Intra-Oral Scanning comes of age with Core3dcentres Digital Implant Solutions

Scan bodies were the first step towards digitising implant cases but without an implant level model solution, digital implant case workflows have their limitations. Core3dcentres Digital Implant Solutions (DiS) now provide a truly seamless workflow allowing the clinician to provide their laboratory with an implant level model from a digital impression. This gives the technician complete freedom of abutment design in order to provide the clinician with the exact emergence profile prescribed.

Up until this development, the only way for a clinician to communicate the emergence profile was manually, working with impression material and trays. This was the only way to record the soft tissue at fixture level and send implant level information to the laboratory. This information allows the technician total freedom of design over the abutment. With experience, the technician is able to create a custom abutment and crown; this means an emergence profile that specifically meets the referring clinician's expectations.

Unfortunately, traditional impressions rely on an inconvenient and uncomfortable patient experience. Patients hardly need additional invasive experiences whilst undertaking complex implant dentistry. Furthermore, traditional implant level impressions are expensive, especially when re-impressions need to be taken, the costs of special trays and implant materials add up quickly. It is these issues and the inherent inaccuracies of impression distortions, transport and model pouring which Core3dcentres DiS has solved.

Clinicians that have already embraced digital impressions through the various systems available are able to place scan bodies on implant fixtures in order to inform the scanner as to the precise angulation and rotation of the implant. However, the current workflow sees the abutment designed by a third party and milled before being sent to the laboratory, with an accompanying "abutment level model" - meaning no implant level information is communicated, an abutment die is in place, much like a prepped tooth die.

The problem with abutment level models is that the technician has no control over the design of the abutment and must then build a crown to fit the abutment level model rather than the referring clinician's preferred emergence profile. Obviously it is not possible to adjust the abutment at all in this scenario, since the crown must be built on the model and would then not fit a modified abutment.

Core3dcentres DiS simplifies the implant level impression process and delivers an implant level model to the laboratory, giving control over the emergence profile back to the technician. This is in line with the Core3dcentres business model, allowing clinicians and technicians to leverage the efficiency, accuracy and consistency of digital dentistry in combination with the art and craft of the dental technician and their working relationship with the clinician. Core3dcentres DiS combines the best elements of the traditional and digital workflows to deliver an efficient production solution.