Dentists Slow to Adopt Digital Impressions
Posted Apr 28, 2011 in Digital Dentistry
The number of labs working with digital intraoral impressions has doubled in the past year. In March 2010, just 18% of the respondents to LMT's State of the Industry survey reported working with the technology; today that figure has jumped to 36%. Our latest e-survey data also indicates that another 20% expect to start working with digital impressions within the next year.
Getting involved with digital impressions means a new work-flow for the laboratory and working with digitally fabricated models. Although each system is different, in general, here's how the process works: the dentist takes the digital impression and sends the file to either the manufacturer or laboratory where the margins are virtually marked using CAD software; a model is then milled and sent to the lab for restoration fabrication.
Larger Labs Take the Lead
The majority of respondents involved in the technology are from labs with...
