Intraoral scanning issues

For information Intraoral scanning issues, refer to the following:

Using an intraoral scanner can increase accuracy and reduce the number of “re-takes”, but imperfections do still happen.

While some of these issues can be cleaned up on our end, it takes some guesswork on the technician's part, and you run the risk of aligners with a less-than-ideal fit.

Here are three of the most common issues you might run into when taking intraoral scans and how to prevent them:

• Holes in the Scan
• Missing Gingiva
• Excess Material

Holes in the Scan

• Description: Holes through the upper and lower arch scans.
• Causes: Holes are caused when the intraoral scanner fails to capture the tooth anatomy.
• How to avoid: To avoid creating holes when scanning, make sure to stay on the tooth long enough so that the full tooth can be captured. Check the scan to make sure no anatomy is missing before moving to the next quadrant.

Missing Gingiva

• Description: Minimal material in the gingival region.
• Causes: Missing gingiva is caused when the intraoral scanner fails to capture the gingival region.
• How to avoid: To avoid missing gingival areas when scanning, make sure to rotate the intraoral scanner to the gingival to capture the full gingival region and gum line. Check the scan to make sure 3-5 mm of the gingiva is captured, before moving to the next quadrant.

Excess Material

• Description: Excess material attached to the teeth.
• Causes: Excess material is caused when not enough tooth surface is captured, so the scanner software compensates by adding excess material.
• How to avoid: To avoid creating excess material when scanning, make sure to stay on the tooth long enough so that the full tooth/teeth can be captured. Check the scan to make sure no anatomy is missing, before moving to the next quadrant.