here.

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